Peru Marvellous 12 Days

On your arrival into Lima your private transport will take you to your hotel. If you arrive early enough in the day, you will be able to explore the neighbourhood of Miraflores with its artisan markets and restaurants, and later, have a guided tour of the city of Lima. You will experience the wonders of the colonial capital including the famous Plaza de Armas, as well as the impressive Cathedral in the Plaza and the beautiful San Francisco church.

Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

You’re off to the Amazon basin this morning! After a short flight, you arrive in the city of Puerto Maldonado, Peru’s Capital of Biodiversity, where you will be welcomed at the airport and escorted on a bus tour of the city.

Next, we will travel by motorboat, along the Madre de Dios River from Puerto Capitania to the Tambopata National Reserve and our stay at Ecoamazonia Lodge. This journey will take us through a varied and fascinating natural environment, where we will, if we are lucky, see Ronsocos, Caimans, Turtles, Herons, Cormorants and other animal species in their natural habitat.

On arrival at the Lodge we will settle into our cabins, with their modern bathrooms and comfortable beds with mosquito nets, and then we will have lunch.

After lunch, we will take a guided walk to Caimán Cocha lake, which provides a rich habitat for various species of caiman (crocodile family).

We will return to the Lodge for dinner and you will have free time to relax, before, as the sun goes down, witnessing the spectacular Amazon sunset.

Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

After breakfast, we’ll walk into the Amazon forest, along specially prepared trails complete with bridges crossing the rivers and deep gorges. We will encounter a wide variety of plants, birds and animals and see the flooded forest on our journey to the wonderful Lake Apu Victor with its crystal-clear waters, surrounded by marshes and giant trees.

We will visit the observation deck and enjoy a spectacular view of the lake, catching sight of parrots, macaws, toucans, camungos, shanshos, herons, caimans and turtles. We may even spot a giant otter, one of Peru’s most spectacular animals.
We will head back to the Lodge for lunch, and in the afternoon, we will go to Monkey Island. Here, many species of monkey, including capuchins, frailes, maquisapas and many others, walk freely throughout the island, which also shelters many varieties of birds. We will leave the island and go back to the Lodge for dinner and a night’s rest.

Breakfast

After breakfast, we make the return journey by motorboat to Puerto Maldonado, followed by a short flight to Cusco and transfer to your hotel. After settling in, you will take a guided tour of the most impressive sites of the City of Cusco, starting at Q’oricancha, the Sun Temple, built by the Incan ruler Pachacutec and given its name because it was originally covered in gold. We walk through the Inca cobbled streets to the main square, with its colonial arches, church and imposing cathedral.

After we have toured the cathedral, our transport will take us a short distance up the mountain behind the square, to the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, with its distinctive structure and huge stones, and the archaeological sites of Quenco and Puka Pucara. The city tour ends at Tambomachay which has Incan fountains and channels that still have running water.

You return to your hotel in Cusco and the rest of the day is free.

Breakfast – Lunch

Today we visit the Sacred Valley to see the archaeological remains of Pisac, the bustling Andean market and the church. After lunch, we head to Ollantaytambo, the only Inca village still inhabited today, and walk the narrow streets through huge doorways, and courtyards where life has changed little in over 500 years.
In the afternoon we catch the train to Aguas Calientes, for check in to your hotel.

Breakfast – Lunch

Today we have a very early start for our visit to Machu Picchu, as your guide collects you from your hotel for a half-hour bus trip to the site, and an escorted two-hour tour of the ruins. If you have booked it in advance, you will also be able to climb Huayna Picchu mountain. We will leave the site for lunch at Sanctuary Lodge, and then re-enter for the afternoon when you can take time to explore on your own. The day ends with the return bus trip to Aguas Calientes and your hotel.

Breakfast

After breakfast at your hotel, you will catch the train for a 90-minute journey to Ollantaytambo, where your driver and guide will meet you. We will visit the ruins at Moray and the lakes and traditional salt mines of Maras, just outside the Sacred Valley, before continuing to the Andean village of Chincheros to visit the church and archaeological site. We then head to Cusco where you check into your hotel and have the afternoon free.

Free Day

Breakfast – Lunch

Leaving Cusco, we take the early sightseeing bus to Puno. Along the way we visit Andahuaylillas, a small town in the province of Quispicanchi whose most important attraction is the San Pedro de Andahuaylillas Church, which is familiarly known as the ‘Sistine Chapel of America’ due to the high quality of the artwork found in its interior.

We leave Andahuaylillas and continue eastwards to Puno. En route we visit Raqchi, which houses the impressive remains of an Inca temple to Wiracocha, the creator of the universe.

We stop for lunch before arriving at La Raya, an area of varied flora and fauna, which marks the border between Cusco and Puno. Finally, we reach Puno for check into your hotel.

Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

An early pick-up from your hotel takes you to the port in Lake Titicaca, to meet the boat. First stop will be the unique floating islands of Uros, incredible man-made islands built using the totora plant which grows in the lake itself. Traditionally, the Uros people fished, hunted wild birds and created colourful textiles, and moving into modern times, they have made progress by incorporating solar panels on their houses, and they have built a small hospital and school. The sight of the locals moving between the islands in their distinctive reed boats adds to the memorable experience of your visit to this uniquely peculiar place.
Our journey continues, to the beautiful Amantani Island, where you will meet and have lunch with the local family who will be your hosts for the night. In the late afternoon you will visit the sacred ceremonial centre of the mountain Pacha Tata, where you will be able to watch the sun set over Lake Titicaca.

You will then return to the home of your local family, for dinner and a night’s rest.

Breakfast – Lunch

After breakfast you say goodbye to your host family, as we leave Amantani and continue on the boat to Taquile Island, a colourful, pretty island with an abundance of flowers and native plants and vegetables, including muña, sage, potatoes, and the Peruvian national flower, the cantuta. The customs and traditions of the islanders are still preserved in their distinctive clothing and hats which are knitted by the men, for on this island, spinning and weaving are their domain. You can relax in the peace and tranquillity of this lovely island, while you enjoy the wonderful views and have lunch.

In the afternoon we walk down to the harbour to take the boat back to Puno and then transfer back to your hotel.

Breakfast

After breakfast at your hotel, we will set off for the archaeological site of Sillustani, located on the shores of the beautiful Umayo Lagoon. The site is famous for its chullpas, the huge circular tombs reserved for the remains of the most important families of the ancient pre – Inca times.
We leave Sillustani and Puno and head for Juliaca town, where this wonderful tour will end with your flight back to Lima.