The Inca Empire and Rainforest
Embarking on an unforgettable 8-day journey through Peru, you will uncover the country’s most cherished treasures. From the bustling metropolis of Lima to the historical heart of Cusco, the enigmatic allure of Machu Picchu, and the pristine wilderness of Tambopata National Park, this adventure promises a deep and immersive experience of Peru’s multifaceted charm.
Peru, a land of incredible landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and ancient mysteries, beckons travelers to explore its diverse wonders. In just over a week, you will traverse the country, immersing yourself in the dynamic energy of Lima, the historical gems of Cusco, the mesmerizing enigma of Machu Picchu, and the untouched beauty of Tambopata National Park. This journey will take you through a tapestry of experiences, each one unveiling a different aspect of Peru’s unique allure.
As your plane touches down in Lima, the enchantment begins. The “City of Kings” welcomes you with its blend of colonial charm and modern vibrancy. Stroll through the historic center, discovering the grandeur of the Plaza Mayor, the magnificence of Lima Cathedral, and the mystique of the San Francisco Convent.
Your next stop, Cusco, was once the capital of the Inca Empire. This city in the Andes is a living testament to history, where cobblestone streets and Inca walls echo the past. Your journey allows you to acclimatize to the altitude as you explore the city’s unique blend of Inca and colonial architecture.
Cusco’s surroundings are equally captivating. The Sacsayhuaman fortress and the sacred Qenqo site reveal the deep spiritual and architectural connections of the Inca. Your journey continues through the Sacred Valley, a place of natural beauty and historical significance. Here, you will explore the bustling market of Pisac and the living Inca town of Ollantaytambo.
Machu Picchu, the pinnacle of your adventure, awaits. A train ride through breathtaking scenery leads you to Aguas Calientes, your gateway to the “Lost City of the Incas.” Stepping into the ruins of Machu Picchu, you will be transported to a time of Inca splendor, surrounded by the beauty of stone terraces and temples.
An extra day at Machu Picchu offers deeper insight into its mysteries. Hike to the Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, or explore the serene ruins of Wiñay Wayna to uncover the many layers of this ancient wonder.
Leaving the Andes, you will venture into the Amazon Rainforest. A short flight takes you to Puerto Maldonado, the entryway to Tambopata National Park. Your Amazonian journey begins with a boat ride along the Tambopata River, where the symphony of the jungle will serenade you to your jungle lodge.
Tambopata National Park is a place of unparalleled biodiversity, and your final day in Peru takes you into the heart of this lush wilderness. As you explore the jungle trails and encounter captivating wildlife, you will gain insight into the unique ecosystems of the Amazon.
This 8-day odyssey is your gateway to experiencing the diverse soul of Peru. From the urban energy of Lima to the ancient allure of Cusco, the mystery of Machu Picchu, and the unspoiled beauty of Tambopata, each destination unfolds a new chapter in the story of this extraordinary country. Peru, with its rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and welcoming people, is a place where every traveler becomes part of the narrative, creating memories that will last a lifetime.
**All our programs can be modified according to your requirements on duration, interests, activities, flight reservations or other additional destinations.**
Upon your arrival at the international airport of the city of Lima our staff will be waiting to greet you and transfer you to your hotel. Here you will receive a briefing of the tour contracted, you will be given the vouchers.
Meals: None
On arrival, you will be assisted and transferred to your hotel. We suggest resting the rest of the morning to acclimatize to the altitude.
In the afternoon, we will get to know Cusco city on a guided tour, visiting the Main Square, the Cathedral and the Temple of the Sun or Korikancha. The tour continues outside the city to visit the Kenko, Tambomachay and Puca Pucara archaeological complexes and the impressive Sacsayhuaman Fortress which was strategically built on a hill dominating Cusco. It is famous for its huge carved stones, put together with amazing precision to form the external walls of the complex. Some of these stones are over 9 meters high and weight more than 350 tons.
Meals: Breakfast
Tour to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, on the Vilcanota River where you will be able to see the typical Indian market and experience its people´s customs. (On Sundays, the mass is celebrated in Quechua the native language)
Lunch in a valley’s local restaurant.
In the afternoon stop by Calca and Urubamba on our way to the Ollantaytambo fortress and citadel, built to guard the entrances to this part of the valley and protect it from possible invasions from the rainforest´s inhabitants. It is formed by a series of overlapping terraces. We will have the chance to walk through the towns’ streets so we can have a clear idea of how this military, religious and agricultural strategic center was during the Inca Empire.
Overnight stay in the Sacred Valley.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Visitors will be transferred to the train station early in the morning, to start their trip to the Machu Picchu citadel, also known as “The Lost City of the Incas”. They will get off the train at the Aguas Calientes station to take a bus that will take them to the wonderful citadel in a 30-minute-long trip through a zigzagging road. Once there, we will have a guided tour over the citadel, visiting the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Sundial, the Royal Chambers, the Temple of the Three Windows and the cemeteries. Lunch in a restaurant in Aguas Calientes. In the afternoon, they will return to Cusco to be taken to their hotels.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Transfer to the Cusco airport after breakfast, destination: Puerto Maldonado. At your arrival Reception at the airport with transfer to our office, which is located in the center of Puerto Maldonado. Any luggage that you do not require during your stay in the rainforest can be safely kept in our storage room. This is to facilitate the transport by boat to the lodge.
We will embark for our lodge traveling on the river-vessel “Puerto de Capitanía”. It is 40 minutes of navigation on the Madre de Dios River.
After arrival at the facilities of the Lodge Corto Maltes Amazonía you will be received with refreshments made from seasonal fruits. Later, your guide will give you the necessary information for your stay and hand over the keys to your bungalow and security safe, followed by the lunch and some time to rest until the first excursion.
Trek and visit the Shiringuero Camp: 3:30 pm. Depart for your first contact with the jungle.
You will be accompanied by your guide, who will show you the tropical trees, medicinal plants and other aspects of the exuberant nature among the 60 hectares of Brazil nut concession that Corto Maltés Amazonia stewards.
Visit a shiringuero encampment, which is another one of the most important economic activities in the Madre de Dios region. This is a reproduction of a real camp, in which you can see the process of collecting rubber (better known as latex), and see how it is used for many products. The time for this trek is 2 hours.
Free Time: Back at the Lodge you can relax by the pool or in the hammocks on the terrace of your bungalow, savor an exotic cocktail at the bar, enjoy a relaxing massage by our qualified staff, visit our shop for a handcrafted souvenir of the rainforest or head to the riverside to view
the breathtaking sunset.
Caiman safari: 7:00 pm. Before dinner, we will leave for a nocturnal boat trip to observe caimans and, with a bit of luck, other animals which populate the riverbank at night.
Meals: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner
Wake up at 5:30 am for some coffee or tea before leaving for Lake Sandoval. Your guide will hand out a bagged breakfast and snack for the excursion.
6:00 am: After roughly 20 minutes of travel on the river Madre de Dios, we arrive at the landing stage of Lake Sandoval. During a 3 km hike through the wild vegetation, we will enter the territory of Tambopata National Reserve, where you will have the chance to admire giant trees, different snakes, monkeys (squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys and capuchin monkeys) and various birds (notably the Hoatzin – also known as the stink bird-, kingfishers and snakebirds).
Once on Lake Sandoval, we will embark in small rowboats in search of giant river otters. We will also have the possibility to spot a good number of other reptiles, mammals and birds in their natural habitat. When the guide finds an opportune spot where you can continue to observe the nature, we will eat breakfast. For the return trip, make sure you have gathered your belongings and we will row back to the pier.
1:30pm. Return to the Lodge for lunch.
Visit to the Lookout tower and a Brazil nut harvesting camp: 3:30 pm. We will visit of one of the two lookout towers of Corto Maltès Amazonía, with a height of 20 and 42 meters and designed for bird watching and the viewing of other types of animals living at this altitude in the canopy. In addition, you will enjoy an incredible view of the sunset. (The guide will consult with the guests on their preferences and adapt this excursion accordingly.)
There will also be a visit to a Brazil nut camp, where harvesters stay for the duration of the season. The Brazil nut (also known as castaña, as it is known locally) is one of the most important economic activities in the Madre de Dios region.
Free time: You will then have some free time to enjoy the pool or a massage, get refreshed at the bar or visit our souvenir shop. Dinner
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
8:00am. Breakfast
9:00am. After a 20-minute boat trip down-river, we will arrive at a chacra, which is a farm owned by a local family. Here we will recognize and even taste different seasonal tropical fruits as well as other native products (cacao, banana, cocona, bread-fruit, noni, yucca, lime…)
This place belongs to a typical rural family who maintain with care and without chemicals some native plants that grow naturally. They sell their products in the main markets of Puerto Maldonado for consumption. Once finished the visit we will return to take the boat, and after about 20 minutes we will arrive at the land of a native Machiguenga family.
Native Machiguenga Family: 12:00pm. The Machiguenga are one of the many ethnic groups that exist in the Peruvian Amazon. A family of native Machiguenga will receive us for a visit.
They will show us the cultural value of their ancestors, as well as language and customs, including traditional clothes, hunting gear, handicrafts and the music they play during ayahuasca ceremonies. They will teach us how to take advantage of natural products to make tools, and what they use to make their houses, dresses and ornaments, each important for their daily life.
We will share lunch with the Machiguenga family in a typical construction and enjoy an indigenous dish from the jungle.
Free time: 2:00pm. Return to the lodge to relax and have free time to visit the boutique, refresh in the pool, have a cocktail in the bar or have a relaxing massage. Dinner
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Clay Lick: Wake up at 5:30 am for some coffee or tea before leaving for a 20-minute walk to the clay lick, where you will have the possibility to observe 3 to 5 types of parrots.
The parrots come to the clay lick to ingest a particular kind of clay, only found in certain areas of this region. The clay is vital for the metabolic regulation of the birds, and therefore is host to a colourful and veritably delightful and exciting event.
Breakfast and free time: 8:00 am.
Visit of the local city market: After breakfast, we will return to the city of Puerto Maldonado by boat.
One of our vehicles will receive you at the port. After a short stop at our office, we will drive to the local market where the local population supplies itself with foods and other products. During a short visit of around 20-minutes, you will be able to appreciate the different typical products of the area.
We will then head to the airport to check-in for your respective flights.
Meals: Breakfast
Important Note: The programs may vary to maximize the chances to watch the fauna according to the weather conditions and to our shelter-based researchers and specialized guides’ reports.
| Destination | Tourist | Superior tourist | Superior | Deluxe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lima |
Ferré de Ville |
Mariel |
||
|
Cusco |
Antawasi |
Casona Plaza Cusco |
||
|
Sacred Valley of the Incas |
Lilium Valley |
Doña Catta |
||
|
Tambopata National Park |
Corto Maltés Lodge |
Corto Maltés Lodge |
||
| Price per person: USD | 1246 | 1297 | 0 | 0 |
| Lima | Ferré de Ville |
| Cusco | Antawasi |
| Sacred Valley of the Incas | Lilium Valley |
| Tambopata National Park | Corto Maltés Lodge |
| Price per person: USD | 1246 |
|---|
| Lima | Mariel |
| Cusco | Casona Plaza Cusco |
| Sacred Valley of the Incas | Doña Catta |
| Tambopata National Park | Corto Maltés Lodge |
| Price per person: USD | 1297 |
|---|
| Lima | |
| Cusco | |
| Sacred Valley of the Incas | |
| Tambopata National Park | |
| Price per person: USD | 0 |
|---|
| Lima | |
| Cusco | |
| Sacred Valley of the Incas | |
| Tambopata National Park | |
| Price per person: USD | 0 |
|---|
Prices per person in US Dollars, based on double occupancy.
INCLUDES:
In Cusco: City tour and nearby ruins
In the Sacred Valley of the Incas: Tour in Pisac and Ollantaytambo
In Machu Picchu: Guided visit to the citadel of Machu Picchu
In Puerto Maldonado: Excursion 4 days / 3 nights, all inclusive
NOT INCLUDED:
PRICES
All rates are expressed in US dollars, per person, based on double occupancy and are subject to change without notice.
ITINERARY
All our itineraries have been very carefully prepared taking your trip’s best operation into account. However, changing the order of some tours or routes might be necessary in some cases. Although these changes occur in few instances, the itinerary details should be taken as a basic guide.
AIR TICKETS
If Colourful Peru oversees buying and issuing local-flight tickets, their prices may vary until the date of the flight’s booking and payment. Furthermore, the airline might change the flight number as well as its departure hour.
Once the flight reservation and payment are made, the latter will not be reimbursable. Changes regarding name, flight, route, trip’s date or cancellations are not allowed.
Hotel reservations that are not part of an organized trip
Cancellations and Reimbursements
Booked trips
Cancellations and Reimbursements
(*) Note: some suppliers consider stricter cancellation conditions, consequently, they reserve the right to charge additional fees for other penalties in such cases.
Regarding the Inca Trail: the reserve is subject to its payment and there will not be reimbursements in case of cancellations, moreover, neither name nor date changes are allowed.
During peak season, the company reserves the right to change the cancellation regulations in case the suppliers apply other penalties or make the aforementioned changes.
LIABILITY
Live Corporation carries out your trip’s arrangements, books transfer services, hotel rooms or other travel services required on your behalf, consequently, the company takes no responsibility for the loss of items, flight or tours delays due to events of force majeure, accidents or other events.
Important!
Live Corporation disclaims any liability for medical conditions, pregnancy, mental or physical limitations that might put at risk the health or integrity of the passenger or third parties during the operation of the booked tours or that might jeopardize the trip’s progress. Therefore, the company will not be obliged to any refunds or to address claims regarding the aforementioned reasons, even when there are not noticeable problems in normal circumstances.
Given this, it is important for the passengers to inform the company whether there is any of the aforementioned impediments, so we can offer and suggest suitable services according to the existing limitations.
CLIMATE
The climate in Peru can be divided by zones: the western Andes that has a dry and cold climate in winter and its very rainy during the summer. The rainforest that has a hot, wet and rainy climate and the desert coast with a warm climate without regular rainfall.
Cusco has a mild climate with temperatures that go from 14 ºC to 16ºC with warm days and cold nights. The rainy season is from December to March.
Machu Picchu has a semi-tropical climate with warm days and cold nights. The rainy season is from November to April.
Tambopata has a warm and rainy climate throughout the year. The temperature can decrease in June and July because of the “friaje” (cold wave) due to the southern winds.
The weather doesn’t hold the trip back in general, except when the “El Niño” phenomenon is very aggressive.
TIME ZONE
Peru Time Zone according to Greenwich Mean Time is -5 (GMT -5), same as Bogotá and Mexico throughout the year and same as New York during summer. When it is midday in Peru the hour in the most important cities is:
| São Paulo | 14:00 |
| Frankfurt | 19:00 |
| Nueva York | 13:00 |
| Londres | 18:00 |
| Hong Kong | 01:00 + 1day |
| Singapur | 01:00 + 1day |
ALTITUDE
In Lima: 0 meters above sea level
In Cusco: 3,360 meters above sea level
In Machu Picchu: 2,400 meters above sea level
In the Sacred Valley: 2,850 meters above sea level
In Tambopata: 300 meters above sea level
WE RECOMMEND
HEALTH
The Peruvian Andes are at high altitudes, so it is necessary to take precautions to avoid altitude sickness or “soroche”. It is important to rest a few hours, to walk slowly and to eat light before beginning any tour. We also recommend drinking coca tea that helps with acclimatization. Even though water is potable in most cities, it is advisable to drink bottled water to avoid any problems.
VISA
To know if you need a visa to enter Peru, please go to the closest consulate since the requirement may vary at any moment. For more information, please go to:
Visa types to enter Peru
LANGUAGE
Peru’s official language is Spanish, which is spoken by 80% of the population. However, there is a large portion of the population that speaks Quechua and Aymara (especially in the Peruvian Andes). Moreover, we can find 55 dialects in the Amazonian rainforest.
ELECTRICAL CURRENT
Electricity in Peru is 220 Volts and 60 Hertz. In some hotels, you may find dual voltage outlets, however, we suggest checking your appliances’ voltage and take precautions by having a power adapter or converter.
PERUVIAN GASTRONOMY
During the last years, the Peruvian gastronomy has become famous because of its variety and exquisiteness. Among the most known dishes you can find the ceviche, a dish made of fish and seafood marinated in lemon juice.
There is a new gastronomy trend in Cusco called “novoandina”. The novoandina cuisine is based on the creation of new dishes using local ingredients such as quinoa, quiwicha, potato, alpaca and trout. This way, we have dishes such as alpaca tenderloin with “quinotto” (risotto made of quinoa instead of rice) or grilled trout with sautéed vegetables and native potatoes.
Restaurants during your trip:
Cusco: international, local and vegetarian food restaurants.
Aguas Calientes: international and local food restaurants.
Tambopata: all meals will be provided by the lodge.
IMPORTANT
Colourful Peru reserves the right to make any changes without prior notice due to weather conditions, river levels, transport departures or arrivals, etc., to assure a better development of your trip’s operation.
FOR THE RAINFOREST:
Yellow Fever Vaccine
We recommend receiving the yellow fever vaccine at least 10 days before your arrival to the rainforest. It is a must to have the vaccination certificate during your trip.
ABOUT TAMBOPATA
Tambopata is located in the lower rainforest above the Ecuador’s south. It has a dry and cold climate during winter (from May to October), which is the best time of the year to go. During the day, the temperature is between 25 ºC and 31ºC and during the night it is between 16ºC and 22ºC.
In the winter, the temperatures descend to 9°C in the day and 5°C at night due to the friaje (cold wave) that comes from Argentina, so we suggest being ready for cold temperatures and light drizzles. The rainy season is from November to April. Heavy rains might last hours or even days.
IMPORTANT:
We ask the visitors to carry hand-luggage that doesn’t exceed 15 kilos (32 pounds) since it will be carried by hand from the boats to their room.
The Inca Empire and Rainforest
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