It combines the Inca Pathways tour with 3 nights in the Amazon. We've even shortened the trip by one day to get you home by Sunday. Travel with us on a once in a lifetime journey!
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Lima. Overnight.
Days 2-4: Lake Titicaca and its Floating Islands (B,D)
An early morning flight takes you to the shores of mystical Lake Titicaca. On Day 3 you'll visit the floating islands of the Uros people and stop for the night on Amantaní Island. Here you'll split into small groups and overnight with local families. Residents till the dry soil by hand and weave all their clothing on small wooden looms. Share in the hospitality of the Aymara Indians and experience a short day in their lives. After breakfast with your families, make your way back to Puno and overnight.
Day 5: Journey to Cusco
Grab a window seat and enjoy Peru's altiplano during a bus ride to Cusco. You'll cross the spectacular La Raya pass at 14,403 feet. Along the way, stop to explore a small Inca site and walk among a herd of llamas and alpacas. Your final destination is colonial Cusco, Peru!
Day 6: Explore Cusco
Andean history comes alive in Cusco. Quechua speaking descendents of the Incas fill the streets and markets, colonial churches sit atop bases of smooth stonework laid centuries before the Conquistadors. The morning is yours to wander Cusco's narrow streets. In the afternoon your tour leader takes you through Cusco's local market and explains a bit about what you'll find in the adjacent Witches Market. This evening enjoy a folkloric show at one of Cusco's typical restaurants.
Day 7: Journey to Ollantaytambo
This morning you'll visit the ruins of Sacsayhuamán. On your way to Ollantaytambo, you will either head into the campo on a two-hour walk past the tiny village of Moras and nearby Inca salt mines, or visit the colorful market or ruins at Pisac. Tonight, relax in front of the fire in the shadow of one of the great Inca citadels.
Days 8-11: Pilgrimage on the Inca Trail (3B,3L,3D)
Imagine the great Inca civilization as you walk in their footsteps on the Inca Trail to the sacred city of Machu Picchu. You will be well cared for by your friendly crew of guides and porters. Each day you'll pass by larger and larger ruins. Scenery changes from snow-capped mountains to lush green cloudforest. On Day 11 you'll wake early for a short walk to the Sun Gate to watch the sunrise over magnificent Machu Picchu. After a morning tour of the ruins, bus or walk down to Aguas Calientes to rest sore muscles in the local hot springs
Day 12: Machu Picchu - Cusco
Explore the great city at your own pace today. wander through the cloudforest on a recently discovered Inca pathway trail to the seldom visited Temple of the Moon, or climb the pinnacle mountain of Huayna Picchu for one of the most spectacular views of Machu Picchu. In the afternoon, you'll travel by train bypassing the Inca Trail as you return to Cusco. At night, travelers from all over the world fill Cusco's restaurants, pubs and dance clubs, providing the most vibrant and unique nightlife on the continent.
Day 13: Amazon Lodge (B,L,D)
Transfer from Puerto Maldonado airport to the river port on the Madre de Dios River. A 25 minute journey down the Madre de Dios River by motor canoe brings you to the end of the trail into Sandoval Lake Lodge. From here the trail takes you on a 2-mile walk or rickshaw ride through secondary forest, until you reach a small canal where you'll board canoes and are paddled 220 yards through a flooded forest of 100-foot tall Mauritia palms. As the canal opens onto the shimmering surface of the lake, you'll transfer to a catamaran and are leisurely paddled halfway across the lake to the lodge.
After lunch, you'll once again board the catamaran and set off to explore the entire west end of the lake. Here, in the flooded palm forest you'll drift to the sounds of hundreds of Red-Bellied Macaws as they return to the palm forest for the night. You'll return to the lodge around nightfall for dinner. Dinner is followed by another canoe trip to look for the large and extremely rare Black Caimans. If it's a clear starlit night, take advantage of the stupendous stargazing.
Day 14: Amazon Lodge (B,L,D)
A pre-dawn wake-up call will enable you to be on the lake for sunrise, when the resident wildlife is most active. 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 - and photographs - of the prehistoric-looking Hoatzins. With luck you'll encounter the family of Giant Otters which frequent the lake.
After returning for a late breakfast, you'll set off into the cool understory of the tall virgin forest around the lake. You'll pass through towering wild Brazil Nut trees, and see a demonstration of how your hosts collect, open and commercialize this important natural product. Once you've eaten lunch and had an hour or so to relax, you'll once again board the catamaran to explore the eastern part of the lake. You'll hope to see one or more of the five species of monkeys, like the Brown Capuchin Monkey, which live in the forest near the lake. There is an opportunity again after dinner to try and spot some Black Caimans on the lake, or to go on a short night walk through the primary forest.
Day 15: Amazon Lodge (B,L,D)
Rising once again at dawn, you'll have a quick snack before boarding the catamarans to explore the western end of the lake in the hope of an encounter with Giant Otters. After a late breakfast you'll explore some of the rainforest trails with your knowledgeable resident naturalist guide. As you walk, the forest will be brought to life as your guide explains the ecology of the rainforest and its diverse flora and fauna.
You return for lunch, and then have an optional rest for those wanting to escape the early afternoon heat. For those still full of energy, there is an option to independently explore some of the forest trails. In the cooler late afternoon you will once again board the catamaran to explore the eastern end of the lake, and hopefully experience a spectacular sunset over the lake before returning to the lodge for dinner. After dinner, there is a final chance to look for Black Caiman on the lake, or to go on a short night hike through the forest.
Day 16: Fly Lima and Return Home
Accommodations: 9 nights comfortable hotels, 1 night homestay, 3 nights camping, 3 nights jungle lodge (click bed icons to view sample lodging - comparable lodges may be used depending on availability)
Food Includes: All meals as indicated (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner); most of our hotels offer free continental breakfast.
Transportation: 2 local flights, tour buses, train, motorized canoe!and your own feet on the Inca Trail!
An active itinerary of snowcapped mountains, ancient cities, rural towns, a jungle lodge, and a vibrant Colonial city. Added to this, experience the lives of the local people of Lake Titicaca. The Inca Trail is a moderate to difficult four-day hike so travelers should be fit. There's a train option for those not wanting to hike, but please let us know if you would like this option at the time of booking.
Start Dates 2008: Jun 6, Jul 11, Aug 8, Sep 5, Oct 3, Oct 31, Nov 28, Dec 26
Start Dates 2009: Jan 16, Mar 13, Apr 10, May 8, Jun 5, Jul 10, Aug 7, Sep 4, Oct 2, Oct 30, Nov 27, Dec 25
Custom dates available!
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Single Supplement: US$510
Note: Flights Lima-Juliaca, Cusco-Puerto Maldonado-Lima are not included. Please add US$465 (flight cost subject to change).
Tour cost assumes the Inca Trail Entrance is $80. Travelers are responsible for any increase by the national park service.
Group & Staff: Min 2, Max 12; Adventure Life Tour Leader; local guides; porters for camping gear and packs.
Personal Budgeting: Allow US$180 for meals not included and drinks, US$28 international departure tax, US$10 local departure taxes, US$80 optional excursions (US$55/185 soles for return visit to Machu Picchu, whitewater rafting, etc.).
Arrival/Departure Transfers: 1 person US$50 each, 2 or more people US$25/person.
Pre & Post Tour Accommodations: Share US$45, Single US$90
Prices are based on a 3% cash discount
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Peru
Cultural Journey
Rainforest
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