Exploring Cusco and the Amazon

Upon arrival to Cusco’s Airport, you will be welcomed by our local staff and transferred to your comfortable hotel in Cusco’s historical city centre. Then, at the coordinated time, we’ll take a few minutes to sit down with our local guide and go through our entire program together. The rest of today is all about relaxing and beginning our acclimatization to this high altitude destination (3,400 masl).

Today, after a good breakfast, we have the entire day to explore Cusco. One of the main advantages of this beautiful city is that everything is really close to its colonial city centre so you can easily explore its main sites at your own pace. We recommend spending today simply strolling around the squares, churches and picturesque cafés you’ll find in almost every corner. Because all the cities’ landmarks are close it’s not really necessary to take a private guided tour (but we’ll be happy to provide it upon request). We’ll give you a map and useful information so you can make the most of your first day in Cusco. Recommendations: Visit the Cusco Cathedral one of the most fascinating colonial and religious buildings in Peru, explore the beautiful Koricancha and don’t miss the chance to hike up to Saqsayhuaman Fortress overlooking Cusco.

This morning we’ll set off on a tour to visit the Sacred Valley’s most impressive sites. First, we’ll reach Moray, one of the most unusual Inca sites consisting of circular terraces built upon a natural depression which seem to have been an agricultural experimental station used to adapt crops to different temperatures. Then we continue to Maras, an impressive salt-extraction complex consisting of thousands of small terraces. During the dry season they fill the pans every 3 days with salty water that comes from a natural spring, once the water is evaporated, they collect the salt they have been selling at the markets of the region since before the Inca times. For lunch, we’ll enjoy a local & international near the town of Urubamba and after we’ll continue to Ollantaytambo, an old Inca fortified village where we may observe some of the best examples of Inca architecture in the region. From Ollantaytambo Station we’ll board the train to the town of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu). The train journey is a spectacle in itself as we’ll be able to appreciate the changing landscape from green fields and eucalyptus forests to lush jungle always travelling besides the meandering Urubamba River. Upon arrival, reception and then we’ll be transferred to our hotel.

Today is the big day! Early in the morning, we’ll take a 20-minutes bus up the steep zigzagging road to Machu Picchu Citadel, located on an impressive mountain setting. We’ll first have a 3 hours guided excursion so we can have a better understanding of Machu Picchu and the Incas culture. Our guide will be happy to answer all the questions you may have. Afterwards, you’ll have free time to continue exploring every corner of the Lost City of the Incas at your own pace.
After visiting Machu Picchu, you’ll return to Aguas Calientes where you can have lunch in a good restaurant (not included) before boarding your return train back to Cusco, from where a private transport will be waiting to take you to your hotel. Important notes: (1) If time allows, we recommend hiking up to Inti Punku for great views of Machu Picchu or the Inca Bridge (Free hikes). Additionally we can include the Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets for an extra cost. (If interested you should inform us as the time of booking so we can purchase the tickets in advance and assure availability) (2) Be sure to be at the train station 30minutes before your train departure. (3) Please don’t forget to bring your passport with you since it will be required when entering Machu Picchu.

This morning, we’ll head to the local airport to board our flight to Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to Peru’s Southern Amazon and the Tambopata National Reserve. On arrival, we’ll be welcomed by our local guide and head to our nearby office to drop off our excess luggage, register and make some last minute shopping. After, we head to our port in the Infierno Community, about 1 hour away, where we will embark on our one and a half hour boat trip up Tambopata River, in which we might appreciate vegetation and also see some wildlife. Once at the lodge we’ll be shown the facilities and briefed on the do and don’ts in the rainforest. This afternoon we’ll go for a short walk to observe some local flora such as Ironwood or Kapok trees and maybe birds such as Trogons, quails and wild turkeys. Important notes: (1) We recommend to book flights arriving at Puerto Maldonado before 12:30 hrs. (2) If you wish to upgrade your amazon experience to private service there is a surcharge of $40 per group per day.

This morning we leave at dusk and go fifteen minutes upriver to observe macaws, parrots, parakeets and the occasional mammal feeding at La Torre Clay Lick. We will have breakfast upon returning to the lodge. After a rest, we’ll go fifteen minutes downriver from the lodge to head Tres Chimbadas Lake entrance and then we must walk 45 minutes to reach the lake. Once there, we will board a traditional catamaran to navigate in the lake. With some luck we’ll probably spot snakebirds, herons and kingfishers, some reptiles and mammals, above all the illusive giant river otter. It’s also possible to practice catch and release fishing and maybe catch a piraña. We will be back to our lodge for lunchtime and, after having a rest, we’ll visit a local farm, an area where traditional agriculture is practiced. This is a great opportunity to see, harvest and try various exotic fruits from the amazon, aromatic herbs and medicinal plants widely used by locals. At night, we head out on a boat trying to spot some nocturnal animals such as caimans, bats, nightjars or capybaras on the banks of the Tambopata River.