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DAY 2 LIMA - 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 RAFTING FULL DAY
We will be meeting at 9:00 of the morning. Our private transportation will take us to our camping ground at "Cusipata River Camp", were we can leave our baggage. Here you will enjoy , hot showers, toilets , sauna and a comfortable dining area.
Our Professional River guides will provide you with all the proper rafting equipment such as helmet, wet suit, spray jacket ,paddle and self bailing raft.
After a comprehensive safety talk you will drive 10 minutes more to Chuquicahuana them will running exiting class III rapids. You will spend about two hours floating time , Afterwards, we drive back to CASA CUSI “ were a good warm lunch will be serve and you can enjoy a relaxing SAUNA. Our return would be in the late afternoon . (B, L)

INCLUDES:
- Transportation to the river and back
- All the rafting equipment, such as helmets, life jackets, spray jackets, wet suits, paddles & Raft.
- Professional River guides
- lunch , we can accommodate to a vegetarian diet upon request
- Photos and video upon request with an additional charge
- Safety Kayaker

YOU SHOULD BRING:
- A complete set of dry clothing
- A pair of sandals or tennis shoes for the river, that will get wet.
- Sun Block
- A small towel
- A bathing suit to wear under the wet suit
A good positive mental attitude

INCA TRAIL 4 DAYS 3 NIGHTS
Important Note: We will buy your Inca Trail trek permit using the names & passport numbers that you send us with your trek booking application. You must bring these same passports with you to Cusco and take them on the Inca Trail. If the name or number in your passport is different from the name and number on the trek permit, the government authorities will not allow you to start the trek and you will not be entitled to a refund. If you plan to renew your passport between making the trek booking and actually starting the trek you will must bring the 2 passports (old and new). If you make a trek booking at the student price you must send us a copy of your ISIC card at the time you pay the trek deposit. If you fail to bring your ISIC card on the trek the government authorities will not allow you to start the trek. You will not be given the opportunity to pay the extra difference in price!!!!!

DAY 4 PISCACUCHO (Km.82)–HUAYLLABAMBA (The easy day)
A spectacular early morning drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas takes us to our trailhead at Km. 82 of the Machu Picchu railroad. After getting acquainted with our trail crew we set out, crossing a footbridge to hike a gentle two hours down the Urubamba canyon, and then visit imposing sculpted Inca farming terraces and the settlement of Llaqtapata on the banks of the Cusichaca side river. We then climb a short way up the Cusichaca valley to Huayllabamba, the last inhabited village on the trail, where we camp.(L),(D).
(Walking distance approximately 12 km)

DAY 5 HUAYLLABAMBA – PACAYMAYU (The challenge day)
We climb the steep-sided Llullucha valley past a rushing stream and through enchanted native polylepis woodland. Crossing the rim of a small plateau, we abruptly find ourselves in the puna, the treeless grasslands of the high Andes. The trail traverses an open slope opposite mighty mountain crags as we ascend to the first and highest pass, Warmiwañusca (4,200m/13,776ft). Here we encounter spectacular views of the trail ahead to the second pass, and look back to the sweeping snow peaks and valleys of the Huayanay massif.
The trail to the floor of the forested Pacaymayo valley, where we make camp.(B),(L),(D)
( Walking distance approximately 9 km).

DAY 6 PACAYMAYU – WIÑAYWAYNA (The unforgettable day)
We pick up an Inca stairway and ascend again past the small Inca site of Runkuracay. As we reach the second pass, the landscape opens onto spectacular new views to the snow peaks of the Pumasillo range. We descend to the ruins of Sayacmarca (Inaccessible Town), an intricate labyrinth of houses, plazas and water channels, perched precariously on a rocky spur overlooking the Aobamba valley. The Inca trail, now a massive buttressed structure of granite paving stones, continues along the steep upper fringes of the cloud forest through a colorful riot of orchids, bromeliads, mosses and ferns. At the third pass pinnacles topped with Inca viewing platforms overlook the archaeological complex of Phuyupatamarca (Cloud-level Town).
Pausing to explore the wondrous maze of Inca stone towers, fountains and stairways that spilling down the mountainside here, we begin a long descent through ever-changing layers of cloud forest. An Inca stairway partly cut from living granite leads us finally to our camp by the ruins of Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young), the largest and most exquisite of the Inca Trail sites.(B),(L),(D)
(Walking distance approximately 14 km)

DAY 7 WIÑAYWAYNA – MACHUPICCHU (The special day)
An early morning hike takes us across a steep mountainside through lush, humid cloud-forest of giant ferns and broad-leaf vegetation. Suddenly we cross the stone threshold of Intipunku (Sun Gate) and encounter an unforgettable sweep of natural beauty and human artistry –a backdrop of twisting gorge and forested peaks framing the magical city of Machu Picchu.
We complete the final leg down the royal flagstone walkway, past outlying shrines and buildings and into the heart of Machu Picchu, where we spend the rest of the morning with a guided tour of the highlights and some individual exploring among Machu Picchu’s multitude of hidden nooks and corners, 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).
(Walking distance approximately 7 km)

DAY 8 MACHU PICCHU / CUZCO
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).

Private Excursions 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.

INCA TRAIL INFORMATION *

OUR SERVICE INCLUDED
*Transfer by bus to km.82 (trail head)
*Entrance Fee, Inca Trail and Machu Picchu.
*A large tent, for each 2 persons.
*Mattress, one per person.
*Kitchen tent.
*Dining tent.
*Enough tables and chairs.
*English speaking professional tour guide (over 8 members, 2 guides).
*An expert cook.
*Porters (to carry tent, food, cooking equipment and your personal staff max. 6 kls per person)
*Train Ticket (Backpacker).
*Full meals during the trek.
*Daily snack bag.
*Daily afternoon tea service.
*Daily wake up tea, and hot water for washing.
*Daily morning boiled and cold water to fill the water bottles.
*Emergency oxygen bottle and medical kit.
*Transfer train station / hotel
*Bus Ticket from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes

NO INCLUDED:
*Breakfast first day (you can order an early breakfast at your hotel)
*Lunch last day
*Hot springs pool visit (on your own).
*Tips to the crew (guides, cooks and porters).
*Sleeping bag

WE SUGGEST YOU TO:
- Use boots during treks and sneakers during long walks.
- Drinking lots of liquids on long excursions, especially during the Inka Trail
- Always taking an umbrella or rainwear.

YOU SHOULD BRING
-Personal sleeping bag
-Warm Jacket or Sweater
-RainGear (from nov to april)
-T-shirt , short, long pants.
-Back pack, trekking shoes, sandals
-Sun Hat , wool hat , sun glasses
-Water bottle, flash light, hat
-Personal clothing for trek
-Insect repellent – Suncream
-Personal medication
-Water Purification Tablets.
-Towels
-Toilet paper,
-Extra US$50 changed in soles for any emergency and for tipping the porters,
use the hot shower on day 3 - 2 soles and for lunch on day 4

KILOMETERS OF WALKING DAY BY DAY
Day 01 - 12 Km (Km-82 to Huayllabamba) Cusco (3400) – Chillca(2720) – Huayllabamba(2950)
Day 02 - 12 Km (Huayllabamba to Pacaymayo) Huayllabamba(2950) – Pakaymayu(3600)
Day 03 - 16 Km (Pacaymayo to Wiñayhuayna) Pakaymayo(3600) - Wiñaywayna(2700)
Day 04 - 07 Km (Wiñayhuaina to Machupicchu) Wiñayhuayna(2700) - Machupichu(2400) - Cusco(3400)

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STUDENT DISCOUNT:
Note: To apply to this discount It is necessary to send us your scan copy ISIC (International Student Identity Card) with your other information.
Without this copy we will not be able to make the discount.

When booking a trek: The government has strictly limited the number of people permitted on the Inca Trail during 2009 (permits are issued to about 200 trekkers per day plus 300 porters). We recommend that you make a trek booking as early as possible. In 2008 the trek permits for some dates sold out more than 4 months in advance!! However don't make a booking until you have all the group details (names, passport numbers, ages etc) and you are sure about your trek departure date since "these details cannot be changed after we have bought your trek permit"

* Participants need to be in good physical health and condition it is good for travelers who are in condition to hike up to ten hours, with breaks in a single day to enjoy the Inka Trail. The trekking will be difficult if you have not exercised regularly before your trip. To fully enjoy an Inka Trail adventure, we advise passengers to get into an exercise program for their own safety and enjoyment. If a passenger suffers from any medical condition, we advise him/her to consult a physician about joining an Inka Trail Expedition.
Take only the necessary items for the 4/3 days trek, You can leave the rest of your luggage at your hotel in Cusco (most of hotels and hostals has an storage rooms to keep it until your return)

PARK REGULATIONS
Park authorities may occasionally designate different campsites than those indicate The Inca Trail is part of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary, a protected area of 32,592 hectares, managed by the National Institute of Natural Resources, INRENA. Every visitor must obey park regulations prohibiting littering, cutting or damaging trees, removing or damaging stones of ruins and the Trail, removing plants, killing animals, lighting open fires or camping in the archeological sites (Only authorized campsites can be used).

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Trek Options:

1. Personal porters can be hired to help carry your personal items such as clothes, sleeping bag etc. The services of a third of a porter (maximum 7kg or 14lb per person) can be hired for US$125. If you hire the services of a third of a porter (you will need to supply the small padlock). However, even with this service you will still need to take a daypack to carry your essential items such as rain poncho, warm fleece, camera and water bottle.
Please note that due to new government regulations the maximum number of porters that we can use in each group has now been capped. This is why we have had to limit the maximum amount of personal equipment that you can give to a porter to carry for you to 7kg or 14lb per person. (The maximum amount that each porter can carry on the Inca Trail has also been limited to 18kg or 40lb per porter). Approximately 30% of our clients hire the services of an extra third porter.

2. We can also provide vegetarian meals or cater for special diets at no extra cost but we need to know when you make the trek reservation.

3. You can hire sleeping bags in our office. All sleeping bags are synthetic (easy to wash). They are washed after every use and are guaranteed to be clean.

Cost: US$35 per person for the 4 day/3 night trek. Weight 2.5 kg and are rated to 12 degrees below freezing (nice and warm even during the coldest of nights experienced on the Inca Trail).

DAY 9 CUSCO - PUERTO MALDONADO
Transfer to the airport where you'll take the flight to Puerto Maldonado (airfare not included).
Upon arrival from Lima or Cusco, we will welcome you at the airport and drive you ten minutes to our Puerto Maldonado headquarters. While enjoying your first taste of the forest in our gardens we will ask you to pack only the necessary gear for your next few days, and leave the rest at our safe deposit. This helps us keep the boats and cargo light.

Skirting Puerto Maldonado, we drive 20 kilometers to the Tambopata River Port, entering the Native Community of Infierno. The port is a communal business.

The two and a half hour boat ride from the Tambopata Port to Refugio Amazonas will take us past the Community of Infierno and the Tambopata National Reserve´s checkpoint and into the buffer zone of this 1.3 million hectare conservation unit. Boxed Lunch

Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips. Dinner

Caiman Search: We will be out at the river’s edge at night, scanning the shores with headlamps and flashlights to catch the red gleams of reflection from caiman eyes.

Overnight at Refugio Amazonas (Box Lunch, D)

DAY 10 CANOPY TOWER, BRAZIL NUT TRAIL AND CAMP
A thirty minute walk from Refugio Amazonas leads to the 25 meter scaffolding canopy tower. A bannistered staircase running through the middle provides safe access to the platforms above. The tower has been built upon high ground, therefore increasing your horizon of the continuous primary forest extending out towards the Tambopata National Reserve. From here views of mixed species canopy flocks as well as toucans, macaws and raptors are likely. Breakfast

A few minutes hike from the lodge is a beautiful old growth patch of Brazil Nut forest that has been harvested for decades (if not centuries) where the precarious remains of a camp used two months a year by Brazil Nut gatherers can still be experienced. We will be demonstrating the whole process of the rain forest's only sustainably harvested product from collection through transportation to drying.

Four and half hours by boat from Refugio Amazonas, in the pristine heart of the reserve, lays the Tambopata Research Center. One and half hours into our boat journey, as we cross the confluence with the Malinowski River, we will leave the final traces of human habitation behind. Within the 700,000 hectare uninhabited nucleus of the reserve, sightings of capybara, caiman, geese, macaws and other large species will become more frequent. Boxed Lunch

Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips.

Overlook Trail: A three to five kilometer hike will lead us to overlooks commanding magnificent views of the Tambopata winding its way into the lowlands. The forest on this trail, regenerating on old bamboo forest, is good for Howler Monkey and Dusky Titi Monkey. Dinner

Macaw Project Lectures: After dinner scientists will provide an in depth look at the biology of macaws, their feeding habits, the theories for clay lick use, their breeding and feeding ecology, population fluctuations and the threats to their conservation.

Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (B, L ,D)

DAY 11 TERRA FIRME TRAIL & PALM SWAMP TOWER
Macaw Clay Lick: On most clear mornings of the year dozens of large macaws and hundreds of parrots congregate on this large river bank in a raucous and colorful spectacle which inspired a National Geographic cover story. Discretely located fifty meters from the cliff, we will observe Green-winged, Scarlet and Blue-and-gold Macaws and several species of smaller parrots descend to ingest clay. Outings are at dawn when the lick is most active.

Breakfast. An entirely different habitat characterized by smaller, thinner trees atop hills and slopes is covered by this five kilometer trail. Saddleback tamarins are frequently found here. As we walk near the limits of the swamp we will also keep our eyes open for rare tapir tracks. Lunch

A thirty minute hike from TRC brings us to the palm swamp. Dead aguaje palms serve as nests to Red-bellied and Blue-and-gold macaws. An elevated boardwalk and scaffolding tower allow for eye level observation of the macaws as they fly in and out of their nests.

Dinner

Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (B, L, D)

DAY 12 FLOODPLAIN TRAIL & POND PLATFORM
Time off to relax and enjoy the lodge surroundings, try out a new trail, or repeat your favorite activity. Breakfast

This five kilometer trail covers the prototypical rain forest with immense trees criss-crossed by creeks and ponds. Amongst the figs, ceibas and shihuahuacos we will look for Squirrel, Brown Capuchin, and Spider Monkeys as well as peccaries. TRC is located within this habitat. Lunch

Ten minutes upriver from the lodge is a tiny pond with a platform in the middle. It is a great place to spot waterfowl such as Muscovy duck, sunbittern and hoatzin along with the woodpeckers, oropendolas, flycatchers and parakeets that call this pond their home.
Dinner.

Night walk: You will have the option of hiking out at night, when most of the mammals are active but rarely seen. Much easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as bizarre as their natural histories.

Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (B, L, D)

DAY 13 PALM SWAMP TRAIL & CREEKS TRAIL
Time off to relax and enjoy the lodge surroundings, try out a new trail, or repeat your favorite activity. Breakfast

Growing on the remains of an oxbow lake and providing both arboreal as well as terrestrial mammals with fruits throughout the year, the aguaje palms are one of the most important food sources in the rainforest. Demand for these fruits and great conditions for planting rice, makes the palm swamp also one of the most threatened habitats. Lunch

This is a different kind of Terra Firme forest, crossed by a number of creeks that will eventually reach the Tambopata River. Walking in the opposite direction of the river, we will focus on forest and creek ecology. Dinner

Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (B, L, D)

DAY 14 OXBOW LAKE VISIT
Time off to relax and enjoy the lodge surroundings, try out a new trail, or repeat your favorite activity. Breakfast

Three and a half hour boat ride brings us to Refugio Amazonas. Boxed Lunch

Oxbow Lake Visit: We will paddle around the lake on a canoe or a catamaran, looking for lakeside wildlife such as hoatzin, caiman and horned screamers, hoping to see the otters which are infrequently seen here. You will also be rewarded with overhead sightings of macaws. Dinner

Tambopata National Reserve Lectures: Nightly lectures prepared by the staff of Refugio Amazonas cover conservation threats, opportunities and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve.

Overnight at Refugio Amazonas (B, Box Lunch, D)

DAY 15 TRANSFER OUT
Breakfast. Transfer Boat from Refugio Amazonas to Tambopata River Port to go to Puerto Maldonado Headquarters
We retrace our river and road journey back to Puerto Maldonado, our office and the airport. Depending on airline schedules, this may require dawn departures. (B)

END OF SERVICES

Area Map, click to enlarge

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