A 10-Day Exploration of Amazon & Machu Picchu
Eco-Adventure in Peru: A 10-Day Exploration of Amazon & Machu Picchu
Embark on a remarkable 10-day eco-adventure through Peru, combining the untamed beauty of the Amazon with the ancient splendor of Machu Picchu. Begin in Lima, experiencing its rich culinary delights and historic streets. Fly to Iquitos for a riveting stay at an Amazon River Lodge, where the symphony of the rainforest and unique wildlife encounters await. Engage with native communities, gaining insights into their traditional ways of life. Return to Lima briefly before heading to Cusco, where Incan history comes alive. Traverse the Sacred Valley, marveling at Pisac and Ollantaytambo. The pinnacle of your journey is the awe-inspiring Machu Picchu, a symbol of ancient Incan ingenuity. This small-group tour emphasizes sustainable tourism, offering a safe, authentic, and purposeful journey, connecting you to the heart of Peruvian culture and nature.
Highlights
- Lima’s Gastronomic Treasures: Savor Lima’s culinary delights and explore its colonial heritage.
- Amazon River Adventure: Immerse in the vibrant ecosystem of the Amazon Rainforest.
- Cultural Immersion in Iquitos: Engage with local communities along the Amazon River.
- Incan Wonders in the Sacred Valley: Discover the ancient ruins of Pisac and Ollantaytambo.
- Machu Picchu’s Majesty: Experience the breathtaking Machu Picchu, a testament to Incan civilization.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
- Day 1: Arrival in Lima – Start of Your Peruvian Eco-Adventure
- Day 2: Lima’s Flavors and Sights – Gastronomic and Walking Tour
- Day 3: To the Amazon – Fly to Iquitos, Transfer to Amazon Lodge
- Day 4: Amazon River Exploration – Wildlife Excursions and Rainforest Beauty
- Day 5: Amazonian Community Experience – Native Life Along the River
- Day 6: Return to Lima – From Jungle to City
- Day 7: Cusco’s Colors – Cultural Immersion in Inca’s Capital
- Day 8: Sacred Valley Discovery – Exploring Pisac & Ollantaytambo
- Day 9: Machu Picchu Unveiled – Journey to the Ancient Citadel
- Day 10: Farewell Peru – Departure from Cusco, International Flight Home
Prices for this Peru Trip
Hotel Category | Double or Triple room | Single room Additional cost |
---|---|---|
Budget | US$ 1720 | US$ 502 |
Tourist | US$ 1810 | US$ 526 |
Superior Tourist | US$ 1986 | US$ 646 |
* Minimum 2 passengers to confirm the booking; solo traveler is subject to an additional fee.
* Small group min 2, max 12 — group tour; join other travelers at each destination (If you want a private tour just for you, ask your travel agent).
Includes and excludes
Included
- Accommodation: 6 nights in Lima, Cusco, and Aguas Calientes Hotel and three nights at Amazon Lodge, with breakfast
- The itinerary includes all admission costs (Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Iquitos Amazon).
- English-speaking local guides lead the tours.
- All transfers: airport, train station, bus station transfers, Hotel pickup, and drop-offs.
- Train ticket: Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes – Cusco (Expedition Class).
- Meals: According mentioned in the itinerary (vegetarian or special diets are available).
- All ground transportation.
- 24-hour support by our local staff.
Not Included
- The price does not cover domestic or international flights. Consult a travel agency if necessary.
- VISA procedures, travel insurance, pre, and post-tour accommodation.
- Additional personal costs (alcoholic beverages, laundry).
- The price does not cover gratuities for tour guides, drivers, and support staff.
- Guidance in another language (Germany, French, others), in case you request them, please ask your travel agent.
- Additional items are not included explicitly in the itinerary description.
- Entrance fee to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain.
Trip code: IMP10D01-SIC
Day 1 – International Arrival in Lima
- Lima Airport Transfer: Arrive in Lima at any time. Our representative will be waiting at Lima airport with a customized sign with the client’s name.
- Upon arrival in Lima, assistance at the airport and transfer to the lodging.
- No scheduled activities exist, so check into lodging and restore the energy.
- Overnight at the Hotel in Lima.
- Meals included: None.
Day 2 – Lima Gastronomic and Walking Tour
- Hotel breakfast; pick up from the hotel at 09:00. This culinary adventure will begin with a visit to the local market. Smell, taste, and experience the infinite variety of textures, colors, aromas, and flavors.
- Then, we take clients to our cooking studio, where we have “hands-on” learning more about Peruvian cuisine and prepare delicious local dishes. Make an authentic Peruvian dish to tantalize tastebuds and later enjoy achievements.
- Have to choose four options; FISH, “Sudado de Pescado” steamed fish (Main Course), or the Peruvian National dish called “Ceviche.” CHICKEN; “Aji de Pollo” in English chili chicken (Main Course) or “Papas a la Huancaina.” MEAT; “Lomo saltado” (Main Course) or “Causa Limeña”.
- Vegetarian option; “Pimento Relleno” (Main Course) and “Solterito”.
- In the end, we will enjoy the lunch prepared by ourselves.
- At 14:00, pick up and transfer to Lima historical center. We will take a fascinating walking tour. We will show our clients the palaces, castles, magnificent Saint Francisco Monastery, and spectacular subterranean Catacombs throughout our city.
- We visit the main square, the Archbishop’s Palace, the Municipal Palace, the train station Palace, the unique old-fashioned “Cordano Bar,” colorful mansion palaces, the Jiron del Union Pathway, the Post Office Palace, the Dominicans Tower, and the Historical Rimac Bridge, as well as the lovely surrounded wooden Balconies.
- The historical center is considered a World Heritage protected by UNESCO.
- The tour will end around 18:00.
- Overnight at the Hotel in Lima.
- Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 3 – Flight to Iquitos and transfer to Amazon River Lodge
- Hotel breakfast; at 07:00, pick up from the hotel and transfer to the airport for flight to Iquitos city. Our staff will meet, assist, and transfer to our office in Iquitos town proper.
- A briefing about our services and some essential tips to stay comfortable in the jungle.
- After arrival at the Iquitos port, board one of our speedboats for a journey down the Amazon River to the Heliconia lodge.
- Observe the distinct confluence of the Amazon River’s muddy brown waters with the black waters of the Nanay River throughout the boat journey. Take in the breathtaking forest scenery juxtaposed with the teeny-tiny rustic dwellings of riverfront communities.
- Visit Monkey Island (dry season, visit Fundo Pedrito), a family-run social business dedicated to preserving and safeguarding Northern Amazon’s endangered monkey species. See the monkeys free in this reserve, not in cages.
- After a 60-minute boat ride, arrive at the lodge and welcome with an exotic jungle drink. Then check in and settle in the room. Afterward, taste the first Amazonia cuisine lunch.
- In the afternoon, go on the first excursion: a jungle trek into the Yanamono central rainforest reserve, guided by our trained guides for around two hours. They will recognize various floral species, including heliconia blooms, medicinal plants, and enormous trees. See a variety of bird species, including the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes Aura) and the Black Fronted Nanbird (Monasa-Atia). With any luck, see a family of tiny monkeys, including marmosets (Saguinus fusicollis), Titis (Callicebus Mollock Mollock), and Squirrel monkeys.
- Overnight at Amazon Lodge.
- Meals included: Breakfast, Box Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 4 – Excursions on the Amazon River
- Bird Watching, very early, goes by boat to one of the several streams to look out for a wide variety of Amazon birds. We are looking out for birds such as the Tuki (Jacana Jacana), Ringed Kingfisher (Ceryle torquata), and Black-collared Hawk (Busarellus nigricollis), among others. After that, return to the lodge for a scrumptious and energizing breakfast.
- Following breakfast, visit a riverside village to learn about and see the Yaguas community’s way of life along the Amazon River. View their residences, schools, churches, and businesses. Interact with the locals; learn their fishing and agricultural practices. Observe their rituals and traditions. Return to the lodge for lunch.
- In the afternoon, a native fishing expedition unto one of the small tributaries of the Amazon River. Learn the local fishing techniques, and try to fish for Piranhas. We can see Pink River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis).
- Night walking, take a lovely nighttime stroll around the protected perimeter of the lodge. As we get used to the dark surroundings, we will notice how the rainforest takes on a new character and become aware of the presence and behaviors of nocturnal jungle creatures. It is the most fantastic time to witness magnificent tree frogs, shy snakes, and other night-only jungle wildlife.
- Overnight at Amazon Lodge.
- Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 5 – Native Community Immersion in a Riverside Town
- Start the day with a delicious breakfast before taking the boat to Yanamono Island’s lake. We get a peek of the Victoria Regia, dubbed the “Queen of water lilies.” Victoria Amazonica, this indigenous flora of the Amazon River basin’s shallow waters, is predominantly found in oxbow lakes and bayous.
- We may see some white flowers as they bloom on the first night, some that have turned pink on the second night after blooming.
- They can grow to 40 cm in diameter and pollinate by scarab beetles. Victoria Amazonica is notable for its large circular leaves, sometimes portrayed with a bit of kid in the middle to show their power. Return to the lodge for lunch.
- Afternoon: Take a ten-minute boat excursion down the Amazon River to a family farm for a Trapiche (roller-extracted sugar cane alcohol). Treat a primitive sugar cane distillery along the river. Watch how the locals process sugar cane extracts using horses and then ferment sugar juice in wooden casks for some time to turn into liquor production. Get a taste of the unique sugar cane liquors and sugar by-products like molasses.
- Overnight at Amazon Lodge.
- Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 6 – Departure from Iquitos and Flight to Lima
- Breakfast before starting the rafting tour in the Amazon River. It is an exciting and safe activity that allows us to paddle in the most significant river and make a side excursion into the flooded jungle or the small tributaries of the Amazon River. Quietly contemplate the richness of nature slowly and without the noise that scares off the animals and birds.
- Return to the lodge for lunch and check out.
- After lunch, transport to Iquitos airport depends on the flight itinerary.
- On arrival in Lima, reception and transfer to the hotel.
- Overnight at the Hotel in Lima.
- Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 7 – Flight to Cusco & Colorful Cusco Walking Tour
- Hotel breakfast; at 06:30, picked up from the hotel and escorted to the airport for the trip to Cusco, the ancient Inca capital.
- Upon arrival in Cusco, assistance at the airport and transfer to the lodging.
- The rest of the day is free for relaxation to minimize the adverse effects of the high altitude and explore this wonderful city.
- Hotel pickup at 14:30. The walking tour starts in the colorful San Pedro market; there is probably no better place to witness Cusquean life. Enjoy a firsthand look at how residents live day-to-day outside the postcard perfection of Cusco’s main square. The guide explains this market’s history as its wanders through the narrow aisles laden with colorful fabrics, meals, fruit juice, bread, and shaman stalls.
- After, we visit Cusco’s main square. This busy and vibrant space marks the city’s colonial center, featuring wide stone pathways and well-kept colorful gardens.
- Afterward, we will go to Qorikancha, where Santo Domingo’s convent sits atop the ancient temple. For some unknown reason, numerous invaders were awed by the splendor of this temple when they first arrived because, according to tradition, it was fully gold-plated.
- The tour ends around 18:00.
- Overnight at the Hotel in Cusco.
- Meals Included: Breakfast.
Day 8 – Tour to the Sacred Valley (Pisac & Ollantaytambo)
- Hotel breakfast; pick up from the hotel at 07:30 am. We embark on a journey back in time to the Inca’s Sacred Valley, beginning in Pisac, 31 km from Cusco. The old Incan archaeological site is on the summit of a mountain. There have the chance to witness the impressive stonemasonry skill of our ancient ancestors.
- Afterward, go down into the quaint little town and wander through its colorful market, where it can buy intricate, beautifully hand-crafted products.
- Afterward, have lunch at a nearby restaurant.
- We next go to Ollantaytambo, an Inca military, religious, and agricultural hub perched on a mountain. Unlike other little villages, this one has retained its original Incan architecture, with magnificent stone structures and winding alleyways.
- Following the tour, we go to the Ollantaytambo railway station to board the train to Aguas Calientes. Upon arrival, guests will be welcomed and transferred to the hotel.
- Overnight at the Hotel in Aguas Calientes.
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 9 – Visit the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu & Back to Cusco
- Hotel breakfast; at 06:00. Take a bus to the Machu Picchu archaeological site (2,430m/7,972ft). Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, the mountaintop fortress earned every bit of its notoriety.
- Around 07:30 am, the guided tour begins; the guide expertly directs through the astounding ruins and main streets. Then wander around the town squares and climb the intricately carved stairways made of stone. Machu Picchu is considered the world’s spiritual center by esoteric wisdom.
- The guided tour takes around two hours and 30 minutes.
- From 12:30 pm to 13:30, take the bus to Aguas Calientes.
- From 13:30 to 15:00, take lunch at a local restaurant in Aguas Calientes.
- Later in the day, board the train to return to Cusco. Arrive at Poroy station and then be picked up and transported to the Cusco hotel.
- Overnight at the Hotel in Cusco.
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 10 – Departure from Cusco
- Hotel breakfast; Our representative will meet in the hotel lobby at the specified hour and help with the departure—airport transfer.
- Meals Included: Breakfast.