DAY 1 ARRIVAL.
Reception in the Lima airport and transfer to Carmel Hotel or similar .
Overnight (no meals)
DAY 2 LIMA CITY TOUR AND GOLD MUSEUM
In the morning, Lima city tour (half day). You will be picked up from your
hotel at 09 a.m. The city tour begins with a visit to the Plaza the Armas,
which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Running along two
sides are arcades with shops: Portal de Escribanos and Portal de Botoneros.
In the center of the Plaza is a bronze fountain dating back to 1560. Located
in the Plaza is the Cathedral, note the splendidly carved stalls, the silver
covered altars surrounded by fine woodwork, mosaic covered walls bearing the
coat of arms of Lima and Pizarro. Next to the Cathedral is the Archbishop's
Palace. Then you will visit the Monastery of San Francisco. This is famous
for the Sivillian tilework and paneled ceiling in the cloisters, the
catacombs under the church and part of the monastery are well worth seeing.
You will visit the old colonial streets in the center of the city, and the
modern Lima with the district of San Isidro and Miraflores. Then you will
visit the Peruvian Gold Museum; this excellent private collection includes
pre-Columbian gold, silver and bronze, ceramics, weavings, mummies, etc. The
second floor of this museum is a remarkable arms collections with an
impressive exhibition from Spanish colonial times. Overnight at Carmel Hotel
or similar. (B,L)
DAY 3 PARACAS
Early in the morning transfer to the bus station, at 7:30 am you willl take
the Royal Class motor coach (best available) to Paracas (3 hours 1/2). Upon
arrival transfer to Las Olas Hostal or similar, then excursion to Paracas of
about 2 h. 30 min. Paracas is one of the best marine reserves, with the
highest concentration of marine birds. In the afternoon return to the hotel
and overnight (B)
DAY 4 BALLESTAS ISLANDS
At 7:15am in the morning transfer to the mole where you will take a
motorboat excursion to the Ballestas island. This islands are spectacular,
eroded into numerous arches and caves, which provide shelter for thousands
of seabirds, some of which are very rare, and seas lions. The islands are
known as "The Galapagos of Peru", at the end private transfer to Nazca 82
hours aprox), during the route you will visit the Chauchilla cemetery, where
skulls, mummies and pottery shards littering the desert. Overnight at
Paredones Hostal or similar. (B)
DAY 5 NASCA LINES
You will be picked up from your hotel, transfer to the little airport where
you'll take the flight over the famous Nazca lines. Cut into the stony
desert are large number of lines, not only parallels and geometrical
figures, but also designs such as a dog, an enormous monkey, a bird with a
wing span of over 100 meters, a spider and a tree. The lines, that represent
some sort of vast astronomical pre-Inca calendar, are best seen from the air,
we will take a half hour flight above the Lines (included). At 1:30 pm we
will take the motor coach Royal class to Lima where we will arrive around
7:30 pm. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel .Overnight at Carmel Hotel or
similar. (B)
DAY 6 MEETING THE JUNGLE
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Pto Maldonado(airfare included).
Transfer from Puerto Maldonado airport to the river port on the Madre de
Dios River. A 25 minutes journey down the Madre de Dios River by motor canoe
brings you to the riverside trailhead to Sandoval Lake Lodge. From here the
trail takes you on a 2-miles (3,2-kilometers) walk through secondary forest,
until we reach a small canal where we board canoes and are paddled 220 yards
(201 meters) through a flooded forest of 100-foot (30-meters) tall Mauritia
palms. As the canal opens onto the shimmering surface of the lake, we
transfer to a catamaran and are leisurely paddled across half the lake to
the lodge. After lunch and a brief rest to avoid the early afternoon heat,
we will learn about the history of the lodge and the philosophy of its
founders. Then we once again board the catamaran and set off to explore the
entire west end of the lake. Here, in the flooded palm forest we drift to
the sounds of hundreds of Red-Bellied Macaws as they return to the palm
forest for the night. This macaw species is found locally in parts of the
Amazon, always living in flooded palm forests such as the beautiful palm
stand at Sandoval Lake. At 500-800 birds, this flock of macaws at Sandoval
Lake is currently the largest reported in the world for this highly-specialized
macaw. As night falls we will look for the large and extremely rare Black
Caimans. If it is a clear starlit night, we will also be able to float in
the middle of the lake to marvel at the brilliance of the sky and listen to
the sounds of the forest. We return to the lodge for a short video or slide
presentation and dinner. At any point, you could step out from the bar to
admire the wide variety of nocturnal moths, beetles and praying mantis
attracted to our black light in the lodge clearing. For those with lots of
energy, our guide will take us on a short night-walk into the forest behind
the lodge.(B,L,D)
DAY 7 SANDOVAL LAKE
A pre-dawn wake-up call will enable us to be on the lake for sunrise and a
hopeful encounter with the family of Giant Otters who frequent the lake and
are most active at this time of day. Sandoval Lake offers abundant wildlife
including over 40 species of birds resident to its lake margins, most of the
fish-eating water birds around the lake actively fish in the early morning
as well, and this outing should provide excellent views, of the prehistoric-
looking Hoatzins, These are easy to observe and also photograph from the
paddled canoes or catamarans. After returning for a late breakfast we set
off into the cool under story of the tall virgin forest near the lake to see
some towering wild Brazil Nut trees and a demonstration of how our hosts
collect, open and commercialize this important natural product. After lunch
and an hour or so to relax we once again board the catamaran to explore the
eastern part of the lake, where we might see one or more of the five species
of monkeys who live in the forest near the lake, such as the Brown Capuchin
Monkey and Squirrel Monkey. Before dinner we will again enjoy an informative
natural history video or slide presentation. We will leave after dinner to
try and spot some Black Caimans on the lake, or to go on a short night walk
through the primary forest. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 RAINFOREST
After a dawn breakfast, we will cross the lake by catamaran and take a short
walk into the interior of the Mauritia palm forest to stand beneath and
closely view the impressive morning congregations, this place has a very
interesting concentration of parrots, parakeets and large and small macaws
that can be observed using dead Mauritia palm trees, some of them are
resident nesters (Yellow headed Parrot, Mealy Parrot, Blue headed Parrot,
Scarlet Macaw, blue and Yellow Macaw, Red and Green Macaw, Chestnut fronted
Macaw, Dusky headed Parakeet, Red bellied Macaw, Cobalt winged Parakeet, Tui
Parakeet). Returning from the macaw show we will cross the lake to explore a
primary forest trail and admire the impressive ancient rainforest trees and
lianas with our knowledgeable resident naturalist guide. As we walk, the
forest will be brought to life as your guide explains the ecology of the
rain forest and its diverse flora and fauna. We return for lunch, and then
there is an optional rest for those who would like to escape the early
afternoon heat. For those still full of energy, there is an option to
independently explore some of the forest trails using our trail map. You
might stroll through our medicinal plant garden or watch hummingbirds
visiting the nectar feeders, or the tanagers visiting our fruit feeders. In
the cooler late afternoon we will once again board the catamaran to explore
the eastern end of the lake, and hopefully experience a spectacular sunset
over the lake before returning to the lodge for dinner. For some people, an
alternative afternoon activity would be to relax on benches inside the
forest perched above a clear running stream in which a variety of bathing
hummingbirds and forest birds visit. After dinner, there is a final chance
to look for Black Caiman on the lake, or to go on a short night hike through
the forest. (B,L,D)
DAY 9 CUSCO
After early breakfast we leave near dawn and we take a final, shorter paddle
around the west end of the lake to try and glimpse the Giant Otters before
returning by motor canoe for the 35 minutes return trip to the Puerto
Maldonado Airport, taking advantage of valuable early morning wildlife
activity along the river. From here you fly to Cusco (airfare included).
Upon arrival transfer to the Orquidea Real Hostal or similar. Overnight. (B)
Please note that the jungle program may vary slightly so as to maximize your
wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our researchers and
experienced naturalist guides based at the lodge.
DAY 10 CUSCO CITY TOUR
Morning at leisure. At 13:45 you leave on the Cusco City Tour. This tour
includes the major sites of historical interest in Cusco, such as the famous
Inca fort at Sacsahuaman, and the temple of the Sun. Also included in this
is a tourist card, giving you access to all the sites in the Cusco area as a
whole (i.e., including outside of the City itself) This tour finishes at
18:00. Overnight at Orquidea Real Hostal or similar. ( B )
DAY 11 SACRED VALLEY TOUR (TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SUNDAY) You will be
picked up at 8,45A.M. Full day excursion to the Urubamba Valley, visiting:
the village of Pisac, a picturesque town of creole and colonial aspect and
its lndian market and craftfair. Lunch provided. In the afternoon you'll
visit to the fortress of Ollantaytambo, an architectural group that in the
days of the Tahuantinsuyo empire was a gigantic agricultural, administrative,
social, religious and military complex, then the Chincero market. At the end
Return to Cusco and Overnight. (B,L)
DAY 12 MACHU PICCHU
At 5:30 a.m. you will be picked up from the hotel to the train station which
leaves at 06:00 a.m. Travel will be in a "Vistadome" Class (formerly "Autowagon"),
the best there is. At 09:40 a.m. you will arrive at the Aguas Calientes
Station, from where you will take a 25 minute bus ride to the ruins of Machu
Picchu. Once there, you will take a guided tour, with an English speaking
guide. Lunch is included at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge (close to the ruins).
Overnight at the Presidente Hostal or similar in Aguas Calientes (Machu
Picchu). (B,L)
DAY 13 MACHU PICCHU
Morning at leisure in Aguas Calientes to continue visiting the area, the
local hot springs (bring with you a bathing suit) or optional visit to Machu
Picchu (bus ticket and entrance fees not included). At 3:30 pm we will take
the Vistadome train back to Cusco, arriving at 7:30 pm. We will stay
overnight at Orquidea Real Hostal or similar. (B)
DAY 14 PUNO - CHULLPAS OF SILLUSTANI
Transfer to the airport. Upon arrival transfer to Qelqatani Hotel (or
similar) located in Puno. On route you will stop to visit the chullpas of
sillustani.
CHULLPAS OF SILLUSTANI
Near Puno are the Chullpas (pre-Colombian funeral towers) of Sillustani. The
scenery is desert but impressive, in a beautiful setting on a peninsula on
lake Ayumara about 32 Km. from Puno. Most of the towers date from the period
of Inca occupation in the 15th century, the engineering involved in their
construction is more complex than anything the Incas built. Lodging at
Qelqatani Hotel or similar. (B)
DAY 15 UROS AND TAQUILE ISLANDS
You will be picked up from your hotel at 6:40 a.m. aprox., after a 2 hour motorboat
ride, you will arrive at the Uros island in the Titikaka lake. Fishermen and
hunters inhabit the floating islands of the Uros. The residents of the Uros
use the cattail, a type of rush, which grows in the lake, to create the
conditions that ensure the islands stay afloat. The dense roots that the
plants develop support the island. The roofs are waterproof and the houses
are extremely humid because of the surrounding water. At present, they speak
Quechua and Aymara. Then we will visit the Taquile island, where we will
have lunch in the cooperative restaurant. There is also a cooperative shop
on the plaza that sells exceptional wool goods which are of very fine
quality and somewhat expensive. Taquile Island is famous for its craft
production, particularly for its beautiful textiles. The island is narrow at
about 1 Km. wide and 6 to 7 Km. long. The visit could be exhausting because
of the 533 steps on the stone stairway to climb to get to the village and
because of the altitude (13,000 ft above sea level). On Taquile there are
numerous pre-Inca and Inca ruins as well as Inca terracing. We will return
in Puno in the afternoon, overnight at the Qelqatani Hotel or similar .
(B,L)
DAY 16 PUNO - LIMA
Morning at leisure in Puno. In the afternoon transfer to the airport to take
the flight to Lima (airfare include).(B)
END OF OUR SERVICES |
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Lima Plaza de Armas
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Cusco &
Machupicchu 
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