River cruise line AmaWaterways has announced its first ever Peru journey — and it's designed to bolt neatly onto an existing trip. From April 2027, guests finishing the line's Magic of Colombia river itinerary can add a six-day land extension covering Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Select 2027 departures get the option first, and by 2028 every post-cruise Magic of Colombia sailing will include it.

The logistics are handled end to end. After disembarking in Cartagena, guests fly to Lima — that air sector is already baked into the land package price. From there the route climbs to Cusco and the Sacred Valley before the centrepiece: a privately guided day at Machu Picchu, reached aboard either the Hiram Bingham, A Belmond Train, or a first-class Inca Rail service, with a local guide throughout.

For AmaWaterways, this is a statement about where the brand is heading. CEO Catherine Powell called Machu Picchu one of the most iconic places on earth and framed the extension as an evolution of what luxury river cruising can mean — pairing standout hotels, food and service with a destination most travellers have on their bucket list. Managing director for Australia and New Zealand Steve Richards made the commercial logic plainer: South America is a big, expensive, once-in-a-lifetime trip for Aussies and Kiwis, and if you're flying that far you want more than a single highlight. Since AmaWaterways is the only luxury river cruise line operating in Colombia, pairing that country's colour and culture with the Andes is pitched as a journey worth the long haul.

What does this mean if you're actually planning a trip? It's essentially a two-for-one: a Colombian river cruise plus Peru's headline sights in one booking, with the tricky Cartagena–Lima flight and the Machu Picchu train sorted for you. The private guiding matters at Machu Picchu, where a good guide genuinely changes what you get out of the site. And having a choice of train — the plush Belmond option versus the still-comfortable first-class Inca Rail — lets you control where the splurge goes.

It's aimed squarely at curious, long-haul travellers who want depth over a whistle-stop tour, and at the luxury end of the market. If you've been putting Machu Picchu on the someday list, a packaged extension like this removes most of the planning friction. The catch: it only runs alongside the Magic of Colombia itinerary, so you're committing to the full river cruise plus extension, with the first departures not until April 2027 — worth noting if you like to book far ahead, which for 2027 South America travel you probably should.