Nature & Culture lima | Puerto Maldonado | Cuzco | Inca Trail | machu picchu
12
days
July 5th – July 16th, 2019
$3100.00
Day 1: Flight from Seattle to Lima
Bienvenidos! Welcome to Peru.
You will be transported from the Lima airport to your hotel.
Included: Transportation
Accommodations: Del Pilar or similar
Day 2: Lima City and Gastronomic Tour
Enjoy some breakfast, then explore Lima with your guide. Your tour begins with a culinary adventure to a typical bustling Peruvian marketplace. You’ll learn to make classic Peruvian dishes like Ceviche and the authentic Pisco Sour drink.
In Lima, we will take you through the ages, beginning in the pre-Hispanic era, moving through colonial times, and finishing with some very modern views of this beautiful city. Sites include a panoramic view of La Huaca Pucllana, historical downtown Lima, San Isidro, and an unforgettable view of the Pacific Ocean from the district of Miraflores.
Included: Guided tour, entry to all sites, breakfast, lunch
Accommodations: Del Pilar Hotel or similar
Day 3: Puerto Maldonado
This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to the Amazon. Upon arriving at the lodge you’ll enjoy a welcoming reception. After a well-deserved lunch, you will take kayaks to the river. This is a very relaxing, easy activity for people of nearly any level of fitness.
You will make your way to Monkey Island, which is as great as it sounds – you’ll see a huge diversity of monkeys such as capuchins, tamarins, and squirrel monkeys. For an optional night-time excursion, you may venture out in search of caimans on the river – if you dare.
Included: Kayaking to Monkey Island, transportation, all meals
Accommodations: Yakari Eco Lodge
Day 4: Puerto Maldonado
Start the day strong with a hearty breakfast at the Lodge. First activity of the day is a scenic boat ride to the Tambopata National Reserve Zone. You’ll be captivated by the sights and sounds of the rainforest during our hour and a half long walk, arriving at the famous Sandoval Lake where you can have lunch and swim. After this long day immersed in nature, you will return to the Eco lodge for some dinner and rest.
Included: Boat to Tambopata National Reserve Zone, guided tour of forest, all meals
Accommodations: Yakari Eco Lodge
Day 5: Puerto Maldonado – Cusco
We will depart at dawn to visit the salt licks, a place where hundreds of parrots and parakeets gather to eat the rich clay along the rivers and streams in the Madre de Dios region of the Amazon rainforest. This phenomenon is part of their diets and a fascinating sight to see.
You will return to the lodge for breakfast, then venture to the hanging high canopy bridge and zip lines. Afterward, it’s back to the lodge for lunch and rest before taking the return boat to Puerto Maldonado for an overnight trip to Cusco via bus. (flight available, extra cost)
Included: Boat trip, bus ticket, breakfast, lunch
Day 6: Cusco – Cusco City tour
You will be transferred from Cusco bus station to the hotel. Free time. (City tour available, extra fee)
Included: Transfer
Accommodations: Hotel Las Ruinas
Day 7: Sacred Valley Tour
The tourist bus will pick you up between 8:30am to 9:00am; you will head to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Along the way, you will make a stop to marvel at the classic view of the Urubamba River as it snakes its way through the valley. Your journey continues to the small village of Pisac, where you will see the colorful typical handicraft market. Then a trip to the archeological complex of Pisac, where our knowledgeable guide will explain about the history and Inca architecture. Afterward our professional driver will take us to the next stop, Urubamba where we will taste the best regional food. Then you will head to the most excited archeological site of Ollantaytambo - known as the Inca living city, it still has the original streets, with channels of water flowing in from every side. You will travel to the upper part of Ollantaytambo to see the biggest sculpture of their main God called Wiracocha carved into the mountain. You will return to Cusco at approximately 6 pm, when we will then transfer you back to the hotel.
Included: Transportation, Sacred Valley guided tour, entry to all sites, breakfast and lunch
Accommodations: Hotel Las Ruinas
Day 8: Traditional Inca Trail 4D/3N
The beginning of a new adventure! At 6:00 am our guide will pick you up from your hotel and drive you to the start of the trail, which takes roughly 2 hours to drive. This area is called kilometer 82, where you will meet up with your porters and gears. The porters will escort you along your trek. We will walk around 5 hours and 12 km.
Included: Transportation, guided tour, entry to all sites, breakfast, lunch and dinner
Accommodations: Camping
Day 9: Inca Trail
Today is an unforgettable day. After a hearty breakfast, we’ll begin our hike on what will be our most challenging day. Today we climb 900 meters (3000 feet) up to Warmiwañusqa, or ‘Dead Woman’s Pass’ 4400 meters (14,435 feet). The trail winds its way up through a beautiful mountain pass with stunning panoramic views of the alpine wonderland. It’s a challenging hike to the pass, and the 360º views make every step worthwhile. After celebrating our ascent, we’ll walk down cobbled steps paved by the Incas over 500 years ago to Pacaymayo Valley, our camp for the evening. Again, we’ll already have tents set up so all you need to do is relax and enjoy the evening. We will walk 7 to 8 hours, 13 kilometers.
Included: Transportation, guided tour, entry to all sites, breakfast, lunch and dinner
Accommodations: Camping
Day 10: Inca Trail
Day 3 is a day of impressive archeological sites. Early morning after breakfast we start the ascent towards the second most important pass on the trail which lies at 13,123 ft. There we will visit and have a historical information of the Inca Ruins of Runkurakay (12,464 ft.), Yanacocha (Black Lake), and the Inca citadel of Sayaqmarka (11,811 ft.). Then we continue trekking towards Phuyu Patamarka (12,024 ft.) another ancient archaeological monument. After lunch and a short break, we continue walking down 2,000 steps to Wiñay Huayna (Forever Young), a beautiful Inca construction that supplied food for the Machupicchu Inca builders. There, we’ll camp near the ruins and have a well-deserved nutritious dinner. You will walk 6 hours and 15km total.
Included: Transportation, guided tour, entry to all sites, breakfast, lunch and dinner
Accommodations: Camping
Day 11: Inca Trail – Machu Picchu
This is the final and most spectacular leg of the trail to Machu Picchu. We will break camp early in the morning and head off towards the Inti Punku, also known as the Gateway of the Sun, the last pass on the trail. From this point we will continue to Machu Picchu, which is a surreal and marvelous site. Once you arrive, there will be a 2-hour, fully guided tour around the ruins, visiting the main sites and monuments. After the tour, you will have free time to wander around and explore by yourself, or you can choose to take a hike to Huayna Picchu, which while steep and rugged is also more than rewarding. Once you reach the overlook atop the pass, you will get to witness an overhead view of the city that only a handful of people in history have ever seen. You can also choose to spend the rest of your morning exploring the town and village in and around Machu Picchu. Your guide can tell you about different hotspots you can check out. Finally, we take the train back to Ollantaytambo, where you will be transported back to your hotel in Cusco
Included: Transportation, guided tour, entrance fee, breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel Las Ruinas
Day 12: Lima
When you have finished, you will be seen off like royalty. After you eat a hearty regional breakfast, we will deliver you in style to the airport, where your flight awaits. We’ll help with whatever your need: check-ins, tickets, luggage, etc.
Just remember to come back and vacation with us again. You can never see too much of Peru.
Included: Transportation, breakfast