Lima – Tambopata Rainforest – Machu Picchu

Arrival into Lima City. We will meet and transfer you to the hotel located at Miraflores Distric for your overnight.

After breakfast we will transfer you to Lima airport for your departure flight to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.

After Lunch we start Cusco city tour which includes the Inca empire, the ruins of the Inca Palace, the Plaza de Armas and the Old Town with its restored colonial buildings.

Tour include Sacsayhuaman fortress, Qenqo, Tambomachay and Puca Pucara Archaeological place.

After breakfast we travel by van through the Sacred Valley of the Inca. Where life has remained almost unchanged for 500 years. Upon decent into the Sacred Valley you will know that you’ve arrived in the area the Inca revered for its lush fertile soils. Later on, you will have the opportunity of visiting the lively local Ancient Pisac market where many of the local Indians sell their hand made textiles. It is here that many fine Andean garments are for sale and you can test your haggling powers as you bargain for trinkets and souvenirs. For lunch you will have the chance to eat a buffet lunch at the local hacienda restaurant with traditional Andean foods and music. We continue to Ollantaytambo the major Inca fortress. Probably built by the great Inca ruler, Pachacuti in the 1460s, it was the site of Hernando Pizzaro’s defeat by Manco Inca in 1536. Constructed of finely cut polygonal stones and rhyolite blocks, the fortress and nearby town represent the best of Inca architecture and construction. Large worked blocks, some weighting as much as 100 tons were quarried from a site more than a thousand vertical feet above the valley floor using a technique of pecking with hammer stones, then skidded down and across the Urubamba river several kilometers to the temple site. Inclined ramps were built to raise the blocks several hundred feet up hill to the construction area. Overnight.

Early morning we go to Willoq where we can have our activity with the inhabitants of the area knowing their way of life and being part of livestock, agriculture, textiles and household chores, lunch, we will be part of some of the activities in the Patacancha area, Like to know more of the textile since their dress predominates the colors red and black, that is why they are known as “huayruros”, because their clothing remembers the colors of the seeds of good luck. Return to the hotel and overnight.

Early breakfast and aboard the train to Machu Picchu. Arrival to Aguas Calientes Town and we’ll take the 20 minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu, perched 600 meters above the river. Our guide will explain the history and the myths that surround this archeological wonder. Machu Picchu, the famous lost city of the Inca is one of the most magical and mysterious places on Earth! Stand 2,430m above sea-level in the middle of a tropical mountain forest. In an extraordinarily beautiful setting, it was probably most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height, its giant walls, terraces and ramps seen as, if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may well be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. Afterwards we take the bus for our return to Aguas Calientes for lunch. We take the train back to Cusco. Reception and transfer to our Hotel. Overnight.

Enjoy the Cusco city by your own and explore the ancient streets that surround the city. Overnight.

Transfer from hotel to Cusco airport for your flight to Puerto Maldonado city. Our staff will welcome you at the airport in Puerto Maldonado and drive you through the city to the boat dock on the Tambopata River. Here we board a motorized canoe and head towards the nearby confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios River, the source of the Amazon tributary. Just 30 minutes down river is landing at the port that will lead to Sandoval Lake. We walk a trail of 3 Km (2 mi), stopping to watch birds and butterflies, up to a narrow canal boats. From there, we navigate the flooded forest of palm trees that leads to the open waters of this peaceful lake. Our crew will row the boats across to the lodge
(motors are prohibited on the lake). Under the surface of the lake we may see the huge Paiche (an Amazonian fish that can weigh up to 100Kg/220lbs). Or you may hear strange and unsettling screams and see heads peering from the lake surface, which will
mark our first encounter with Pteronura brasiliensis, the Giant Otter of the Amazon. After a brief rest, we start again by boat to explore the entire eastern end of the lake, following the sound of hundreds of Blue-and-Yellow and Red-Breasted Macaws as they return to the palm forest for the night. Our view from the boat often allows close and extensive encounters with birds and mammals. In Sandoval Lake the Capuchin Monkey, in particular, has nearly lost its fear of humans. We return to the lodge at dusk for dinner. Afterwards we take the boat again, in search of caimans, which are now extremely rare in the Amazon, but are still common in this protected lake. They grow up to 4m long, and dispute their share of fishing with the otters. On clear nights we go by boat farther into the lake for a view of the vast southern sky, unobstructed, with its magnificent views of constellations and the Milky Way.

Just before dawn we will be on the lake for what is often a spectacular sunrise; and hope for an encounter with the Giant Otters that roam the lake in a close-knit family, very active at this time of day. At this time most of the birds that inhabit the lake are also very active. There will be time and tranquility to observe the birds fishing; while they stalk and capture prey. We will also have close-up views of the primitive Shansho (Ophistocumus hoazin) eating leaves. After enjoying a late breakfast, we’ll walk the trail through the cool understory of the impressive primary rainforest that surrounds the lake. We will see the great Chestnut trees that abound here. After lunch we rest for an hour and then explore the west side of the lake where we will have chances to observe different species of monkey; including the most common Capuchin Monkey. Before dinner there is a video presentation on the Peruvian Jungle and after dinner we will have the opportunity to spot caimans in the lake.

This can be a very relaxed or very active day according to your desires. If you are one of the many visitors who love this lake and its unique environment or if you’d like to get a closer meeting with the Giant Otters, we can make another early start in the day. We return to the lodge for breakfast and afterwards take a break and enjoy the panoramic view from a high point in the lake before leaving to walk through a special circuit which will investigate and learn the use of dozens of medicinal Amazonian
plants. We will see the Pamicho, the plant that provides the material for thatched roofs of our houses; the ginger candle for anti-inflammatory medicine, and the Cinchona tree, whose bark has saved millions from the agony of malaria. This path includes the wild jungle and a small botanical garden dedicated to the cultivation of some native species. After lunch we take a break and prepare for a walk through the quietest and most secluded part of the forest on the north shore of the lake. In the evening we have one last opportunity to seek the Black Caiman along the lake shore, or go for a short walk for your last night in the woods.

After breakfast we make a final paddle through palm swamps on the west end of the lake. On the clearer mornings a glorious sunrise and its reflection can be seen in the lake. We return to the Madre de Dios River and head towards Puerto Maldonado and from there on to the airport and back home.