12-Day Ultimate Peru Discovery: The Coast, Amazon, Andes & Machu Picchu

8:30 am Important meeting with your tour manager at the hotel.

Our Peru Expedition begins at 10:00 am with our city tour of Lima the gastronomic capital of South America. Like its Plaza de Armas, Presidential House, visit the first Cathedral in South America and Peru, explore the constructions of the metro, cemeteries and catacombs of the San Francisco church that integrate with the catacombs of the Cathedral of Lima, stroll and enjoy the view of the fascinating Chinatown area of ​​Lima, enter the local market for a real knowledge experience, chat with local vendors at their own stalls and discover new types of potatoes, corn, chilis, spices and vegetables while learning about aromatic healing plants, customs and try delicious regional fruits, snacks, nuts and more enjoying the gastronomic boulevard of Lima, we will share our favorite secrets in Lima!

Experience a journey through the desert coast surrounded by mountains, valleys and the Pacific Ocean on your way to southern Peru, where you will enjoy the breathtaking scenery in this land of contrasts arriving at Ica where will stop for lunch and winery tour. Relive the history of one of the oldest Wine and Pisco wineries in Peru, taste delicious and aromatic wines and Peruvian spirits brandies called Pisco (grape distillate) also of our national cocktail the pisco sour.

Following we ahead to explore the natural desert lake, referred to as the “Oasis of America” In the city of Ica there is an oasis in the middle of the hot desert called the Huacachina, this wonderful place is home to one of the most incredible love legends that give rise to its lagoon, we will walk along its shores and witness its beauty and charm while will tell you its history.

3 pm Huacachina Oasis, boogies and sand boarding. We will ride the powerful boogies into the desert to reach the highest dunes, sand boarding (optional), following return at Hotel in Paracas.

7 am breakfast at Hotel, next we go to the Chaco pier Paracas. We will take the boat tour to the Ballestas Islands. These islands are part of a National Reserve where you can see hundreds of sea lions, seabirds, Humboldt penguins, guano birds and turtles that are rarely found at this latitude, without a doubt, they are spectacular in their own right and well worth a visit. On the way, you will see the famous Candelabro traced on the slope of the mainland. It is at least 50 meters long and is believed to be related to the Nazca Lines.

Following we will drive to the Pisco airport for our Over flight to Nazca lines (hour 15 minutes) to contemplate the mysterious Nazca Lines. These incredible designs, some of which are 300 meters long, can be seen from 1,500 feet in state-of-the-art aircraft departing from the Pisco airport. The lines comprise zoomorphic designs, both simple and complex, representing more than 30 animals such as the monkey, the spider and the hummingbird, among others. Such beauty and mystery have fascinated travelers for generations.

13:00 pm Lunch at Local restaurant such as of Oros, the Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the best in the world and finally return to Miraflores – Lima.

10 am flight from Lima to Puerto Maldonado. Arrive to Rainforest office, pack items for two nights and leave the big suitcases, following transport to port and Depart by boat towards Refugio Amazonas, Inkaterra Amazonica Lodge, or a similar lodge (subject to availability).  After lunch in the lodge, jungle activities and explore the JUNGLA. 

Following jungle activities will be according the lodge, season and weather such as: Macaw Clay Lick, Natural Trail hike, Palm Swamp trail, Monkey Search, Jungle night walk, Sunset Cruise and many others.

Boat ride back to Puerto Maldonado, repack clothes into the suitcases at lodge office and transfer to airport for your flight Puerto Maldonado to Cusco. Arrive to hotel in Cusco, following an orientation tour and visit Plaza de Armas, main avenues.

You’ll head to Plaza de Armas, where you will see the famous cathedral of Cusco. Following, you’ll continue walking through an ancient Inca-built street from the Plaza de Armas to the Q’oricancha sunTemple. At the Q’oricancha you will be able to compare and contrast the building methods of the Inka culture and Catholicism. It’s was the key spiritual center of the Inkas, which leads to all 4 quarters of the Inka Empire.

From Q’oricancha, your group will go to the famous San Pedro market, where you’ll take our private transport for 25 minutes to visit the famous archaeological sites that are located in the upper part of the Cusco city, such as Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Tambomachay, Mirador Cristo Blanco and llama farm.

Following back to hotel and free afternoon.

You and your guide will take our private transport to the first stop, the Llama farm. Here, you will see the traditional animals of the Incas: llamas, alpacas, vicuña, and guanaco. Your guide will give you background information, show you a potato display and a textile center, showing how the wools are woven and colored. Good quality alpaca wool will be for sale. Then, will drive to the Lookout Point of sacred valley, for beautiful views and photos. Following, we’ll visit the renowned Pisac Market, where ladies come down from the mountain villages to sell their textiles and vegetables. The market is open every day, but is busiest on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

After the visit to the market, we are going to continue the journey up to the Pisac Inca site, situated on top of Pisac Mountain within the Sacred valley. Your tour guide will take you to the most impressive spots. Then, we’ll drive along the Vilcanota sacred valley river for about forty five minutes, till we arrive to Urubamba town, where we’ll stop for lunch. You will have an incredible selection of fresh meals, served buffet-style, served buffet-style. After lunch, we will drive to Ollantaytambo, where the second heaviest Inca monoliths are to be found.

The ruins have an incredible Temple of the Sun, Moon, and also the Temple of the ten Niches. This living Inca village displays narrow walkways, lined with water channels, you’ll have time to explore a lot of the ollantaytambo village before dinner its beautiful.

Hikers

05:30 am Departure from Hotel in Ollantaytambo to Inca Trail.

We will walk to the train station for 5 minutes and take 6 am train and follows the Urubamba sacred valley River, until we reach Km 104, where we’ll begin our hike. Along the way, you will see spectacular views of the farmlands, snow- capped mountains and the mighty Urubamba River, one of the sources of the Amazon River. At Km 104, we will begin our trek. Once you have everything you need, we’ll take a group photo, before visiting our first Inca site.

After the orientation and tour of the Incan site, we will begin the hike upwards, as we head for the Classic Inca Trail. If the weather is clear, we’ll have tremendous views of Machu Picchu mountain, the Urubamba River and other surrounding Incan Sites. After hiking for 3- hours, we will reach the gorgeous Inka ruins on the Inca Trail, Wiñay Huayna (Forever Young) at 8,500 ft (2600m). Most people do not get the opportunity to see the elaborate water fountain, temples and agricultural terraces, which provide a perfect opportunity to learn about the history of the Incas.

The site is bordered by steep drops, allowing you to see the stunning mountains surrounding the area. From Wiñay Huayna, we’ll walk to the Sun Gate, from where we’ll see the picturesque landscape of Machu Picchu. After taking in the once-in- a-lifetime views, we will begin our descent to Machu Picchu itself.

A big advantage of this hike is that, by the time we reach Machu Picchu, most of the day travelers will have returned home, so you will have the area nearly to yourself. After taking photos, we will take a bus down to our hotel in Aguas Calientes and check in.

Non Hikers

7:00 am Departure to Maras (Salt mines) – Moray.

We will head to the inkan agriculture laboratory in Moray. This beautiful drive is about an hour. On your drive, you’ll see the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, lush yellow fields of wheat, and some villages. Finally, you will arrive at the fascinating display of terraces of Moray, its boasts three amphitheater-like terraces, made by the Inkas. Those terraces, which are carved deep into the earth, in the shape of a bowl, were thought to be used to determine the optimal conditions for growing crops.

When you are done exploring Moray, you will head about 2 miles away, to the salt mines of Maras. The village is known as a former salt-producing center in Cuzco and is thought to date back all the way to pre-inkan time. There are over 3,000 salt pools carved within the mountain side, that are filled daily by a stream of water. This beautiful area is perfect for you if you wish to visit something different than the ruins. Finally, we will head back to Ollantaytambo for lunch and take 1 pm train to Aguas Calientes. Along the way, you will see spectacular views of the farmlands.

Next we will head to our hotel in Aguas Calientes and check in.

Wake up early in the morning in order to catch the sunrise at Machu Picchu. You will have a two- hour guided tour. After that, you will have time to explore Machu Picchu by your own. Those who have tickets to Huayna Picchu will have time to climb the mountain, which takes approximately an hour and a half, round-trip.

When you are done exploring, you can either take a bus, or walk, down to Aguas Calientes for lunch. Following this, you will take the 3 pm train back to Ollantaytambo and then a bus to Cusco.

We will depart from Cusco and drive about a 2 and a half hour throughout that we’ll pass through ancient villages and see some wonderful views of the Andes, Andean farming fields, quechua children and llama farms. we’ll begin the hike at 4,400 m/14,435 ft elevation. From here, it’ll be about 2 hours uphill hike or you could do on horseback riding (optional) to reach the famous Rainbow Mountain.

The colorful mountain of Vinicunca is located over 5 thousand meters above sea level, Due to rich minerals, the mountain is full of deep natural colors, that make a unique pattern. That is why the Quechua people know it as the sacred rainbow mountain.

Finally, we’ll begin our return trip back in our private transport back to Cusco around 3 pm.

*If you are leaving on this day we recommend your departure flight from Cusco after 6pm.

Take taxi anytime to the airport of Cusco for your flight out.