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Departures:
Weekly. Itineraries are flexible.
Day 1 Thursday
- Arrival in Lima
Upon arrival at the airport a host will meet and assist you
in transferring to the hotel and help you in registering.
Day
2 Friday Lima / Iquitos
Breakfast at your hotel. In the afternoon City Tour of Lima
and Larco Museum - This half day tour visits both the colonial
and modern sections of this "City of Kings." Colonial sites include
the lovely Plaza de Armas with its cathedral and palace, and the
exquisite Torre Tagle Palace modern day seat of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. In modern Lima, drive along the exclusive residential
areas of Miraflores and San Isidro. Continue to the Larco Museum,
founded in 1926, it showcases remarkable chronological galleries
providing an excellent overview on 3000 years of development of
Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Located in a unique vice-royal
mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th century pre-Columbian
pyramid, is surrounded by beautiful gardens. Features the finest
gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and the famous erotic
archaeological collection, one of the most visited Peruvian tourist
attractions. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Iquitos.
Upon arrival at the airport a host will meet and assist you in
transferring to the hotel and help you in registering. (B)
Day
3 Saturday Iquitos / Ceiba Tops
Breakfast at your hotel. Brief
city orientation and transfer to the Explorama dock. Twenty-five
mile journey down the Amazon River to Ceiba Tops, where rooms
with air conditioning and private bathrooms provide the comforts
of home in the rainforest. Afternoon hike in the beautiful primary
rainforest reserve surrounding the lodge which includes many huge
trees festooned with epiphytes. After dinner there may be local
flute or guitar music at the El Toucan Bar or the guides are always
ready to relate some of the many legends of the Amazon forest.
Overnight Ceiba Tops.
(B,L,D)
Day
4 Sunday Ceiba Tops
Breakfast
at your lodge. Morning boat ride, spotting for dolphins, to visit
a small village of Yagua Indians where your guide will explain
the local Yagua Indian culture and how it was affected by the
arrival of Europeans and the passing of time. There will also
be an opportunity to see some of the local crafts and for a demonstration
of the blowgun which some of the Yagua elders still use for hunting.
Afternoon walking excursion to the neighboring town of Indiana.
Originally a Franciscan mission, Indiana has grown into a large
river community with its own market, high school and small hospital.
Overnight Ceiba Tops. (B,L,D)
Day
5 Monday Ceiba Tops / Iquitos / Lima / Arequipa
Breakfast
at your lodge. Your choice of morning walking or boating excursion
to further enjoy the rainforest and Amazon River. Afternoon transfer
to Iquitos for your flight to Lima
and then take your connecting flight to Arequipa. Upon arrival
at the airport a host will meet and assist you in transferring
to the hotel and help you in registering. (B)
Day
6 Tuesday Arequipa
Breakfast at your hotel. City Tour and Santa Catalina Convent
- Your half day sightseeing of this beautiful city, placed on
the World Cultural Heritage list by UNESCO, features Mixed Baroque
churches and mansions from the Colonial Period like the Monastery
of Santa Catalina, called "a city within a city", a Spanish city
in miniature with stone streets, beautiful patios, and plaza.
It is a masterpiece of colonial architecture, and houses some
of the finest examples of Spanish American religious art. Since
1970 visitors have been able to stroll through the streets and
cloisters that during colonial times were the refuge of female
nobility who had decided to shut themselves away from the world
and dedicate entirely to prayer. (B)
Day
7 Wednesday Arequipa / Colca Canyon
Breakfast at your hotel. Early departure towards the highlands
passing through Yura-Pampa Caρahuas and La Pulpera with good possibility
of observing groups of wild vicuρas and fighting cattle. Stop
en route to see petrogliphs in the Caves of Mollepunco and in
the town of Callali to see natural hill formations with the appearance
of enchanted castles. Continue to La Calera to enjoy the thermal
baths under the stars. (B,L,D)
Day
8 Thursday Colca Canyon / Puno
Breakfast at your hotel. To maximize your probability of seeing
condors we depart very early towards the "Cross of the Condor"
at about an altitude of 15,000 feet, which grants visitors spectacular
views of condors wheeling across the Colca Canyon, the world's
deepest. Drive a little further in to the canyon to see some pre-Inca
ruins, pre-Inca burial grounds, to watch the way of life in this
remote land and to admire the impressive irrigation system and
the fertile mountains terraced for farming of the Colca valley.
The afternoon ride to Puno features unique natural scenery of
the Peruvian Highlands. (B,L)
Day
9 Friday Puno
Breakfast at your hotel. Visit to the Uros Indian and Taquile
Island at Lake Titikaka - This full day excursion will take you
to the highest navigable lake in the world, to visit the floating
islands of the Uros Indians, considered themselves Lords of the
Lake, and they were convinced they had black blood because they
did not feel the cold of the lake and the winter. Continuing to
Taquile where a native community of about 400 families still lives
with the traditions of the XIV century that respect the principals
of an Incan way life. Taquile is a very important site on Lake
Titikaka for its a archeological remains, the sacred and ceremonial
sites, the festive activities, their rituals and for the daily
life of the inhabitants which is dedicated to farming, textile
production and fishing. (B,L)
Day
10 Saturday Puno / Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Bus journey through the Peruvian Andes
from Puno - Today one of South America's most extraordinary overland
trips takes you by bus to Cusco passing through striking highland
scenery and picturesque Andean villages. Upon your arrival in
Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, a host will meet
and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you to register.
(B,L)
Day
11 Sunday Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Tour of Cusco and its Ruins - This afternoon's
tour of the oldest continuously inhabited city in the western
hemisphere includes important landmarks of enchanting Cusco and
also the nearby ruins of Kenko, Puca-pucara, Tambomachay as well
as the Sacsayhuaman fortress. Once the center of the Inca civilization,
modern Cusco is a delightful combination of Inca and colonial
architecture. During the tour, you will visit Cusco's Cathedral,
Santo Domingo Church and the Plaza de Armas. (B)
Day
12 Monday Cusco / Sacred Valley
Breakfast at your hotel. Salt Pools and Quechua Village. Morning
excursion to the impressive salt pools formed by water emerging
from a lake inside a mountain in the Urubamba Valley. Continue
your excursion and visit an authentic Quechua Village to feel
the way of life of the Inca's ancestors. The Inca himself was
a noble Quechua. They live off the land and are always wearing
their colorful ponchos, see Quechua children scamper about while
woman are weaving their family's clothes. A meaningful experience!
(B,L).
Day
13 Tuesday Sacred Valley
Breakfast at your hotel. Full Day Excursion to the Pisac Indian
Market and the Ollantaytambo Fortress (Daily) -Morning departure
for a drive through the fertile countryside to the colonial village
of Pisac. During your visit to the bustling marketplace you will
have the opportunity to bargain with the natives for many different
types of Peruvian handicrafts and jewelry. After lunch the tour
continues to the village of Ollantaytambo for a visit to its impressive
Inca fortress.(BL)
Day
14 Wednesday Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu
Breakfast at your hotel. Excursion to Machu Picchu with overnight
stay - Early wake up for a train ride through the sacred valley
of Urubamba to the "Lost City of the Incas," Machu Picchu. Perched
8,200 feet above the valley, it was hidden by mountains and semi-tropical
jungles for 400 years until discovered by Hiram Bingham of Yale
University in 1911. Archaeologists believe that the Inca "Virgins
of the Sun" took refuge from the Spanish Conquistadors here. Guided
tour of the ruins and lunch are included. (B,L).
Day
15 Thursday Machu Picchu / Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Free morning to enjoy one of the most
incredible sights on earth, the ruins of Machu Picchu. Take as
much time as you need to study the mysterious ruins, hike Huayna
Picchu, stroll to the Inca Bridge or walk toward the Inca Trail
to find the legendary Sun Gate. Afternoon shuttle bus to the train
station for your return trip to Cusco. Upon arrival transfer from
rail station to hotel. (B)
Day
16 Friday Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Free day in Cusco for independent activities
- Wandering through this lovely city, exploring the astonishing
narrow streets of this tile roof colonial town will be your unforgettable
experience. Great buys are the traditional Peruvian handicrafts,
alpaca-wool sweaters and rugs, ponchos, pottery, gold and silver
jewelry, leather goods, etc. Because there is such a variety of
products, we strongly suggest that when you like any particular
item, you should buy it - you may not find the same item in other
store. (B)
Day
17 Saturday Cusco / Lima / Home
Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer from hotel to the airport for
your flight to Lima and then take your connecting flight to home.
(B)
*** END OF OUR
SERVICES ***
Departures:
Weekly. Itineraries are flexible.
Tour Includes: Please
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Hotels to use: Please
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Useful Information: Please
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