Peru In-depth - 21 days from Lima

Our in depth Peru Journey explores this country of contrasts from the mysterious Nazca Lines to depths of the Amazon. Allowing ample time for unhurried acclimatization.

TRIP SUMMARY:

• Duration: 21 days starting in Lima and ending in Cusco
• Enjoy as an independent traveller. S
• Trip focus: Active sightseeing and cultural insights.
• Accommodation: 14 nights 3* hotels, 3 nights camping, 3 nights Amazon Lodge
• Transport: flight, bus, launch
• Group Size: Min 2 is travelling independantly. Max 12, Min 6 plus Tour Leader for small group journey.
• Local payment of USD300, (see below for more details regards paying locally)

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE TOUR PRICE:

• All accommodation
• Meals daily as specified in tour
• Arrival airport transfers to your hotel
• Nazca lines flight
• Lake Titicaca overnight experience
• All land and river transport within the tour
• Entry and guided visits to all Inca sites and included excursions
• Inca trail hike with porters, cooks and all camping equipment supplied
• Tips for local guides, drivers and Inca Trail crew
• Amazon rainforest experience
• Flights Cusco to Puerto Maldonado return
• Bilingual tour leader from day 1 to 19, local guides in the Amazon

Not Included

• Drinks
• Meals not specified in itinerary
• Laundry, souvenirs or optional excursions
• Tips for your tour leader
• Tips for Amazon Lodge staff

PAYING LOCALLY:

Most of our Small Group Journeys involve a local payment. This is to be paid in USD cash to the Tour leader at the start of your tour. Paying locally allows us to keep the overall cost of our tours competitive and pass the savings on to you. These funds are put towards local expenses. In some developing countries the transferring of funds is at times problematic so this is a way to help us serve you, whilst saving you money. Payment is to be made to your leader upon arrival in cash. All prices are approximates and subject to currency fluctuations until final payment has been made.

ITINERARY

DAY 1 LIMA, ARRIVAL DAY – You are free to arrive and check in at any time. 

DAY 2 LIMA – Morning trip briefing. Join our insightful Lima reality city tour where take you to the historical center for half a day and then visit a local community  project in a colourful shanty of Villa el Salvador  in the afternoon. These culturally sensitive tours let you see the real life of locals and gives back to the communities visited. (D)

DAYS 3 & 4 NAZCA LINES – Travel south along the coast of Peru to Nazca with a late afternoon arrival. We may be able to stop along the way at a Pisco distillery if time allows. On day 4 fly over the Nazca lines in the early morning, then tour the fascinating aqueducts of Cantalloc and the Chauchilla cemetery. Around 2.30pm this afternoon we’ll board a very comfortable long distance bus for the trip to Arequipa, arriving around 11pm. (2B)

DAYS 5  AREQUIPA – Arriving early in arguably Peru’s most beautiful city. Arequipa exhibits delightful colonial past and a visit to the colourful Santa Catalina Convent is a must.  Situated under the volcano “El Misti”, stroll around the city enjoying the local museums, churches and sample some of the many superb regional dishes. (2B)

DAYS 6 & 7 COLCA CANYON – Colca Canyon, home to the famous Andean Condor. View these birds close up, as they soar above us while on the edge of the canyon. Visit local villages, soak in thermal baths and sample the life, music and spectacular scenery.  (2B)

DAYS 8 & 9 PUNO, LAKE TITICACA – Enjoy spectacular views of the countryside on this full day of travel from Colca to Puno through the high Altiplano region, which brings us to the shores of the magnificent “Lake Titicaca”. The following morning we board a boat bound for the floating islands of Uros and from there further along the lake to the islands of Amantani and Taquile, along the way learning of the legends and the ways of the lake and its people where life has remained relatively unchanged over the centuries. Puno is also known as the “Capital folklórica del Perú” (folkloric capital of Peru) due to its wealth of artistic and cultural expressions, particularly dance. (2B, 1D)

DAYS 10 & 11 CUSCO – Today we depart Puno and travel by road across the Altiplano to Cuzco. It’s a long, but scenic day in the bus and you’ll arrive late afternoon in Cusco. The next day your Trail guide will meet with you to brief you on the days ahead. You’ll be given a duffel to pack your trail gear into ready for the Inca Trail hike. This and all the camping equipment is carried by porters. Your main luggage will stay in the hotel in Cusco. (B)

DAYs 12 to 15 INCA TRAIL - Trail Day 1: Early morning departure from Cusco, travelling by bus, through the picturesque villages of Chinchero, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, on the 3 hour scenic trip to kilometer 82, and the start of your spectacular four day hike. In just 43km it manages to combine beautiful mountain scenery, lush cloud-forest, subtropical jungle and, of course, a stunning mix of Inca paving stones, ruins and tunnels. Crossing the Vilcanota River the trail climbs steeply up from the river. After passing through a small village, the ruins of the Inca hillfort of Huillca Raccay come into view high above the mouth of the river Cusichaca (‘happy bridge’). It is a simple descent down to the Cusichaca river. For a further 7 km the path follows the left bank of the river up to the village of Wayllabamba (3,000m). The name in Quechua means ‘grassy plain’. This may be the first campsite. Distance approximately 12km. (BLD)

Trail Day 2: Climbing up from Wayllabamba for about 3 hours through steepening woods and increasingly spectacular terrain brings you to the tree line and a meadow known as Llulluchapampa (3,680m). It is another 1.5 hours climb to the first and highest pass of the trail (Abra de Huarmihuanusca or ‘Dead Woman’s Pass) at 4,200m. During this part of the trail you are exposed to the Andean elements: first scorching sun and then, closer to the pass, freezing winds. Once at the top you can celebrate having completed the most difficult section of the trail. The decent from the pass is steep although not difficult, following the trail on the left side of the valley to the valley floor and to the 2nd night’s campsite at Pacamayo (3,600m). Distance approximately 11km. (BLD)

Trail Day 3: From Pacamayo it takes about an hour to climb up to the ruins of Runkuracay. These small circular ruins occupy a commanding position overlooking the Pacamayo valley below. Another 45 minute hike will bring you to the top of the second pass: Abra de Runkuracay (4,000m). At last you’ll feel that you are walking along the trail of the Incas with paving, for the most part, being original. The descent down the steps from the pass is steep so take care. This section of the trail, up till the 3rd pass, is particularly beautiful as the path crosses high stone embankments and skirts deep precipices. After about 1 hour from the 2nd pass you’ll arrive at Sayacmarca by way of a superbly designed stone staircase. The name Sayacmarca means ‘Inaccessible Town’ and describes the position of the ruins perfectly, protected on three sides by sheer cliffs. No one knows the exact purpose of these ruins. From then on the path descends into magnificent cloudforest full of orchids, hanging mosses, tree ferns and flowers, passing through an impressive Inca tunnel, carved into the rock, on the way. The trail then climbs up to the 3rd pass (3,700m). The view from the pass offers excellent views of several snow-capped peaks including Salkantay (6,271m) and Veronica (5,750m). A few minutes after the pass is Phuyupatamarca, the most impressive Inca ruin so far. The name means ‘Town in the Clouds’. Access to the ruins is down a steep flight of stairs passing six ‘Inca Baths’ probably used for the ritual worship of water. Leaving the site via an impressive Inca staircase leading from the west side of the ruins (the far end from the baths) you descend a thousand or so steps. Be careful with your knees which will feel the strain by the end of the day. Distance approximately 16km. (BLD)

Trail Day 4: The trail from the Winay Wayna to Machu Picchu is clearly marked and takes about 1.5 hours. We’ll attempt to wake up at 4.30am so that we can leave Winay Wayna by 5.30am to get to Machu Picchu before sunrise. The sky starts getting light by 6am and the first rays of the sun reach Machu Picchu at about 7am. The trail contours a mountainside and drops into cloudforest before coming to an almost vertical flight of 50 steps leading up to the final pass at Intipunku (Sun Gate). Suddenly the whole of Machu Picchu is spread out before you in all its glory – a fantastic sight for all. Enjoy a guided tour of the site and free time to soak up the atmosphere. Late afternoon train back up to Cusco. Walking Distance: 6km. Note: location of campsites may vary according to camping permits issued to the trail operators. (B)

DAY 16 CUSCO – Free time to explore this beautiful city with great shopping, fascinating markets, or just relax in one of the many cafes and soak up the special atmosphere, which makes Cusco a truly unique place.Late this afternoon, take part in a unique cooking class overlooking the city. (B, D)

DAY 17 CUSCO – Rich in history and surrounded by ancient Inca sites, churches and museums and markets, there is plenty for all to do and see. Enjoy a half day city tour  then free time to enjoy the city.  (B,D)

DAYS 18 to 20 AMAZON LODGE – After a short morning flight we arrive in the steamy Amazon town of Puerto Maldonado, where we’re met and taken to our lodge. First we ride by boat from the Tambopata Port to the lodge trail head, then we don gumboots and walk 3km to stunning Sandoval lake, where we are canoed across to the lodge. Orientation meeting and check in.

Amazon lodge – Nature walks, canoeing, medicinal plants and their uses, wildlife videos and lectures will have you enthralled. We have the chance to see spider, capuchin and howler monkeys, macaws, sloths, giant river otters which are resident in the lake, hummingbirds, caimans and a vast variety of insects. The lodge’s unique location is sure to be a highlight of your trip. (3B, 3L, 3D)

SAMPLE DAILY ITINERARY **Important: Please note that the program may vary slightly so as to maximize your wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our researchers and experienced naturalist guides based at the lodge..

A 25 minutes journey down the Madre de Dios River by motor canoe brings you to the riverside trailhead to Sandoval Lake Lodge. From here the trail takes you on a 3 kilometers walk through secondary forest, until we reach a small canal where we board canoes and are paddled 200 meters through a flooded forest of tall Mauritia palms. As the canal opens onto the shimmering surface of the lake, we transfer to a catamaran and are leisurely paddled across half the lake to the lodge. After lunch and a brief rest to avoid the early afternoon heat, we will learn about the history of the lodge and the philosophy of its founders. Then we once again board the catamaran and set off to explore the entire west end of the lake. Here, in the flooded palm forest we drift to the sounds of hundreds of Red-Bellied Macaws as they return to the palm forest for the night. This macaw species is found locally in parts of the Amazon, always living in flooded palm forests such as the beautiful palm stand at Sandoval Lake. At 500-800 birds, this flock of macaws at Sandoval Lake is currently the largest reported in the world for this highly-specialized macaw.

As night falls we will look for the large and extremely rare Black Caimans. If it is a clear starlit night, we will also be able to float in the middle of the lake to marvel at the brilliance of the sky and listen to the sounds of the forest. We return to the lodge for a short video or slide presentation and dinner. At any point, you could step out from the bar to admire the wide variety of nocturnal moths, beetles and praying mantis attracted to our black light in the lodge clearing.

For those with lots of energy, our guide will take us on a short night-walk into the forest behind the lodge.

A pre-dawn wake-up call will enable us to be on the lake for sunrise and a hopeful encounter with the family of Giant Otters who frequent the lake and are most active at this time of day. Sandoval Lake offers abundant wildlife including over 40 species of birds resident to its lake margins, most of the fish-eating water birds around the lake actively fish in the early morning as well, and this outing should provide excellent views, of the prehistoric- looking Hoatzins, These are easy to observe and also photograph from the paddled canoes or catamarans.

We retrace our river and road journey back to Puerto Maldonado. A short flight takes us to Cusco.

DAY 21 – DEPARTURE DAY – Today we re-trace our steps back to Puerto Maldonado for the flight to Cusco. Tour ends at Cusco airport. (B)