2024 Peru Superior Authentic Adventure

Arrival to Lima, reception at the airport and transfer by private vehicle to the Colon Miraflores hotel. Check in to your hotel.

Miraflores hotel

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital of the Incas. After the one hour flight, reception and transfer to your hotel, the Los Andes Hotel.

After a recommended light lunch (not included), free time to wander about the ancient capital of the Incas.

Los Andes  |  Meals: B

After breakfast, tour of the city of Cuzco; including the Main Square, the Cathedral and the Koricancha or Temple of the Sun. A tour of the ruins surrounding the Inca capital including the Sacsayhuaman Fortress overlooking the city of Cuzco, a pre Inca architectural masterpiece; Kenko, a rock sanctuary whose main attraction is the monolithic altar representing a puma, the red fortress of Puca-Pucara, and Tambomachay.

Meals: B

After breakfast, we depart by vehicle to just outside Chinchero where we will start our mountain bike ride, totaling over 22 miles on back roads and trails. We first ride back roads for about an hour, climbing several hills, witnessing scenes of rural Andean life, before arriving at the Inca site of Moray. This is a fascinating, unique ruin; a fabulous amphitheatre of terracing that was used as an agricultural experimental site by the Incas by taking advantage of the microclimates produced by the varying altitude to breed new varieties of their crops. After retracing our route briefly, we leave the back roads and transition to a two track road that later becomes a walking trail. The route is mostly flat and downhill, with one steep and fairly technical downhill followed by a short but steep uphill. Those who would prefer to ride in the support vehicle are free to do so.

After riding for about 45 minutes we reach the village of Maras, where we will rejoin our support vehicle on the town plaza for a picnic lunch. We get back on our bikes for a mostly downhill ride to the salt pans of Maras. The salt pans are an unforgettable site the people from Maras have diverted a salt-laden spring coming out of the hillside, evaporating the water to collect salt, as their ancestors have done for centuries. We will walk among the salt pans, witnessing a scene largely unchanged from Inca times. From the salt pans we have a final technical bike ride, downhill into the Sacred Valley town of Urubamba. On this half hour section there are a few rocky drops that can be ridden or walked. There is also the option to take the support van along another route. Arrival to the Urubamba for the transfer to your hotel, the San Agustin.

San Agustin  |  Meals: B & L

After breakfast, we will enjoy the spectacular mountain setting of Ollantaytambo, the ruins set on the edge of town, before transferring to our put-in is at Panchar, some 10 minutes from Ollantaytambo. After a briefing in techniques and safety, start of the rafting on class III and IV rapids for 4 hours. Picnic lunch by the banks of the river before returning to Ollantaytambo around 15:00. Transfer to your hotel and briefing on the up and coming trek.

Meals: B & L

After breakfast transfer to the town of Lamay. Arrival and begin your hike to the fascinating site where the Inca chief Viracocha lived. Walk over the bridge in Lamay and continue on the path behind the houses. You can easily see the path climbing up the hill and you might even see some part of the ruins high above you. This is an advanced hike. It will take about two and a half hours to reach the ruins and from there you will have a wonderful view into the Urubamba valley, and of the villages of Lamay and Calca. The mummy that was found here is said to be Viracocha. The ruins are part stone and part adobe and of special interest is the presence of horizontal wooden braces inside the corners of some of the buildings. There is a fine 'kallanka', great hall, some 40m long, a great esplanade, where were held parades, and lots of terraces. Some of the houses are 'post-inca' , but in inca-style, and there is a Spanish-style reservoir. Going down to Calca will take about three hours. The path starts behind the reservoir, where you will have to cross a small stream. In the valley behind you can continue on this small path to Calca. Arrive to Calca, and private transfer to the valley train station, we will ride aboard the Vistadome train, taking in stunning views of the mountains all around, with snowcapped peaks in the distance as we slowly lose elevation and head into high altitude cloud forest. Our destination, the Machu Picchu gateway town of Aguas Calientes, is reachable only by train or air and is nestled among stunning steep mountains shrouded in cloud forest. Arrival and accommodation at the Sanctuary Lodge Hotel. Dinner and accommodation.

Sanctuary Lodge Hotel  |  Meals: B & D

A full day at Machu Picchu, the most spectacular ancient city in the world. Built by the Inca Pachacutec, and comprising stone blocks fitted with masterful precision, Machu Picchu harmoniously blends into the mountain landscape. There are many theories as to the origins behind Machu Picchu but three of the most popular ideas include a temple to the sun, a fortress against the jungle inhabitants or a sanctuary for the Incas. This fabulous city has houses, temples, warehouses, a large central square, all connected by narrow roads and steps, and is surrounded by terraces cut into the mountain side which were used for agriculture. After your 4 hour private guided tour, free time to enjoy this magical and spiritual wonder. Return to Cuzco in the evening. Reception and transfer to your hotel, the Los Andes.

Los Andes  |  Meals: B

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Puerto Maldonado. Arrival to Puerto Maldonado. Reception at the airport and transfer to the river port, whilst hearing an introductory talk about the city and surrounding areas, in addition to the characteristics of the Amazon region. You will embark on a 45-minute boat ride on the Madre de Dios River until your arrival at the Reserva Amazonica Rainforest lodge. Here you will be assigned to your cabin.

After lunch, an afternoon excursions begin including a guided walk along one of the trails close to the lodge. The trails wind past important giant trees of the forest such as the kapok and the strangler fig, and you may see superb examples of bird and insect life. You will also take a boat ride along the Madre de Dios River to see the change in the environment as twilight gives way to darkness. Animals and birds are replaced by special species adapted to the darkness, such as nightjars, owls, capybara, and caiman. You may choose to take the Twilight Rainforest excursion as an alternative.

Cocktails and buffet dinner in the dining room of the lodge's main pavilion.

Meals: B, L & D

Wake up early to observe the sun rise over the Madre de Dios River before a buffet breakfast with eggs, cereals, local fruits, and fresh bread.
You will then gather in the Eco-Centre for your morning excursions. A five-minute boat ride takes you to the Canopy Inkaterra Interpretation Centre where you can ascend the first tower, 45 metres (150 feet) above the forest floor. Spend an hour and a half walking on the bridges that stretch between seven platforms, as you see giant strangler fig trees, orchids, toucans, woodpeckers, trogons, and with luck, monkeys or a three-toed sloth. Lunch

You will then embark on a 40-minute boat ride that takes you to the Tambopata National Reserve. Spend an hour-and-a-half walking the 3 km (1.8 mile) trail through the wildlife-rich reserve, and you will arrive at the breathtaking oxbow lake called Lake Sandoval. Here you will have an excellent opportunity to see the endangered giant river otter. Also residing in and around the lake are the rare red howler monkeys, red-bellied macaws, anaconda, point-tailed palm creepers, and side-neck turtles. Return to the main lodge for cocktails and buffet dinner.

Meals: B, L & D

Enjoy a buffet breakfast before your morning's excursion to Concepción. A 10-minute boat ride upriver to Concepción, home to a botanical garden with more than 200 different species of plants. Spend one hour learning about the processes used and benefits gained by the traditional uses of flora. Walk for an hour to reach the natural collpas (clay licks), and learn about the many rainforest mammals and birds that consume this clay. After lunch, enjoy your excursion to Rolin Island where you will stroll for an hour, whilst learning about island ecosystems and seeing the presentation at the Primate Rescue Centre, home to three species of primate - the brown capuchin, white capuchin, and squirrel monkeys. With luck, you may see some of these endangered animals while enjoying a lecture about the measures being taken to protect them. Return to the lodge for cocktails and a buffet dinner.

Meals: B, L & D

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and return by boat to Puerto Maldonado, an hour and a half upriver. Visit the city's Butterfly Farm, unique in Peru where you can experience several dozen of the more than 3,800 varieties of butterflies and moths found in Peru. Assistance with your luggage, prior to boarding your flight to Cuzco. Arrival and transfer to your hotel, the Los Andes.

Los Andes  |  Meals: B

After breakfast, transfer to the railway station for the first class Andean Explorer train to Puno (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays only). Enjoying marvellous view en route, you shall also enjoy lunch onboard before arriving to Puno. Arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel, the Jose Antonio.

Jose Antonio  |  Meals: B & L

After early breakfast, transfer to Llachon, where we don our kayaking jackets, spray skirts, and life vests and receive a brief kayaking lesson for our paddle along the peninsula and across the channel to Isla Taquile. Kayaking the clear blue water of a huge lake sitting at 12,500 feet is an unforgettable experience. We will pass village life on the shores of the peninsula, then as we head across the channel to Isla Taquile we gain our first views across the full distance of the lake. The total distance is about five and a half miles, and in our stable sea kayaks we will take our time and perhaps take a break on the water for a snack. Upon reaching Isla Taquile, we will walk about 20 minutes, less than a mile, to have our lunch. After we board our kayaks for a short kayaking adventure around the island of Taquile, affording fabulous views of the hills and mountains surrounding the highest navigable lake in the world stretching all the way into Bolivia. Rejoin the support boat for a ride back to the lakeside city of Puno, stopping along the way for a visit to the floating islands of Uros. The floating islands are constructed from the reeds that grow around the lake and date from centuries ago when people started living on them as a way to avoid conflict with other civilizations living around the lake. Transfer to your hotel.

Meals: B

After breakfast, head towards Juliaca, and an excursion to the Silluastani towers. The pre-Inca Sillustani funeral towers lie next to the Umayo Lake and form part of one of the largest and most important necropolis in the world. Used by both the Altiplano civilisation and the Incas and their wives "Collas" to honour their dead and in preparation for the after-life. They were abandoned when the first Spanish arrived. With over ninety chulpas (tombs), all built from volcanic rock, those for the Incas can be easily recognised by their finer detail. Transfer to Juliaca airport for the flight back to Lima and transfer to your hotel, the Colon Miraflores.

Miraflores Hotel  |  Meals: B

Leisurely day with plenty of opportunity for shopping before your transfer to the airport for your international flight home.

Meals: B