Natural & Cultural Peru Tour: Amazon to Andes

Welcome and assistance upon arrival at "Jorge Chavez" International Airport in Lima and transfer to the selected hotel. In the afternoon we pick you up from your hotel to start the City Tour that will last approximately 2 hours and a half. We start our tour with a panoramic view of the "Huaca Pucllana", a magnificent ceremonial and archaeological center built in the 4th century A.D. and considered "Sacred Town" by the Incas.

We will visit the Historic Center of Lima, where you will appreciate more than fifty monuments and colonial buildings, highlighting the Paseo de la Republica, Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace, the Cathedral Basilica, the Municipal Palace and others.

Later we will visit the MUSEUM OF THE CENTRAL RESERVE BANK*, here you will appreciate the collection "Treasures of Peru", a select exhibition of gold objects, ceramics and textiles from various pre-Columbian cultures. Then we visit the MONUMENTAL CONJUNTO DE SAN FRANCISCO, which is the largest sample of colonial religious art in America. We will visit the subway crypts known as "Catacombs".

Finally we will visit the contemporary Lima, we will stroll through the most traditional residential areas of Lima, El Olivar de San Isidro, Miraflores, Costa Verde and Larcomar.

NIGHT IN LIMA

Early in the morning we will pick you up at your hotel to go to the airport and take our flight to cross the Peruvian Andes and reach the Peruvian Amazon.

We will arrive in the city of Puerto Maldonado, a very hot place where an agent of the agency will meet you at the airport and we will be transferred to Bello Horizonte Ecolodge, where we will receive our welcome with a delicious appetizer.

The first scheduled activity will be a visit to the botanical garden. There, our guide will offer a detailed interpretation of the plants with healing properties and share information about how native communities use them in their traditional practices. Afterwards, we will enjoy lunch with an exquisite typical dish of the region.

We will continue exploring the immensity of the aguajal, immersing ourselves in an environment surrounded by lush palm vegetation, which serves as a habitat for numerous animal species. Following our path, we will arrive at the canopy, suspended between two majestic trees of the mother forest. At this point, we will ascend to the platform to observe birds, monkeys and other fascinating species, while enjoying the breathtaking view of the sunset. Upon returning to the lodge, a comforting dinner will be waiting for us to finish the day.

At the first light of dawn, at 4:30 a.m., we will head to the pier to the Collpa Cachuela, a fascinating place where we will have the opportunity to witness a wide variety of parrots and parakeets that come to the clay to feed. After this impressive spectacle, we will enjoy breakfast on board, accompanied by the magnificent scenery of the Madre de Dios River.

We will then begin our journey down the Madre de Dios River for 1 hour and 10 minutes, finally arriving at the Tambopata National Reserve, an extensive territory of 274,000 protected hectares. Here, we will venture on a 3 km hike to reach the impressive Sandoval Lake, where it is possible to spot monkeys (capuchin, huasita, coto, etc.), various birds and other mammals along the way. This amazing enclave is home to a rich diversity of species, highlighting birds such as shanshos, herons and anhingas.

We will sail on the lake in the hope of enjoying the magnificent spectacle provided by the river wolves and caimans. Afterwards, we will head to a cozy local lodge to enjoy a lunch that reflects the typical flavors of the jungle, presented in a fresh and delicious way. After a brief rest, we will return to the lodge, taking with us the indelible memories of this day full of amazing nature and adventure.

In the afternoon at approximately 1:00 p.m. Start your adventure in the majestic main square where our tour will begin to enjoy a wonderful tour. Starting at the Basilica Cathedral of Cusco which is considered by many the most significant monument of America which houses more than 300 priceless canvases made by mestizo artists. Then we will walk through the narrow stone streets and head towards the Qoricancha considered the largest Inca temple which housed the most important priests who worshiped the sun god, After having amazed your senses with the samples of the high Inca architecture we will continue our tour and visit Sacsaywaman that comes from the Quechua word that means "falcon zaceado or satisfied" that houses enormous stone constructions and place where the feast to the sun "inty raymi" is staged then we will visit Qenko Quechua word that means labyrinth, we will continue our tour visiting Tambomachay that was made with carved rocks, which form a beautiful set of canals and waterfalls, coming from springs. And finally we will arrive at Pukapukara which means the red fortress because the stones with which it was built have turned this color due to its high levels of iron.

Full day excursion. We will pick you up at 8:00 am from your hotel to go to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will start visiting the archaeological center of Pisac at 45 minutes that will give you an idea of the advanced knowledge that the Incas achieved in architecture, from one of its many natural viewpoints, we will observe the impressive landscapes and natural snowy Sacred Valley. We will have the opportunity to appreciate its famous and picturesque craft market and its various forms of trade. At noon, through the banks of the Vilcanota River, we will continue our journey to Urubamba to enjoy a delicious novo-Andean buffet lunch of exquisite Peruvian cuisine.

In the afternoon we will visit the fortress of Ollantaytambo which was a strategic military center. It is in Ollantaytambo that we will board the train to Aguas Calientes to visit Machu Picchu the following day.

Overnight in Aguas Calientes.

Very early we will go to the bus station, to ascend 400 m high for 30 minutes, finally we arrive to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu and enjoy the sunrise, the view is breathtaking, we will enjoy the guided tour for approximately 02 hours for you to know better the history and architecture of the Inca City of Machu Picchu. You will be amazed with the Inca constructions and temples, as well as the natural environment that surrounds it. After the tour you will have free time to continue exploring and take pictures to remember your visit. In the afternoon we will take the bus back to Aguas Calientes where you will have time to have lunch, rest and visit the town of Aguas Calientes.  At the indicated time we will board the train back to Ollantaytambo where a staff will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel in Cusco.

A day full of energy awaits us, for this day we have planned our trip to the city of Puno, so we will have a bus service with stops at places of tourist interest, we will start picking you up at your hotel at 06:30 am and we will go to visit the pre-Inca citadel called Pikillacta, in Quechua means "City of Fleas", one of the most spectacular centers of the Wari culture, consisting of more than 700 structures and walls of almost 12 meters high.

We will continue to the picturesque town of Andahuaylillas, where we will visit the temple of San Pedro de Andahuaylillas, baptized as the Sistine Chapel of America, for its wealth of colonial art and mural paintings that cover walls, plinths, Buffet lunch in a rural, quiet and peaceful place, where we will delight ourselves with the novo Andean regional culinary art, then we will enter Racchi, where we will visit the spectacular Inca sanctuary built by the Inca Pachacutec dedicated to the great Inca god Wiracocha. It has a large central wall with a stone base and other walls made of adobe. In the surroundings of the temple there are several ancient buildings used as houses or warehouses.

Finally, in the afternoon 17:30 hrs approximately we will arrive to the city of Puno where an agent of the agency will be waiting for you to transfer you to your hotel in Puno.

Overnight in Puno.

Early in the morning, we will depart on an unforgettable excursion on a boat on Lake Titicaca to visit the Floating Islands of the Uros, belonging to the ancient pre-Inca inhabitants of the lake, known as the Aquatic Tribe.

The Andean natives build their own islands by periodically adding new layers of totora, (Scirpus Totora) a vegetable fiber of the papyrus family. They also use this material to build their houses and boats. We will continue our excursion to Taquile, inhabited by Quechua natives who have developed, generation by generation, an efficient and original social system as well as a magnificent weaving technique. After lunch at a local inn in Taquile, we will walk through its hills and archaeological sites. In the afternoon we will be back in Puno and have the night at leisure.

Free day to explore the streets, churches and museums that the city of Puno has to offer. After coordination at an appropriate time, transfer to the airport to board your departure flight to the city of Lima.

end of service.