DAY 1 Friday: LIMA
Pick up upon arrival at Lima’s airport and transportation to the
hotel. Overnight (No meals)
DAY 2 Saturday: CUSCO
Transfer to the Lima airport for the flight to Cuzco (airfare
not included).
Upon arrival to Cusco Airport. Reception and transportation to
the Hotel where you will receive an aromatic coca tea to stimulating
for the height, will have the free morning to rest and also we
suggest you have a light lunch in either your hotel or in one
of the surrounded; in the evening we will depart on a City tour
(entrance to the archaeological centers and museums including)
we will visit the Main square, Cathedral, the Koricancha (temple
of the sun) and in addition we will make a route bordering archaeological
centers like Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Q'enko, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay,
tour finishes 6:30pm approximately at the main square in order
you can take dinner in one of the exquisite restaurants in the
area, then overnight. (B)
*Optional Buffet Dinner with Folkloric Show: Adding $24 per person
DAY 3 Sunday: CUSCO - MACHU PICCHU
Early breakfast and pickup to go the train station to depart to
Machu Picchu, the trip takes about 4 hours. During the trip we
will have an amazing view of the landscapes of the Sacred Valley
of Urubamba and the Amazon rainforest providing you a small hint
of how much Peru has to offer. Upon arrival to the little town
of Aguas Calientes you will have to approach the bus station towards
the “Ciudadela of Machu Picchu” (Only 20 minutes ride) to receive
a professional guided tour by this Huge Historical Sanctuary follow
by some free time to explore the zone on your own and then take
your buffet lunch at the selected restaurant (included), an according
time, we will go down to the Aguas Calientes town to relax at
the hot springs or just overnight at the select hotel in Aguas
Calientes town. (B,L).
DAY 4 Monday: MACHU PICCHU - CUSCO
Breakfast and rest of day at leisure by your own (entrance and
bus fee to Machu Picchu not included on this day) in the afternoon
return to Cusco. Reception at the train station and transfer to
the Hotel where it passed the night (B).
Upon request: You can make a second visit to Machu Picchu and
have the chance to know hidden places, such as the Intipunku (Gate
of the Sun) or for more adventures can take a hike to the top
of Huayna Picchu (Young Mountain) to visit the Temple of the Moon
and enjoy a spectacular view of the city. Or if you have good
physical conditions can take a hike full of adrenaline to the
Putukusi mountain opposite position than Machu Picchu which allows
us to have other unforgettable views from this new wonder.
DAY 5 Tuesday: SACRED VALLEY TOUR
Breakfast. You will be picked up at 8:15 am. Full day excursion
to the Urubamba Valley visiting: the colorful Indian market in
Pisac where a mixture of color and tradition will be able appreciated
besides will have a good opportunity to try our bargain skills
on the free time to interact with the local craftsmen to purchase
their hand-made souvenirs. The Valley has a distance of 31 km
(19 miles) of Cusco, and an altitude of 2,970 ms (9,700 p), Pisac
is located to the entrance of the Sacred Valley and followed by
Ollantaytambo, the older town continuously occupied of the American
continent. The narrow streets of Ollantaytambo, along with their
channels that have not varied from the time Inca, evoke their
ancestral inheritance, lunch in a typical restaurant and then
the last visit will be to Chinchero market.
Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow.
Its major claim to tourism is its colorful Sunday market which
is much less tourist-orientated than the market at Pisac. At the
end, return to Cusco main square at 6:30pm approx.
The night is free for you to eat in a restaurant of your choice;
although we always have plenty of suggestions for you should you
require them. (B, L)
Note: Take this tour on market days: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday
Bilingual Guided tour on different days
DAY 6 Wednesday: MANU AND COCK-OF-THE-ROCK LODGE:
Our overland journey begins at 3,400m/11,150 ft, with an early
departure from the highland city of Cusco. Today’s destination
is the lush cloud forest region where the Andes fall away to the
Amazon basin. This is a day of scenic drama and striking contrasts.
We first visit a mountain wetland habitat teeming with migrant
and local waterfowl, before crossing two mountain ranges between
the Cusco valley and the Paucartambo valley, to a maximum altitude
of 3,900m/12,790ft. Finally we follow a sinuous ribbon of highway
on its plunge through an extraordinary world of forested cliffs,
waterfalls and gorges. We take leisurely stops to see mountain
villages, a hilltop necropolis of chullpas (pre-Inca burial chambers),
and the abrupt ridge top of Ajanaco, which marks the final high
point where the Andes begin their swoop into the Amazon basin.
In clear weather we will see a breathtaking panorama of cloud
forest and mountain giving way to the lowland rainforest plains
far below us.
After a picnic lunch near here we descend through the startling
and rapid environmental transformations characteristic of the
tropical Andes, passing from grassland and stunted trees through
elfin forest, until we wind through a lush and magical world of
overhanging trees, giant ferns, monster begonias, countless orchids
and bromeliads, and a diverse and teeming birdlife.
We make frequent spontaneous stops, perhaps spotting a brilliantly
feathered quetzal, a trogon, or the wild turkey-like Guan. We
reach the comfortable Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge in the late afternoon,
the best hour to visit the nearby viewing platform for the display
ground, or “lek”. This is usually the highlight of a long, full
day, a chance to see Peru’s dazzling national bird, the Cock-of-the-Rock
(Rupicola peruviana) in full, raucous courting display. (Box lunch,
D)
DAY 7 Thursday : COCK-OF-THE-ROCK LODGE TO PANTIACOLLA
LODGE
Rising early, we have a second chance to view the Cock-of-the-Rock
display, and then scout for birds, and perhaps Brown Capuchin
or Woolly monkeys along the nearby road. Or we can take a secluded
nature walk on a short trail loop to the river and back. After
breakfast we continue our drive, as mountains give way to low
rolling hills and farmland. At Patria we visit a plantation of
coca grown legitimately for the Peruvian coca leaf market.
At midday we reach Atalaya, a tiny port where the Piñipiñi
River meets the Alto Madre de Dios. Now the lowland rainforest
part of our journey begins. Rivers are the highways of the rainforest,
and henceforth we will travel in large, comfortable dugout canoes
shaded by canopy roofs and driven by powerful outboard motors.
During normal river conditions we arrive at our lodge in time
for exploration and wildlife viewing – which may include toucans,
kingfishers, a rare endemic hummingbird, the endangered Monk Saki
Monkey, and a multitude of butterflies - along one of its many
forest trails. (B, L, D)
DAY 8 Friday: AMAZONIA LODGE OR PANTIACOLLA LODGE TO
MANU WILDLIFE CENTER
There is time for another short morning hike on the lodge trails
before leaving early for Manu Wildlife Center.
As we follow the broad, rushing course of the Alto Madre de Dios
river past the last foothills of the Andes, our ever-changing
route offers sightings of new birds -- terns, cormorants, White-winged
Swallows, and flocks of nighthawks flushed from their daytime
lairs by the sound of our engine. Splashes of brilliant yellow,
pink and red foliage dot the forest-clad slopes around us, and
the breeze is laden with the heady perfumes of the tropical forest.
We pause during our journey to stretch our legs and visit an
indigenous Piro Indian village where we may buy forest handcrafts
such as bracelets, necklaces, bags and baskets. Later we pass
the mouth of the Manu river, the gateway to the reserved zone
of the Manu National Park. Taking another break at Boca Manu,
the village a short way downriver, we visit the boatyards where
local people build the dugout boats so essential to life on the
river.
After a boat journey of approximately 6 hours, we arrive at Manu
Wildlife Center, one of the world’s top ten wildlife lodges. After
a reception and orientation we move into our private bungalow
and rest to escape the midday heat.
Later, we make our first acquaintance with the lowland rainforest,
learning about the plants and forest ecology as we explore some
of the 30 miles of trails that surround the lodge. We have an
excellent chance of encountering some of the 12 species of monkeys,
including the Monk Saki and Emperor Tamarin, which inhabit the
surrounding forest. (B, L, D)
DAY 9 Saturday: MANU WILDLIFE CENTER: THE MACAW CLAY
LICK, CANOPY TOWER & TAPIR CLAY LICK
Another early start (inevitable on wildlife expeditions), is followed
by a short boat ride downstream. We take a 20-minute trail through
palm plantations to a cut-off channel of the river, where we find
the Blanquillo Macaw Lick. A spacious hide provided with individual
chairs and a convenient place for cameras and binoculars is our
ringside seat for what is usually a very spectacular show. We
enjoy a full breakfast here while waiting for the main actors
to arrive.
In groups of twos and threes the big Red-and-Green Macaws come
flapping in, landing in the treetops as they eye the main stage
below -- the eroded clay banks of the old channel. Meanwhile the
supporting cast appears: these may included Blue-headed, Mealy,
Yellow-crowned, and Orange-cheeked Parrots -- and the occasional
villain, a menacing and unwelcome Great Black Hawk.
The drama plays out in first in tentative and then bolder approaches
to the lick, until finally nearly all the macaws, parrots and
parakeets form a colorful and noisy spectacle on the bare banks,
squabbling as they scrape clay from the hard surface.
(Please note that the clay lick is most active from August to
October and less so during the months of May and June.)
We return to the lodge for lunch, and then we continue to explore
and discover the rainforest, its lore and plant life, on the network
of trails surrounding the lodge, arriving in the late afternoon
at our 34m/112ft Canopy Tower. On its platform we witness the
frantic rush-hour activity of twilight in the rainforest canopy,
before night closes in.
Later we set off along the “collpa trail”, which will take us
to the lodge’s famous Tapir Clay lick. Here at the most active
tapir lick known in all the Amazon, our research has identified
from 8-12 individual 600-pound Tapirs who come to this lick to
eat clay from under the tree roots around the edge. This unlikely
snack absorbs and neutralizes toxins in the vegetarian diet of
the Tapir, the largest land animal of Latin America. The lick
features a roomy, elevated observation platform 5m/17ft above
the forest floor. The platform is equipped with freshly-made-up
mattresses with pillows. Each mattress is covered by a roomy mosquito
net. The 50-m-long, elevated walkway to the platform is covered
with sound-absorbing padding to prevent our footsteps from making
noise. This Tapir Experience is unique and exciting because these
normally very shy creatures are visible up close, and flash photography
is not just permitted, but encouraged.
The hard part for modern city dwellers is to remain still and
silent anywhere from 30 minutes to two or more hours. Many prefer
to nap until the first Tapir arrives, at which point your guide
gently awakens you to watch the Tapir 10-20m/33-66ft) away below
the platform. Most people feel that the wait is well worth it
in order to have such a high probability of observing the rare
and elusive Tapir in its rainforest home. (B, L, D)
DAY 10 Sunday: MANU WILDLIFE CENTER: COCHA BLANCO AND
THE WILDLIFE TRAILS
We set off early for Cocha Blanco, an old oxbow lake full of water
lilies and sunken logs. As we circle the lake on our catamaran
we might encounter the resident Giant Otter family on a fishing
expedition, or troops of monkeys crashing noisily through the
trees. Wattled Jacanas step lightly on the lily pads, dainty Sun
Grebes paddle across the water, supple-necked Anhingas air-dry
their wide, black wings, and perhaps an Osprey scans for fish
from a high branch.
Among the bushes near the waterline, Hoatzins, which look like
rust-colored, punk chickens, announce their presence with distinctive,
bizarre wheezing and grunts. Woodpeckers, tanagers, macaws, toucans
and parakeets all finally come swooping in to trees surrounding
the lake. Many of them roost around the lake for the night.
After lunch at the lodge our guide is available to lead us on
freewheeling expeditions in search of further wildlife encounters,
or we may take one of the lodge’s many trails on private and personal
excursions to commune with the spirits of the rainforest.
This evening, from late afternoon until after dinner, we can
take a boat ride in search of caiman (alligator-like reptiles),
and other nocturnal wildlife along the riverbank. (B, L, D)
DAY 11 Monday: MANU WILDLIFE CENTER TO CUSCO
After an early breakfast, we leave on the two-hour boat trip to
the Boca Manu airfield, enjoying early morning wildlife activity
as we go. From here we fly to Cusco, where our rainforest adventure
ends with a pickup and transfer to our hotel. Overnight(B)
Please note that the program may vary slightly so as to maximize
your wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our researchers
and experienced naturalist guides based at the lodge.
DAY 12 Tuesday: LIMA
Transfer to the airport where you'll take the flight back to Lima
(airfare not included) in time to get your international flight
connection. (B)
END OF THE SERVICE
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