Ideal for nature lovers. Enjoy spectacular scenic views of the Jungle, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Day 01 -
Lima
Reception and transfer to from the airport to the hotel. Overnight in Lima.
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Day 02 - Lima
In the morning, city tour of Colonial Lima visiting the Cathedral, located in the Main Square which was rebuilt on the same site from 1555, under the direction of Jesuit priest Juan Rehr after the 1746 earthquake. Both its façade and interior are austere with its remarkable wooden choir stalls, altars and the tomb of Francisco Pizarro, who died in 1541, are to be noted.
Visit the Church of San Francisco, with its convent, museum of colonial art, cloisters and catacombs. Afterwards, panoramic view of the Main Square with the Government Palace, the Municipal Hall, the “Desamparados” Train Station, and finally drive through the old streets with their vice traditional mansions and Moorish style balconies. Continue through the most traditional residential and commercial areas of contemporary Lima, passing by sites of pre-Columbian Civilisations dating back to the beginning of the Christian era. Then, you will enjoy a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean.
Note: In Regular Service, the city tour is panoramic, except the Convent of San Francisco (Art Museum, Cloisters and Catacombs).
Continue with your visit to the Gold Museum, where you will appreciate a unique and amazing collection of gold objects from many Pre-Hispanic Andean civilisations. Consisting of many pieces and jewels of worked gold of incalculable value, this private collection has been seen in extraordinary expositions in many of the worlds’ major cities. You will also have the opportunity to see a valuable collection of pre Inca textiles and an exhibition of one of the largest and most interesting of its kind anywhere in the world “weapons of the world”. Overnight in Lima. (B).
PLS note
Private Tour
Lima City Tour + Gold Museum: Half Day
Regular Tour
Lima City Tour in the morning and in the afternoon Gold Museum
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Day 03 - Refugio Amazonas
Arrival to Puerto Maldonado. Reception at the airport by a guide. Then, transfer to Puerto Maldonado Headquarters. Pack only the necessary gear for your next few days.
The two and a half hour boat ride from the Tambopata Port to Refugio Amazonas will take you to the Community of Infierno and the Tambopata National Reserve´s checkpoint and into the buffer zone of this 1.3 million hectare conservation unit. Boxed Lunch
Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips. Dinner
At night, you will have an excursion at the river’s edge, scanning the shores with headlamps and flashlights to catch the red gleams of reflection from caiman eyes. Overnight at Refugio Amazonas. (BL, D).
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Day 04 - Tambopata Research Center
A thirty minute walk from Refugio Amazonas leads to the 25 meter scaffolding canopy tower. A bannistered staircase running through the middle provides safe access to the platforms above. The tower has been built upon high ground, therefore increasing your horizon of the continuous primary forest extending out towards the Tambopata National Reserve. From here views of mixed species canopy flocks as well as toucans, macaws and raptors are likely. Breakfast
Then, hike from the lodge to the patch of Brazil Nut forest that has been harvested for decades (if not centuries) where the precarious remains of a camp used two months a year by Brazil Nut gatherers can still be experienced. You will observe the whole process of the rain forest's only sustainably harvested product from collection through transportation to drying.
Transfer by Boat (four and half hours) from Refugio Amazonas, in the pristine heart of the reserve, to the Tambopata Research Center. One and half hours into your boat journey, as you cross the confluence with the Malinowski River; you will leave the final traces of human habitation behind. Within the 700,000 hectare uninhabited nucleus of the reserve, sightings of capybara, caiman, geese, macaws and other large species will become more frequent. Boxed Lunch.
Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips.
Then, a three to five kilometer hike will lead you to overlooks commanding magnificent views of the Tambopata winding its way into the lowlands. The forest on this trail, regenerating on old bamboo forest, is good for Howler Monkey and Dusky Titi Monkey. Dinner.
After dinner scientists will provide a depth look at the biology of macaws, their feeding habits, the theories for clay lick use, their breeding and feeding ecology, population fluctuations and the threats to their conservation. Overnight at Tambopata Research Center. (B, BL, D).
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Day 05 - Tambopata Research Center
On most clear mornings of the year dozens of large macaws and hundreds of parrots congregate on this large river bank in a raucous and colorful spectacle which inspired a National Geographic cover story. Discretely located fifty meters from the cliff, you will observe Green-winged, Scarlet and Blue-and-gold Macaws and several species of smaller parrots descend to ingest clay. Outings are at dawn when the lick is most active. Breakfast
Excursion to the floodplain trail. This five kilometer trail covers the prototypical rain forest with immense trees criss-crossed by creeks and ponds. Amongst the figs, ceibas and shihuahuacos you will look for Squirrel, Brown Capuchin, and Spider Monkeys as well as peccaries. Lunch
Then, transfer to the pond with a platform in the middle. It is a great place to spot waterfowl such as Muscovy duck, sunbittern and hoatzin along with the woodpeckers, oropendolas, flycatchers and parakeets that call this pond their home. Dinner.
At night, you will have the option of hiking out, when most of the mammals are active but rarely seen. Much easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as bizarre as their natural histories.
Overnight at Tambopata Research Center. (B, L, D).
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Day 06 - Refugio Amazonas
Time off to relax and enjoy the lodge surroundings, try out a new trail, or repeat your favorite activity. Breakfast.
Then, transfer by boat to Refugio Amazonas. Boxed Lunch.
After lunch, paddle around the lake on a canoe or a catamaran, looking for lakeside wildlife such as hoatzin, caiman and hornerd screamers, hoping to see the otters which are infrequently seen here. You will also be rewarded with overhead sightings of macaws. Dinner.
Nightly lectures prepared by the staff of Refugio Amazonas cover conservation threats, opportunities and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve. Overnight at Refugio Amazonas. (B, BL, D).
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Day 07 - Lodge – Puerto Maldonado – Cusco
Breakfast and transfer by boat to Tambopata River Port, passing by the Pto Maldonado Headquarters. Finally, transfer to local airport for flight to Cusco. Arrival. Reception in the airport and transfer to the hotel. Afternoon free. Overnight in Cusco. (B).
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Day 08 - Cusco
Morning free. In the afternoon, visit Cusco’s Historical Inca and Spanish Colonial Monuments, such as the Main Square, known in Inca times as Huacaypata or the Warrior’s Square, it was the scene for many key events in Cusco’s history. The Cathedral, originally built on the site of the old temple of Suntur Wasi (House of God), now the church of El Triunfo, a particular interest are the choir cloisters, the pulpit, the engravings on the altar and furniture.
Continue onto the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, a Spanish construction belonging to the Dominican Order built upon the foundations of the Inca temple of Koricancha or Temple of the Sun. Koricancha (in quechua, site of gold) was the main religious building of the Incas dedicated to the worship of the Sun and whose walls, according to the chroniclers, were plated with sheets of gold. Magnificent blocks of finely carved stone were used in its construction.
After, you will visit the surrounding ruins of the city of Cusco: Sacsayhuamán, this huge Inca fortress is built on three overlapping platforms, each of them over 360 m long. Then, onto Tambomachay, known as the Inca baths. It was apparently a site dedicated to the worship of water and a resting place for the Inca monarch.
Kenko, it is said to have been a worship site. There is a huge 5,9 m high stone block that looks like a puma. There are also passages, canals and stairways with stone engravings representing animals. Finally, Puca Pucará, which was an administrative and military centre formed by terraces, stairways, passages, turrets and vaulted niches.
Overnight in Cusco. (B).
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Day 09 - Cusco – Machu Picchu
Early in the morning, departure to the Lost City of the Incas: Machu Picchu, by train in tourist class (Backpacker), Pls note Optional (First Class train). Spectacular train journey crossing valleys, mountains and typical communities. The altitude will descend from 3,500 to 1,500 m.a.s.l. Crossing two different regions from the sierra to the rainforests. Snow peaks, eucalyptus, deep canyons and orchids are also part of the sceneries.
This stone citadel, located 112 km from Cusco, was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. The citadel was built on a very special spot covered in vegetation between two mountains: the Machu Picchu (old mountain) and Huayna Picchu (young mountain), at the foot of which meanders the Urubamba or Vilcanota River (lower Jungle featuring abundant flora and fauna). On arrival Tour of the Sanctuary. Overnight in Machu Picchu. (B).
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Day 10 - Machu Picchu – Sacred Valley
Free day for personal activities or second visit to the sanctuary. It is recommended to observe the dawn. In the afternoon, transfer to the Sacred Valley of the Incas by train. Reception in the train station and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in the Sacred Valley. (B).
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Day 11 - Sacred Valley – Cusco
Full day visit of the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Urubamba.
Visit the famous Pisac Market, attracting thousands of visitors and people from remote communities, dressed in colourful, traditional attire. In the marketplace are exhibited all types of colourful products. Typical lunch.
Continue, onto the ancient village of Ollantaytambo, with its Inca Streets and Squares and houses built on the top of Inca Ruins. Ollantaytambo Sanctuary is one of the most important archaeological complexes of Peru, containing religious, astronomic, administrative, urban, farming and agriculture complexes. Return to Cusco. (B, L).
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Day 12 - Cusco – Lima
Transfer to the airport for flight to the city of Lima. Afternoon free for shopping or optional excursions. (B).
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Day 13 - Lima
Transfer out. (B).
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END OF THE PROGRAM |
