A 10 day tour combining Cusco & Sacred Valley, Inca Trail and Amazon jungleThis tour really packs a punch – three must-see destinations in one. And so many contrasts! One moment you are enjoying a pisco sour in Cusco’s Colonial central square, the next you are hiking over Andean passes and through cloud forest to Machu Picchu on one of the world’s classic treks; the Inca Trail. Then, you are in the steamy atmosphere of the Amazon jungle enjoying the richest biodiversity on the planet. Almost too much for the senses to take in!
To get more of a taste of our tours around the Cusco and Machu Picchu area, check out our latest streaming video HERE.
Day 1: Cusco: City Tour
This morning, we pick you up from the airport (or your hotel) and transfer you to your accommodation.
During the afternoon we have a guided bus tour of the city, in order to appreciate fully the magnificent blend of Colonial and Inca influence on the city. We visit the Cathedral, the Rock of the 12 Angles, and Inca ruins such as Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo and Koricancha.
The evening is free to sample some of Cusco’s famous nightlife first hand! Our guide will have plenty of advice as where to go!
Day 2: Cusco: Sacred Valley Tour
Today, we explore the "Sacred Valley of the Incas". This fertile river valley was home to many important sites for the Incas, both strategic and religious.
Our first stop is the village of Pisac, with its famous market, where you can pick up a bargain! You have free time to wander the market stalls before we visit the ruins above the town, which were an important Inca religious centre.
After Pisac we continue our journey along the river to Urubamba, to the giant Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo which was the scene of one of the most famous battles between the Incas and the invading Spanish conquistadors, with the Incas being victorious.
After the day’s activities we recommend having an early night and preparing for the challenge of the Inca Trail!!
Day 3: Inca Trail: Cusco - Km 82 - Huayllabamba
Early this morning, our guide will pick you up from your hotel to transfer you by bus to Km 82 where you will arrive mid-morning and meet the team that will join you during the trek - porters, camp assistants and cooks.
The first day’s walk is quite easy and during the first part you will have a beautiful view of the snow-peaked Veronica Mountain above you and the Vilcanota River below you. Lunch will be waiting for you when you arrive at the Archaeological Complex of Patallacta.
After re-energising, we begin the steady climb to Huayllabamba, where the first camp is set up.
Meals Included: Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack and Dinner
Day 4: Inca Trail: Huayllabamba - Pacaymayu
After breakfast, the hardest part of the trail begins, with a steep, three-hour ascent to the highest point of the trek, Warmiwañusca (Dead Woman’s Pass), at some 4200m (13,800ft) above sea level. Here you will not only enjoy incredible, panoramic views, but you will have a great sense of achievement at reaching this milestone.
After lunch in Vizcachayoc, we will descend towards Pacaymayu (3500m/11,480ft) for dinner and camp.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack and Dinner.
Day 5: Inca Trail: Pacaymayu - Wiñay Huayna
After breakfast, the ascent will begin to the second highest pass on the Trail, at more than 3900m (12,800ft) above sea level. On the way up, you can enjoy a guided visit to the Archaeological Complex of Runkurukay and, on the way down, the Inca Citadel of Sayacmarca (3,600m/11,800ft).
Lunch will be ready for you in Chaqquicocha. Then, you continue walking towards Phuya Patamarka (Town in Clouds), another important archaeological monument.
After a brief rest, you will continue walking to the spectacularly-located Archaeological Complex of Wiñay Huayna (Always Young). You have a guided visit of the complex before having dinner and overnighting in the nearby campsite.
N.B. The above are our regular camp sites; however, these can be changed by the Machu Picchu Management Unit without previous warning. It will not affect the itinerary.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack and Dinner.
Day 6: Inca Trail: Wiñay Huayna - Machu Picchu - Cusco
After an early breakfast, you will make the one-hour hike through high rainforest to Inti Punku (Gateway of the Sun), the well-known entrance to Machu Picchu, with its unparalleled panoramic view of the Inca Citadel.
Upon arrival in Machu Picchu, you will have a guided tour of the ruins and monuments, such as the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Solar Clock, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and the Cemeteries. This is followed by free time to stroll around the Citadel, before meeting the rest of the group to be transferred by bus to Aguas Calientes for lunch.
In the afternoon, you take the train back to Cusco, where you will be transferred to the hotel.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Snack.
Day 7: Cusco - Puerto Maldonado – Refugio Amazonas
Upon arrival at Puerto Maldonado, we welcome you and transfer you by bus and then river launch to Refugio Amazonas.
During our river journey into the Tambopata National Reserve, we will see bird species typical of the river or forest edge, and enjoy a box lunch along the way.
When we arrive at Refugio Amazonas, we will receive a short orientation and a complete briefing of the lodge and its Ecotourism Project, in conjunction with the local community of Infierno.
After dinner in the lodge, we will take you on a caiman search along the banks of the river, using headlamps to spot the red reflection from the caimans’ eyes!
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 8: Refugio Amazonas: Condenado Lake
We will up at dawn in order to make the short hike to Condenado oxbow lake. Once there, we take a long, gentle canoe ride around it. We will look for giant river otters, turtles, hoatzin, macaws and a variety of wading birds.
Later, we make the short boat ride across the Tambopata River to a farm owned by the charismatic Don Manuel, who grows a variety of popular and lesser known Amazon crops - just about every plant and tree you see serves a purpose, and we learn about these medicinal uses from our guide. There is plenty of wildlife living amongst the flora.
This afternoon, after lunch in the lodge, we take a short hike to a patch of Brazil Nut trees that has been harvested for decades (if not centuries), where we learn of the process involved in harvesting, transporting and drying the rainforest's only sustainable crop, and of the people who make a living from it.
After dinner, you have the option of taking a night hike. Most of the jungle’s mammals are most active after dark, although they are difficult to find; frogs are easier to locate, owing to the remarkably loud sounds many species make!
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 9: Refugio Amazonas: Clay Lick & Canopy Tower
A short walk from Refugio Amazonas is a peccary clay lick. These wild rainforest pigs often show up in the late morning, in herds of five to twenty, to eat clay, which aids with their digestion. Even if the peccaries do not appear, it is still well worth the short hike as plenty of other wildlife, including deer, guan and parakeets, make use of the lick.
After lunch at the lodge, we make the thirty minute walk to the 25-meter scaffolding canopy tower, which offers wonderful panoramic views of the Tambopata River and National Reserve, as well as a bird’s-eye view of ... other birds, such as toucans, macaws and raptors! The tower is a great place to watch the sun setting over the jungle canopy, before we return to Refugio Amazonas for dinner.
There will be a presentation about Tambopata and its ecological issues after dinner, to put all you have seen into a wider context.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 10: Refugio Amazonas – Puerto Maldonado – Lima
After an early breakfast, we depart by boat back to the city of Puerto Maldonado, directly to the airport, in time for our flight back to Lima, via Cuzco.
Meals Included: Breakfast
END OF OUR SERVICES
Note: This tour can also be done with the Lares Trek or Salkantay Trek as an alternative to the Inca Trail for a surcharge of $US 150 or other currency equivalent.
| Accommodation |
Camping on Inca Trail Hotel in Cusco Jungle Lodge in the Amazon. |
| Inclusions |
Accommodation All sightseeing, Transfers: Airport, bus & train Breakfast in hotel; all meals in Amazon lodge and on trek (except lunch on last day) Entrances & permits Trek: Camping equipment (excluding sleeping bags), tour guide, cook, communal porters (for tents, food, cooking equipment etc) Domestic flights: Cusco - Puerto Maldonado - Cusco or Lima (Days 7 and 10) |
| Difficulty Rating | 4 (average fitness required) |
| Sustainability |
Renewable energy used at hotel Local foods used on tour Local English-speaking guides used (most University-educated) We also plant a tree on behalf of every customer who books with us in Peru and Bolivia Carbon Offsets not available for this tour |
| Single Surcharge | US $350 (or other currency equivalent) |
| Notes |
Porters can be hired to carry personal items at an extra charge. Sleeping bags can be hired in Cusco. Tour commences in Cusco, and ends in Cusco or Lima |
| Price dependent on: | Availability of entrance permits |
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