-Day 1 Hola Lima
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Day 2 Lima landmarks
Details: Lima guided sightseeing tour
Experience the vibrant culture and breathtaking architecture of this capital city overlooking the Pacific Ocean. See the vast neo-colonial Governmental Palace, the towering Cathedral of Lima with its 14 side doors and main “door of forgiveness”, go past the upscale San Isidro district and visit the San Francisco Convent.
Details: Huaca Huallamarca archaeological site visit
Visit this restored pre-Columbian pyramid in Lima.
Day 3 Lima--Cusco
Details: Fly to Cusco
Cusco is the storied capital of the Inca dynasty and gateway to the imperial city of Machu Pichu.
Details: Cusco guided sightseeing tour
Colorful Cusco was an important Inca center, and sites surrounding the town testify to the power of the empire. Begin your tour at Tambo Machay, the ritual baths probably used by nobility. Underground water bubbles up over the intricately carved stone platforms, creating a shower as it tumbles over the edge. The impressive stone at Qenko had a slightly less cleansing purpose -- each year, priests would pour llama blood over the top and watch its progress through the complicated zigzag pattern to determine the luck for the coming planting season. Puca Pucara was likely a hunting lodge or vacation home for the emperor; from its high position, you can gaze out at the glaciers in the south.
Day 4 Cuzco--Sacred Valley
Details: Sacred Valley excursion
Built to resemble an ear of maize, Ollantaytambo is one of the few remaining examples of Inca urban grid architecture. Get an overhead view from the fortress, still impressive all these centuries later. Continue on through the lush Urubamba Valley before reaching Pisac, which hosts a renowned crafts market three days a week.
Details: Ollantaytambo Fortress visit
Travel to this old town surrounded by the stunning snowcapped Andes Mountains to see the best surviving example of Incan town planning. The fortress itself is encased in impressive terrace walls that served the Incas well against the Spanish Conquistadors.
Day 5 Sacred Valley--Machu Picchu
Train ride to Aguas Calientes (Machupicchu Pueblo)
Details: Explore Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a stunning complex of buildings clinging to the surrounding mountains and above the Urubamba River. Much of the extensive city is still intact, showcasing the agility and skill of Inca stone work. (Legend claims that the Inca knew of leaves that would dissolve rock, allowing them to meld stones together when building; birds in the surrounding jungle have been known to melt nesting holes in the mountains themselves, supporting the theory, but the leaves have not been identified.) Archaeologists disagree about the purpose of Machu Picchu -- many believe it was a country retreat, others think it may have been a university.
Day 6 Machu Picchu--Cusco
Machu Picchu free time
Transfer back to Cusco
Day 7 Cuzco
Details: Urubamba River rafting excursion
Raft through the Sacred Valley, which winds through major Inca sites and beautiful scenery. Ancient fortresses loom on cliffs high above, while the river makes its slow way into the jungle. For safety reasons, weight restrictions apply to this activity.
Day 8 Cusco to Lima & Flight Home
Details: Fly home
In most cases, your flight home is overnight. You will return home on Day 9.
Day 9 Return home
-Day 8 Start extension to the Amazon
Fly to Puerto Maldonado
Explore nocturnal wildlife (weather permitting)
Details: Motorized canoe to lodge
Take a motorized canoe to your base camp in the midst of the Amazon. Just over 15% of the Amazon rainforest is in Peru, covering about half the country.
Day 9 Amazon landmarks
Details: Jungle hike and activities
Almost two billion acres large, the Amazon boasts over 2.5 million species of insects but does not stop there. Thousands upon thousands of fish, birds, mammals & reptiles also live here, making the Amazon home to more life than any other place in the world. Today spend your day exploring this land. Options may include Monkey Island, Observation Tower, Tres Chimbadas, or more.
Day 10 Puerto Maldonado--Lima & end tour
Fly to Lima
Details: Fly home
In most cases, your flight home is overnight. You will return home on Day 11.
Day 11 Return home
Tour Includes:
- Round-trip airfare
- Breakfast daily
- 8 overnight stays (9 with extension) in hotels with private bathrooms
- Lunch daily
- Dinner daily
- Full-time services of a professional tour director
- Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
- Tour Diary™
- Local Guide and Local Bus Driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
- Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
- Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid Tour Director and multi-day bus driver tipping, among other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.
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