Peru Treks 16 Days

Today we start a new adventure! In the morning, after a delicious breakfast we leave Lima for Madre de Dios – Puerto Maldonado on a commercial flight. Madre de Dios, is considered the world’s capital of the biosphere and the Peruvian Amazon. Upon your arrival at the Padre Aldamiz airport, our team will welcome you and provide you with the necessary assistance with your luggage.

Begin to experience the enchantment of the rainforest as you take a 45-minute boat ride along the Madre de Dios River, to arrive at IRA lodge. After a short briefing, settle into your beautiful cabaña and enjoy your lunch in the dining room. Take a siesta, share a refreshing tea time and get ready for the afternoon excursion.

After gathering with your Inkaterra Explorer Guide, choose from the 14 different excursions available at the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica. On your first day, we recommend a guided walk along the Trail system, into the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica natural area, where you will discover the Amazon Basin. This trail offers an excellent introduction to the forest environment, winding past impressive trees such as the Shihuahuaco, and the strangely beautiful strangler fig, offering excellent opportunities for bird
watching and observing exotic insects. We also recommend on the first night our Twilight River excursion — a guided afternoon boat ride on the Madre de Dios river. Witness the transformation from a diurnal to a nocturnal world: animals and
birds of the daytime give way to species specially adapted to the night. As you enjoy their paradise, you will learn about their habits, while you search for nightjars, owls, capybaras and up to three different caiman species.

Enjoy dinner served in the main dining room from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Wake up late or rise early — the choice is yours. Breakfast begins at 5:30 a.m., for those who want to avoid the heat, and enjoy
nature at its fullest. A full buffet breakfast is served from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. During the morning you may visit the Lake
Sandoval excursion into the Tambopata National Reserve. Glide in a wooden canoe, across a beautiful, mirror-like oxbow lake
that is home to the endangered giant river otter, as well as red howler monkeys, red-bellied macaws, anacondas, side-neck turtles and black caimans. Return to the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica for lunch.

After lunch, consider the remarkable Inkaterra Canopy Walkway. Ascending the first tower, 29 meters above the forest ground,
you begin your encounter with the treetop realm. For more than a quarter of a mile, you will literally walk through the rainforest
canopy on a suspension bridge network linking eight observation platforms. During this hour-and-a-half expedition, be on the
lookout for colorful toucans, woodpeckers, trogons, monkeys, and sloths. If you wish you may extend your excursion and watch
the sunset from one of the towers. Once at the lodge, enjoy the daily nature presentation in the Eco Center and the Happy Hour.

Optional tour. (Inkaterra Canopy Walkway)

The free hours of this day, we can also take advantage, to do adventure sports in the jungle, such as: zip line, river rafting and hiking. At the same time, we can also visit our primate friends in the area who are usually happy to have human visitors, as long as we bring them something to eat. Dinner starts at 7:30 p.m.

If you are in the Tambopata National Reserve, it is usual to wake up to the sound of howler monkeys at dawn, as well as birds and parakeets. Enjoy a trip to Gamitana Creek, located 25 minutes by boat from the lodge. For one and a half hours, explore the rainforest along the banks of a winding, dark-water creek that is home to many piranha, caiman, turtles and birds, until the Sanipanga landing point. Navigate your way back downstream, observing the abundant flora and fauna along the way. You will return to Gamitana Farm to do a short guided tour to see how local farmers grow fruits and vegetables. Return to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch, enjoy the Hacienda Concepcion excursion, with over 200 different plant species, and learn about the uses and benefits of local flora. This is followed by a 30 minute canoe trip to look for turtles, sun grebes, nightjars and exotic herons. Return to the lodge for dinner.

Then consider the Rainforest by Night excursion through the Inkaterra Ecological Reserve at night for an approximately 2 hour excursion. Venture into the forest and experience the mystery of the animal activity that awakens in the rainforest after dark, enhancing animal resources to create new adaptation mechanisms. Listen to nocturnal forest sounds and spot species that only emerge at night. Return to the lodge.

After having a truly Amazonian breakfast, we will have free time. Then we will leave, in a boat, downstream towards the city of Puerto Maldonado. On the way we will have the opportunity to take the last pictures of the exuberant jungle. A 45 minute return trip by boat on the Madre de Dios River takes you to Puerto Maldonado, where you will visit the Butterfly House. Peru boasts the greatest variety of butterflies in the world, with 3,700 known species. Many of these can be seen at the Butterfly House, a showcase for the variety, beauty and adaptability of these fascinating insects. After visiting the Butterfly House, we will go directly to the airport, where our suitcases will be waiting for us with a representative of Travel 1. Then we will embark for the city of Cusco.

From Puerto Maldonado, we fly over the Andes to the heart of a thousand-year-old town, the Inca city of Cusco. Your welcome in this land of the Incas will be as warm as the tropical climate of our jungles. Upon arrival you will be assisted by our team to your hotel in the Sacred Valley; The journey to the Sacred Valley is characterized by crossing colorful villages such as the living museum of Awanacancha, Pisaq, Lamay & Urubamba. Finally we arrive at the hotel in the heart of the Sacred Valley, after making the respective check in, you can settle down and take a well-deserved rest after a long trip.

This is a very special day, this is a day off from any schedule or itinerary. You can enjoy the magic of the Sacred Valley in your own style. You can have breakfast any time you want. You can relax in the hotel or explore the vast Ollantaytambo Fortress & the colorful local market of Pisaq. Both places are located in the Sacred Valley and not to far from your hotel.

Optional tour: Ollantaytambo. ($ 67.00 per person, minimum 02)
Optional tour: Pisaq Market + Pisaq Archeological Center. ($ 85.00 per person, minimum 02)

Very early in the morning, we will pick you up at your hotel and take you to Kilometer 82. Upon arrival at KM 82, you will have breakfast and start your journey on the Inca Trail to Wilkaraqay where we will appreciate the archeological site of Patallacta. This first leg will be relatively easy and will not take more than two hours.

From Patallacta we will continue hiking for two more hours to the Hatunchaca where we will have lunch. After lunch we will walk for another two hours until we reach Ayapata, our camp of the first night (3,300 meters). We will arrive at around 5:00 pm. After dinner we can talk with our guides and our team members and our friends

In the morning, before breakfast, our team will serve you a cup of coffee or coca tea.

After breakfast you start walking. The hike this day will be longer. So we’ll start the hike very early. First we will climb of 4 hours to the highest point of our journey: Warmiwañusca (4,215 meters). Then we will descend to the Pacaymayu Valley where we will have lunch. On the route we will appreciate impressive landscapes and the abundant biodiversity of the area.

After lunch we will ascend towards Runcuraccay. Then towards Sayacmarca where we will make a brief stop to observe the magnificent sunset. And finally we will arrive at Chaquicocha, our second campsite.

On this day we will hike the most spectacular stretch of the Inca Trail. First we will walk for two hours towards Phuyupatamarca (3,680 masl) from where we will can see the incredible panoramic beauty of the Vilcabamba Mountain Range. There will be fantastic views of the Urubamba River, and our very first view of Machu Picchu Mountain. Then we will continue our walk towards Wiñay Wayna. At both in Phuyupatamarca and Wiñay Wayna we will have guided tours.

In the evening we will enjoy dinner. After that we will have a farewell ceremony with our porters, because the following day they will leave us very early.

The day we have been waiting for has arrived. This will be the long awaited day when we visit the Incan jewel, Machu Picchu. We will wake up and have breakfast very early. Then we will hike along the last leg of the Inca Trail. After an hour and a half we will reach the Gateway of the Sun, Inti Punku. From here we can look down into the magnificent Sanctuary of Machu Picchu and watch the sun rise over the ruins. It is a 40 minute walk from here down into the Incan citadel itself.

At Machu Picchu we will have a 3 hour private guided tour. Then there will be free time to explore on your own, and to take some fantastic photos. Later we will ride the bus down to Aguas Calientes where we will have lunch. After lunch we can catch the train to Ollantaytambo or Urubamba. From there we will ride in our private van back to our hotel in the Sacred Valley. In your hotel you can rest up after your 4 exciting days of trekking the Inca Trail.

The tour begins in the Sacred Valley. The first place we will visit is Moray, an impressive agricultural center that demonstrates the knowledge of the ancient Inca regarding the adaptation of plants. Here you will see a large complex of circular terraces which historians believe were used to study climatic conditions and to adapt the different types of crops from the jungle and high Andean areas.

As each terrace descends, the surrounding temperature rises noticeably, little by little. The Incas had an extraordinary knowledge of climates and microclimates. During the tour you will have the opportunity to see local farmers and herders working on their farms and cultivating their native products of the area.

After the tour in Moray you will return to Maras and stop momentarily to see the beautiful houses with the coats-of-arms of noble Incas. These town was inhabited by the noble Cusqueños after the Conquest.

Next we travel to the salt mines of Salineras. This is an impressive salt mining complex made up of 3000 small wells which were already producing salt during Inca times and continue producing up until the present.

After the tour in Salineras we will visit the traditional town of Chinchero where you can observe the best weavers of textiles in South America. Then we will visit the archeological site of Chinchero and its colonial church. Once the tour is finished and you have taken some photos, we will continue our tour and return to the capital of the ancient Tahuantinsuyo, Cusco. Upon your arrival you can relax and walk the pre-Columbian streets at night.

The City Tour of Cusco begins with the impressive Colonial Cathedral. This iconic place contains more than 400 paintings from the School of Fine Arts of Cusco, as well as an impressive collection of colonial art. Then we will continue on to visit the Temple of the Sun, the Coricancha. According to the historians, the Incas could only enter this temple barefoot, fasting and with a big load on the back as a sign of humility.

After the tour we will go to the outskirts of the city where we will visit the immense Sacsayhuaman fortress. This is located on the north slope of Cusco. This impressive fortress, consisting of individual stones weighing more than 100 tons, took more than seven decades to complete and is an excellent example of Inca military architecture. Its huge stone walls fascinate all visitors who come to contemplate them.

Then we will go to Quenco amphitheater, a mysterious limestone formation decorated with intricately carved representations of mythical entities. We can also visit the Tambomachay, the baths of the Inca. Before returning to the city of Cusco, we can stop by some local craft markets. This tour lasts approximately 5 hours.

In the morning, you will have a good breakfast at your hotel. Then you will travel through the Andean highlands a long the route of the sun. The first tourist attraction on the route will be the Temple of Andahuaylillas.

There we will have a guided tour in the church of Saint Peter the Apostle. The walls and ceilings of this churchs are decorated with frescos and paintings coated in gold foil. The next stop will be Raqchi, an important archaeological site. This is where you will see the Temple of Wiracocha. This is a large rectangular structure that measures 92 meters long by 25.5 wide and approximately 9.80m high. During the tour you will not only be able to appreciate the fantastic Incan site, but, at the same time, you will be able to enjoy the tranquility of the picturesque Andean countryside.

Upon your arrival in Sicuani you will have lunch. Then you will continue with your tour and visit the impressive pass of the Raya (4335 masl). This is the highest point of our journey between the Cusco and Puno. The last tourist attraction we visit on this tour is the museum of Pukara. This was an important ceremonial center of the Altiplano. Here, through its sculptures and ceramics we can discover the origin of the Pre-Inca cultures. We will arrive in Puno at about 5:00 pm and will take you to your hotel.

Enjoy a boat trip on Lake Titicaca, visiting the Floating Islands of the Uros, Amantani and Taquile.

We will start the tour very early. We will come by and pick you up at your hotel. We will head over to the port, board our motor launch, and ride out to the Island of Taquile. We will enjoy a 2 and a half tour of this island which has been ranked as the fourth most beautiful island in the world. Here we will visit the isolated weavers of this ancient community. According to pre-Columbian legend, the Incas actually learned how to weave from the artisans of this island. They are very very skilled. Taquile has been declared to be part of the Cultural Heritage of the World by UNESCO.

We are going to return along the traditional route. We will leave Taquile at around noon and head in the direction of the Chucuito Peninsula. This is the Aymara region of the Lake and represents the communal identity of the Peruvian – Bolivian Altiplano. We will eat a wonderful buffet lunch right there in the community of Luquina Chico.

Later in the afternoon we will visit the Floating Islands of the Uros on our way back to Puno. Here the natives maintain their ancient customs and way of life by weaving together totora reeds (which grow in the shallows of the Lake) to construct their floating island home.

This program allows our clients to visit new tourist attractions which very few vistors know about. Since this is a non-traditional tour, our clients are very satisfied.

After breakfast you will have free time to see a little more of the city of Puno. Then we will take you to the Inca Manco Capac international airport of Julaica where you will catch your return flight to the city of Lima. On the way to the airport you can explore the amazing Tombs of Sillustani.

From Juliaca you will fly over the Andes and the Pacific Ocean on your return to Lima. Upon your arrival you will be greeted by our team. Then you will be driven to the most exclusive area in ​​Lima: Miraflores. This will be your last day in Peru. Therefore, we invite you to celebrate it with the local cuisine accompanied by a free Pisco sour.

If you are not ready to go home yet, our team will help you extend your stay in this magical land and in this way you can visit other tourist attractions that you did not get to explore such as: The Nazca Lines , Paracas, Iquitos and the Moche route.

According to the time of your flight, our team will take you to the Jorge Chavez International Airport in the city of Lima. This is where everything starts again: a new adventure, full of many memories, illusions, dreams fulfilled and above all positive energy to continue exploring the best of the world.