DAY 1 ARRIVAL.
Reception in the Lima airport and transfer to Carmel Hotel
or similar . Overnight (no meals)
DAY 2 LIMA CITY TOUR AND GOLD MUSEUM
In the morning, Lima city tour (half day). You will be
picked up from your hotel at 10 a.m. The city tour begins
with a visit to the Plaza the Armas, which has been declared
a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Running along two sides are
arcades with shops: Portal de Escribanos and Portal de
Botoneros. In the center of the Plaza is a bronze fountain
dating back to 1560. Located in the Plaza is the Cathedral,
note the splendidly carved stalls, the silver covered altars
surrounded by fine woodwork, mosaic covered walls bearing
the coat of arms of Lima and Pizarro. Next to the Cathedral
is the Archbishop's Palace. Then you will visit the
Monastery of San Francisco. This is famous for the Sivillian
tilework and paneled ceiling in the cloisters, the catacombs
under the church and part of the monastery are well worth
seeing. You will visit the old colonial streets in the
center of the city, and the modern Lima with the district of
San Isidro and Miraflores. Then you will visit the Peruvian
Gold Museum; this excellent private collection includes
pre-Columbian gold, silver and bronze, ceramics, weavings,
mummies, etc. The second floor of this museum is a
remarkable arms collections with an impressive exhibition
from Spanish colonial times. Overnight at Carmel Hotel or
similar. (B, L)
DAY 3 PARACAS
Early in the morning transfer to the bus station, at 7:30 am
you willl take the Royal Class motor coach (best available)
to Paracas (3 hours 1/2). Upon arrival transfer to Las Olas Hostal
or similar, then excursion to Paracas of about 2 h. 30 min.
Paracas is one of the best marine reserves, with the highest
concentration of marine birds. In the afternoon return to
the hotel and overnight (B)
DAY 4 BALLESTAS ISLANDS
At 7:15 in the morning transfer to the mole where you will
take a motorboat excursion to the Ballestas island. This
islands are spectacular, eroded into numerous arches and
caves, which provide shelter for thousands of seabirds, some
of which are very rare, and seas lions. The islands are
known as "the Galapagos of Peru", at the end private
transfer to Nazca, during the route you will visit the
Chauchilla cemetery, where skulls, mummies and pottery
shards littering the desert. Overnight at Paredones Hostal
or similar. (B,L)
DAY 5 NASCA LINES
You will be picked up from your hotel, transfer to the
little airport where you'll take the flight over the famous
Nazca lines. Cut into the stony desert are large number of
lines, not only parallels and geometrical figures, but also
designs such as a dog, an enormous monkey, a bird with a
wing span of over 100 meters, a spider and a tree. The lines,
that represent some sort of vast astronomical pre-Inca
calendar, are best seen from the air, we will take a half
hour flight above the Lines (included). At 1:30 pm we will
take the motor coach Royal class to Lima where we will
arrive around 7:30 pm. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel .Overnight
at Carmel Hotel or similar. (B)
DAY 6 MEETING THE JUNGLE
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Pto Maldonado(airfare
included). Transfer from Puerto Maldonado airport to the
river port on the Madre de Dios River. A 25 minutes journey
down the Madre de Dios River by motor canoe brings you to
the riverside trailhead to Sandoval Lake Lodge. From here
the trail takes you on a 2-miles (3,2-kilometers) walk
through secondary forest, until we reach a small canal where
we board canoes and are paddled 220 yards (201 meters)
through a flooded forest of 100-foot (30-meters) tall
Mauritia palms. As the canal opens onto the shimmering
surface of the lake, we transfer to a catamaran and are
leisurely paddled across half the lake to the lodge. After
lunch and a brief rest to avoid the early afternoon heat, we
will learn about the history of the lodge and the philosophy
of its founders. Then we once again board the catamaran and
set off to explore the entire west end of the lake. Here, in
the flooded palm forest we drift to the sounds of hundreds
of Red-Bellied Macaws as they return to the palm forest for
the night. This macaw species is found locally in parts of
the Amazon, always living in flooded palm forests such as
the beautiful palm stand at Sandoval Lake. At 500-800 birds,
this flock of macaws at Sandoval Lake is currently the
largest reported in the world for this highly-specialized
macaw. As night falls we will look for the large and
extremely rare Black Caimans. If it is a clear starlit night,
we will also be able to float in the middle of the lake to
marvel at the brilliance of the sky and listen to the sounds
of the forest. We return to the lodge for a short video or
slide presentation and dinner. At any point, you could step
out from the bar to admire the wide variety of nocturnal
moths, beetles and praying mantis attracted to our black
light in the lodge clearing. For those with lots of energy,
our guide will take us on a short night-walk into the forest
behind the lodge.(B,L,D)
DAY 7 SANDOVAL LAKE
A pre-dawn wake-up call will enable us to be on the lake for
sunrise and a hopeful encounter with the family of Giant
Otters who frequent the lake and are most active at this
time of day. Sandoval Lake offers abundant wildlife
including over 40 species of birds resident to its lake
margins, most of the fish-eating water birds around the lake
actively fish in the early morning as well, and this outing
should provide excellent views, of the prehistoric- looking
Hoatzins, These are easy to observe and also photograph from
the paddled canoes or catamarans. After returning for a late
breakfast we set off into the cool under story of the tall
virgin forest near the lake to see some towering wild Brazil
Nut trees and a demonstration of how our hosts collect, open
and commercialize this important natural product. After
lunch and an hour or so to relax we once again board the
catamaran to explore the eastern part of the lake, where we
might see one or more of the five species of monkeys who
live in the forest near the lake, such as the Brown Capuchin
Monkey and Squirrel Monkey. Before dinner we will again
enjoy an informative natural history video or slide
presentation. We will leave after dinner to try and spot
some Black Caimans on the lake, or to go on a short night
walk through the primary forest. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 RAINFOREST
After a dawn breakfast, we will cross the lake by catamaran
and take a short walk into the interior of the Mauritia palm
forest to stand beneath and closely view the impressive
morning congregations, this place has a very interesting
concentration of parrots, parakeets and large and small
macaws that can be observed using dead Mauritia palm trees,
some of them are resident nesters (Yellow headed Parrot,
Mealy Parrot, Blue headed Parrot, Scarlet Macaw, blue and
Yellow Macaw, Red and Green Macaw, Chestnut fronted Macaw,
Dusky headed Parakeet, Red bellied Macaw, Cobalt winged
Parakeet, Tui Parakeet). Returning from the macaw show we
will cross the lake to explore a primary forest trail and
admire the impressive ancient rainforest trees and lianas
with our knowledgeable resident naturalist guide. As we walk,
the forest will be brought to life as your guide explains
the ecology of the rain forest and its diverse flora and
fauna. We return for lunch, and then there is an optional
rest for those who would like to escape the early afternoon
heat. For those still full of energy, there is an option to
independently explore some of the forest trails using our
trail map. You might stroll through our medicinal plant
garden or watch hummingbirds visiting the nectar feeders, or
the tanagers visiting our fruit feeders. In the cooler late
afternoon we will once again board the catamaran to explore
the eastern end of the lake, and hopefully experience a
spectacular sunset over the lake before returning to the
lodge for dinner. For some people, an alternative afternoon
activity would be to relax on benches inside the forest
perched above a clear running stream in which a variety of
bathing hummingbirds and forest birds visit. After dinner,
there is a final chance to look for Black Caiman on the lake,
or to go on a short night hike through the forest. (B,L,D)
DAY 9 CUSCO
After early breakfast we leave near dawn and we take a
final, shorter paddle around the west end of the lake to try
and glimpse the Giant Otters before returning by motor canoe
for the 35 minutes return trip to the Puerto Maldonado
Airport, taking advantage of valuable early morning wildlife
activity along the river. From here you fly to Cusco (airfare
included). Upon arrival transfer to the Orquidea Real Hostal
or similar. Overnight. (B)
Please note that the jungle 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 10 CUSCO CITY TOUR
Morning at leisure. At 13:45 you leave on the Cuzco City
Tour. This tour includes the major sites of historical
interest in Cuzco, such as the famous Inca fort at
Sacsahuaman, and the temple of the Sun. Also included in
this is a tourist card, giving you access to all the sites
in the Cuzco area as a whole (i.e., including outside of the
City itself) This tour finishes at 18:00. Overnight at
Orquidea Real Hostal or similar. ( B )
DAY 11 SACRED VALLEY TOUR (TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SUNDAY)
At 8:45 a.m. we will depart for the Sacred Valley
tour, that includes: Bus service to the market of Pisaq,
visits the ruins of Ollantaytambo, and
the market at Chinchero. There is an English speaking guide,
and lunch in a typical restaurant in Urubamba. Of course,
throughout this trip you will have magnificent views of the
high Peruvian Andes. At 18:00 hrs you arrive back at the
Orquidea Real Hostal or similar . ( B,L )
DAY 12 MACHU PICCHU
At 5:45 a.m. you will be picked up from the hotel to the
train station which leaves at 06:00 a.m. Travel will be in a
"Vistadome" Class (formerly "Autowagon"), the best there is.
At 09:40 a.m. you will arrive at the Aguas Calientes Station,
from where you will take a 25 minute bus ride to the ruins
of Machu Picchu. Once there, you will take a guided tour,
with an English speaking guide. Lunch is included at Machu
Picchu Sanctuary Lodge (close to the ruins). Overnight at
the Presidente Hostal or similar in Aguas Calientes (Machu
Picchu). (B,L)
DAY 13 MACHU PICCHU
Morning at leisure in Aguas Calientes to continue visiting
the area, the local hot springs (bring with you a bathing
suit) or optional visit to Machu Picchu (bus ticket and
entrance fees not included). At 3:05 pm we will take the
Vistadome train back to Cusco, arriving at 7:05 pm. We will
stay overnight at Orquidea Real Hostal or similar. (B)
DAY 14 PUNO - CHULLPAS OF SILLUSTANI
Transfer to the airport. Upon arrival transfer to Qelqatani
Hotel (or similar) located in Puno. On route you will stop
to visit the chullpas of sillustani.
CHULLPAS OF SILLUSTANI
Near Puno are the Chullpas (pre-Colombian funeral towers) of
Sillustani. The scenery is desert but impressive, in a
beautiful setting on a peninsula on lake Ayumara about 32
Km. from Puno. Most of the towers date from the period of
Inca occupation in the 15th century, the engineering
involved in their construction is more complex than anything
the Incas built. Lodging at Qelqatani Hotel or similar. (B)
DAY 15 UROS AND TAQUILE ISLANDS
You will be picked up from your hotel at 6:40 a.m. aprox., after a
2 hour motorboat ride, you will arrive at the Uros island in
the Titikaka lake.
Fishermen and hunters inhabit the floating islands of the
Uros. The residents of the Uros use the cattail, a type of
rush, which grows in the lake, to create the conditions that
ensure the islands stay afloat. The dense roots that the
plants develop support the island. The roofs are waterproof
and the houses are extremely humid because of the
surrounding water. At present, they speak Quechua and Aymara.
Then we will visit the Taquile island, where we will have
lunch in the cooperative restaurant. There is also a
cooperative shop on the plaza that sells exceptional wool
goods which are of very fine quality and somewhat expensive.
Taquile Island is famous for its craft production,
particularly for its beautiful textiles. The island is
narrow at about 1 Km. wide and 6 to 7 Km. long. The visit
could be exhausting because of the 533 steps on the stone
stairway to climb to get to the village and because of the
altitude (13,000 ft above sea level). On Taquile there are
numerous pre-Inca and Inca ruins as well as Inca terracing.
We will return in Puno in the afternoon, overnight at the
Qelqatani Hotel or similar . (B,L)
DAY 16 PUNO - LIMA
Morning at leisure in Puno. In the afternoon transfer to the
airport to take the flight to Lima (airfare include).(B)
END OF OUR SERVICES |
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