A scheduled flight from one world to another: from one of South America’s biggest cities to one of the largest areas of protected rainforest in the world. At the airport you will be transferred to the river port for the 3-hour boat ride upriver to our lodge, in the heart of the Tambopata National Reserve. In the late afternoon you will set-off on a short introductory walk into the forest surrounding the lodge.
Day 3
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After breakfast we travel by the boat for the fascinating 4-6 hour journey upriver to the world’s largest known macaw clay-lick. The night will be spent at our well-equipped campsite. In the afternoon we will hike into the forest in search of monkeys and other fauna.
Day 4
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A predawn start to watch the birding spectacle at the lick, as several species of parrots and macaws arrive to feed on the mineral deposits on the riverbank. After breakfast we will hike into the forest before returning by boat to the lodge by early evening.
Day 5
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Early departure from the lodge in time for the return flight to Cusco. You will have the day free to relax and get used to the altitude (almost 3, 400 metres above sea level) or explore the historic centre on foot. The evening can be spent enjoying the fine local Novo Andino cuisine and an evening folkloric show.
Day 6
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After a free morning, the afternoon city tour will introduce us to the sights of Cusco. We begin our tour with a visit to the cathedral, which was built between 1560 and 1654 on the site of the palace of the Inca Wiracocha. From the cathedral we move on to Qoricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun, which boasts some of the finest remaining examples of Inca stonemasonry. From the city we drive up into the hills around the city to explore the Inca sanctuary of Sacsaywaman, with its monolithic walls built from stones that weigh up to 130 tons each. We will then visit the Inca shrine at Qenqo, the fortress of Puka Pukara and the ritual Inca baths of Tambomachay.
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Day 7
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Today will be spent in the Urubamba Valley - also known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Apart from the valley’s breathtaking scenery – with fertile slopes surrounded by towering peaks – the main attractions include ancient ruins, colonial villages and traditional markets. The quiet village of Pisac is home to a colourful market and high above the village stand the ruins of the Inca ceremonial and fortress site of the same name. At the far end of the valley, Ollantaytambo is the only remaining example of Inca urban architecture, where descendants of the Incas live beneath the imposing ruins of the temple built by their ancestors. We will spend the night in a valley hotel where typical colonial architecture and the quiet village atmosphere provide the perfect backdrop for all the comforts of the modern world.
Day 8
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From the village of Ollantaytambo we take the train to Machu Picchu on what is widely considered one of the world’s most spectacular train rides, following the Urubamba River through the gorge it cuts down into the tropical forest. Machu Picchu is set amid forested hills, on a saddle between two peaks, where it remained undisturbed by the outside world until its discovery in 1911. We will have the rest of the day to explore Machu Picchu’s streets, temples, palaces and residential areas in the company of an expert guide, before returning to Cusco on the afternoon train, arriving early evening to be transferred to the hotel in time for a free evening in the city.
Day 9
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Today you travel southeast across the high Andean plains to Lake Titicaca. Emerging from the Cusco valley you will have an opportunity to visit several places of interest en route: Andahuaylillas is an idyllic village with a tree-lined main square and a fine colonial church decorated throughout with murals; Raqchi is the site of the Inca temple dedicated to the Inca creator god Viracocha; the small village of Pukara is famous today for its ceramics and was once the centre of the pre-Inca culture of the same name. Arriving in Puno at around 5:30 pm, you will be transferred to our hotel. The evening is free for a relaxing meal and an early night in preparation for the excursion to the islands of Lake Titicaca the next day.
Day 10
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Today you will spend the entire day on Lake Titicaca, the site of the Inca creation myth and a place of extraordinary beauty, where 8000 square kilometres of blue waters merge with the Andean sky. During the boat trip you will visit the floating islands of the Uros people, who built their artificial reed islands some five centuries ago to escape the influence of the dominant Colla ethnic group. Beyond the Chucuito peninsula you will visit the islands of Taquile and Amantani, learning about their respective customs and observing their remarkable textile tradition. That evening you will arrive in Puno around sunset, for a free evening in the city.
Day 11
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On the way to the airport for the scheduled flight to Arequipa you will have time to visit the pre-Inca burial towers of Sillustani on the shores of Lake Umayo. A free evening in Arequipa to explore this beautiful city on foot or simply relax and enjoy a meal.
Day 12
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From Arequipa we travel up into the Andes to the Colca Canyon, some five hours from the city. Colca, together with its more remote neighbour Cotahuasi, is one of the deepest canyons in the world. The scenery is truly spectacular, with great Andean condors soaring over pre-Inca agricultural terraces, sheer rock walls and the Colca River far below. Overnight in the village of Chivay.
Day 13
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After visiting Cruz del Condor – the ideal spot to watch Andean condors rising from the river 1,200 below on the morning thermals – and passing through a number of typical highland villages, we will return to Arequipa, arrriving in the late afternoon.
Day 14
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Arequipa, known as the “White City” for the volcanic stone from which its buildings are made, is one of Peru’s most beautiful cities. You will have the morning free to relax or wander the neo-colonial historic centre, set in a fertile valley and overlooked by the perfect volcanic cone of Mount Misti. The afternoon city tour includes the fascinating Santa Catalina convent, built in 1580 and home to a closed order of nuns until 1970. Late afternoon but to Nazca.
Day 15
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The small town of Nazca, set in a desert oasis, is famous for its “Lines”. These gigantic zoomorphic and geometric designs were cut into the desert’s surface by ancient pre-Hispanic cultures from around 400 BC over a period of about one thousand years. Because they are so enormous, the Nazca Lines can only be fully appreciated from the air, and we will fly over them from the local airstrip in a light aircraft. Afternoob bus to Pisco.
Day 16
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Farther north, beyond the wine-growing region of Ica, we come to the fishing town of Pisco and the Paracas National Reserve. Peru’s only maritime nature reserve, this desert coast is home to a variety of fauna and was the centre of the pre-Inca Paracas culture, which produced some of the finest textiles the world has ever seen. Not far from the interesting regional museum, Chilean flamingoes can be seen on a desert lagoon. Just offshore, the Ballestas Islands are home to enormous colonies of seals and seabirds, including Humboldt penguins. Afternoon bus to Lima.
Day 17
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The city tour of Lima, once the capital of the Spanish American colonies, reveals the many faces of this huge metropolis: from the colonial era streets of the historic centre to the modern residential and business district of Miraflores, and the bohemian charm of Barranco. The principal sights in the centre of Lima are: the government palace; the Arab-influenced design of San Francisco church; the cathedral on the main square, which bears the city’s coat-of-arms and houses the remains of the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, the founder of Lima.
Lima’s Gold Museum – one of the city’s many excellent museums - houses an extraordinary private collection of more than 6,500 pieces from the pre-Inca Mochica, Nazca and Chimu cultures. Overnight hotel in Lima or transfer to airport for return flight to country of origin.
