This tour provides a taste of the beauty and extreme contrasts that this stunning country has to offer with the chance to walk the famous Inca Trail to one of the new seven wonders of the world. You also have the option not to hike the trail but still visit Machu Picchu and also Lake Titicaca.
Included Highlights:
- Lima "City of Kings"
- Cusco "Navel of the Inca Empire"
- Inca Trail Trek (or opt for the non trekking Lake Titicaca option)
- Machu Picchu "Wonder of the World"
- Sacred Valley "Inca Garden and Playground"
- Amazon Jungle "Rain forest Experience"
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1, Sunday: Arrive Lima. Arrive in Lima at any time. Your transfer driver will pick you up and take you to the hotel. There are no planned activities to do today so you can check into our hotel and enjoy the city. Your Escaped to Peru local representative will talk to you about your arrangements for the following day and a notice will be posted in the arrival hotel with details too. If you wish to have a Lima City Tour you can ask reception to arrange that for you if you have time.
Day 2, Monday: Cuzco: Transfer to the airport for the flight to Cuzco. After you arrive at the airport you will be met and transfered to your hotel and be given some local information and orientation and after you will be free to relax, wander and shop. Take it easy this first day as you are at altitude. Tomorrow you will be sightseeing all day so save your strength. In the evening you will go out to experience the famous nightlife or dinning of Cusco.
Cuzco is the continents oldest continuously inhabited city, and the hub of the South American travel network. You could easily spend two weeks just in and around the area. Inca-built stone walls line most of the central streets and you don't have to go far to see other major Inca ruins. It is a city steeped in history, tradition and legend.
Day 3, Tuesday: Ollantaytambo. Today you will travel with your local guide through the Sacred Valley of the Incas after visiting several points of interest in and close to Cusco. This is not the standard tour offered by many. You will visit the Cathedral, the Sun Temple or Koricancha and also the fortress of Sacsaywaman before dropping down into the valley. An important source of food for the Inca, the Sacred Valley is a lush agricultural region that continues to supply the city of Cuzco with much of its produce.
We will visit the very impressive Pisaq Ruins and take a quick look at the colorful artisan market (varies in size depending upon the day) and the lovely village itself. After our lunch in Urubamaba, included today, the day trip finishes in the picturesque town of Ollantaytambo, with a visit to the impressive Inca site. Here you can catch your breath and spend the night. Spending the night in Ollantaytambo gives you a change of environment, a lower altitude and means you do not have to get up really early the next day to catch the train!
Days 4-7: Inca Trail. The 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is physically challenging but worthwhile, and the excursion is within the ability of most reasonably fit people. The Inca Trail is an exceptionally lovely hike, however it is important to be prepared for it! It is a 40-km (25 mile) long, with 3 high passes, one of which reaches an elevation of 4200m (13776 ft). The trail is often steep, and it may rain even during the dry season. The temperatures at night may fall below zero, so it is important to come prepared.
Departing from Ollantaytambo you will travel to KM 82 where we begin the walk in the footsteps of the Incas. Our local crew of porters, cook and guide look after you well for the duration of the hike. Porters carry the majority of the gear for the hike, so those passengers doing the hike only carry a small day pack with water, rain gear, snacks, a camera, etc. As you walk the trail that linked this ancient empire, admire breathtaking views at every step as you move from high plateau areas to dense cloud forest. Depending on the season, you may see a great variety of flora, including miniature and large orchids, and fiery rhododendron bushes.
You pass several smaller ruin sites, the first of which is Llactapata. The second day you climb the long steep path to Warmiwañusca, or Dead Womans Pass. At 4198 m (13769 ft) above sea level, this pass is the highest point of the trek. The second pass of the hike is at 3998 m (13113 ft) where on clear days, we enjoy superb views of the snow-capped Cordillera Vilcabamba. The trail goes through some beautiful cloud forest on the gentle climb to the third pass, where you will walk through a causeway and a tunnel, both original Inca constructions.
The highest point of the third pass is at 3700m (12136 ft). On clear days you are rewarded for all this work with beautiful views of the Urubamba Valley below. Soon you reach the serene ruins of Phuyupatamarca, or the 'Town above the Clouds', at about 3650 m (11972 ft) above sea level. You will camp for the final night close to Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young) ruins, a large terraced hillside site, with panoramic views of the valley below and just a short hike from Machu Picchu.
On the final day of the hike you climb the steps to the Sun Gate overlooking the peaks that surround Machu Picchu. There is no way to describe the feeling of the first views of Machu Picchu, as the mist rises off the mountains early in the morning and the famous ruin appears in front of you. Machu Picchu is both the best and the least known of the Inca ruins. It is not mentioned in any of the chronicles of the Spanish conquistadors and archaeologists today can do no more than speculate on its function.
The local Quechua farmers in the area knew of Machu Picchu for centuries, but it was not until an 11-year-old boy led the American historian Hiram Bingham (who was in search of Vilcabamba) to the site on July 24, 1911, that the rest of the world became aware of its existence. At that time the site was covered in thick vegetation, and Bingham and his team returned in 1912 and 1915 to clear the growth. Over the years, much work has been done on excavating and studying the site. Despite these efforts, many unanswered questions remain. You have the better part of the day to explore the site. In the afternoon, you will have the chance to soak in the hot springs of Aguas Calientes before taking the train back to Cuzco. Includes: (3B), (3L), (3D).
Days 8-9, Sunday-Monday: Amazon Jungle. Today, after a transfer to the airport, you take the 30 minute flight from Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado, deep in the lowlands of the Amazon jungle. You will be met by your local jungle guides who will be looking after you until you get your plane back to Cusco and hom. You will travel by motorized canoe to our lodge in the Tambopata Rainforest Area, which holds the world record for the most bird sightings in one area. Explore the jungle with local guides before flying to Lima for a final night out.
About half of Peru is located within the Amazon Basin, however, due to its isolation, not a lot of it is available to the casual traveler. Puerto Maldonado is the regions principal city and is serviced by air from the capital and from Cuzco. The town is situated at the confluence of the Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers, and is a bustling, booming tropical frontier town. Its principal activities are gold mining, Brazil nut collecting, timber extraction, agriculture and ecotourism.
After a brief stop in the town we depart on an afternoon boat trip by motorized canoe to our jungle lodge. Depending on flight arrival times we have either a boxed lunch aboard the boat or lunch upon arrival at the lodge. During our voyage you will have the chance to see bird species typical of the river or forest edge such as Black Skimmers, Pied Lapwings, Capped Herons, Jabiru Storks, Roadside Hawks and several species of kingfishers, swallows, and flycatchers.
The Tambopata area includes habitats ranging from the Andean highlands around the rivers' headwaters through some of the last remaining intact cloud forests to the lowland rainforests of the Amazon basin. The area is renowned for its diverse plant and animal populations and include over 1,300 bird species (including 32 parrot species - 10% of the worlds total), 200 mammal species including 4 species of primates, 90 frog species, 1,200 butterfly species and 10,000 species of higher plants all protected within the reserve. Some of the more famous residents are the Harpy Eagle, the prehistoric looking Hoatzin, tapir, peccary, jaguar, ocelot and playful river otters who live in the area s oxbow lakes.
The lodge itself combines native architectural style and materials with low-impact eco-friendly technology. Rooms are simple but comfortable, with mosquito netting for individual beds, flush toilets, showers (no hot water), and kerosene lamps for lighting (no electricity). Local community members make up the majority the lodge staff, including multilingual Naturalist Guides. Here you have the opportunity to learn from them not only about the areas rich flora and fauna, but also about their extensive practical uses for medicinal plants and other forest plant resources, through traditional techniques for building, fishing, and hunting. This is the last night you will be together as a group as the tour ends tomorrow and some people will connect the same afternoon to their evening flights home. Includes: (2B), (2L), (2D).
Day 10, Tuesday: Lima. Leave the jungle lodge and travel back to Maldonado for your flight to Lima via Cuzco for one final night on the town. The plane makes a stop in Cusco en route to Lima but you stay on. You will then continue on to Lima to be met by our transfer driver if you are staying the night in the Capital again.
* Lake Titicaca Option.
Day 3: Cusco. As per the main program.
Day 4: Machu Picchu. After the walkers (if any) go off to the trek you will leave by train from Ollantaytambo around 9.00am and travel down the valley to Aguas Calientes. Then you will go up to the site with your local guide for a 2 hour private guided tour. After your tour you will have chance to wander around until its time for you to get the bus back down to the village. From here you will get the train back to Cusco getting off at Poroy station before Cusco to save around 45 minutes on the return journey.
Day 5: Puno. Today you will take the First Class sightseeing bus to Puno. This bus leaves at around 8.00am and arrives in Puno in the late afternoon. You will visit several places of interest along the way and have guided tours. You will also have a buffet lunch included and all entrance fees to the sites along the way. Upon your arrival in the port city of Puno you will be transfered to your hotel to take it easy at a higher altitude.
Day 6: Lake Titicaca. Today you will have a full day of sightseeing. Firstly you will visit the Uros floating islands to see the bizarre way these people live. Second stop is the large Taquile Island which you will walk across with your guide and have lunch at the highest point. In the early afternoon you will return to Puno for a visit to the Yavari Steamer or the Sillustani graveyard, whichever you have time for, maybe both. After this you will need a rest.
Day 7: Train to Cusco. Leaving Puno at 8.00am you will take the famous Andean Explorer First Class train across the Altiplano back to Cusco. this is s lovely journey, and although you have already been this way, the train gives you another perspective on it and it is well equipped and comfortable with a bar and viewing car. When you arrive in Cusco you will be transfered to your hotel.
Day 8: Back to the regular program with the flight to the Amazon.
Notes: Depending on your international flights you can connect directly and fly home or if you would like/ need to stay an extra day in Lima please let us know so we can arrange the extra transfers and hotel for you.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Airfare is included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 6 nights accommodation with breakfast included
- 3 nights camping while walking the Inca Trail
- All ground transfers as stated until arrival in Lima at the end of the trip
- Private unique Cusco city and Sacred Valley tour, entrance fees for all sites, with lunch, all privately guided
- Visit to Machu Picchu including transfers, buses and entrance tickets and a private guided tour on the first day
- Escorted by our guides and local representatives and support 24 hours
- 3 Day Amazon Jungle package including rooms, meals
- Domestic flights and taxes: Lima - Cusco - Puerto Maldonado - Lima, guiding and transport
Price Excludes:
- International flights and taxes to your destination
- End of tour arrangements and personal spending money
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Peru
Archeology/History
Hiking & Trekking
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