In the Footsteps of the Incas with Peruvian Amazon
In the Footsteps of the Incas with Peruvian Amazon
In the Footsteps of the Incas with Peruvian Amazon
15 Days Starting and ending in Lima
Visiting: Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, Juliaca, Sillustani, Lake Titicaca, Taquile Island, Puerto Maldonado
Tour Overview
Travel to the Andes’ cloud forests and the birthplace of the sun at Lake Titicaca, as you gain an understanding of Incan culture, mingling with weavers, corn farmers, and expert photographers. Travel deep into the million-year-old Amazon rainforest on this Peru tour, uncovering its secrets through the eyes of local guides.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Lima
Location: Lima
Accommodation Name: Iberostar Hotel Lima
Meals Included: Dinner
The Capital of the New World extends a warm welcome on your epic voyage through the iconic and unexpected highlights of Peru. Meet your local host on arrival and transfer to your hotel in the upscale shopping district of Miraflores. This evening, you’ll join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for a Welcome Reception at 6 p.m.
Day 2: Lima Sightseeing
Location: Lima
Accommodation Name: Iberostar Hotel Lima
Meals Included: Breakfast
Start your city tour taking in the highlights of Lima. Visit Casona San Marcos, where you'll enjoy a snack from a local vendor and learn more about the fascinating history of this ancient building from Local Specialists. During a short workshop, learn to play the “cajón” percussion instrument and get an introduction to the basic steps of “musica negra”, a dance that originated in Chincha (near Paracas). Continue to the Main Square of Lima for more views and history. Choose to join a walking tour of Miraflores with a local expert highlighting the popular Larcomar shopping center. End at Kennedy Park for additional exploration on your own or walk back to your hotel.
Day 3: Lima – Cusco – Sacred Valley (2 Nights) Dive Into Culture Stays With Stories
Location: Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley
Accommodation Name: Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
We board a morning flight to Cusco, the gateway to Peru's treasured Sacred Valley, where you'll enjoy a Peruvian lunch with sweeping views of the Sacred Valley. Then we'll Dive Into Culture and meet a Shaman who will perform a special ceremony welcoming you to Peru.
Day 4: Sacred Valley Connect With Locals
Location: Sacred Valley
Accommodation Name: Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Connect With Locals over a Be My Guest experience lunch, learn about the culture surrounding the production of Giant White Corn. Our hosts will demonstrate the differences between traditional farming techniques and the newer technologies used today. Revel in the romance of the local Marinera dance and local musicians. The marinera is the best-known couple dance on the coast of Peru. It is characterized by the use of handkerchiefs, steps of great elegance and rhythmic music similar to the Aragonese jota, the zamacueca and the Chilean cueca, but with its own Peruvian identity that flaunts the Hispano-indigenous-African miscegenation. For the same reason, over the years Andean and highland versions have emerged. This evening, meet Local Specialist, Peter Frost, a writer, photographer and independent scholar who has explored the Andes and Amazon for 47 years, locating and investigating the previously unknown Inca and pre-Inca site of Qoriwayrachina. He currently resides in Peru and works as an accompanying expert for National Geographic Expeditions. Later this evening, learn how to prepare an authentic Ceviche and pour the perfect Pisco sour.
Day 5: Sacred Valley – Machu Picchu Connect With Locals
Location: Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu
Accommodation Name: El MaPi
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Visit the mystical Incan stronghold of Ollantaytambo, en route to Machu Picchu, a village in the Sacred Valley, set on the Urubamba River amid majestic mountains. It's known for the Ollantaytambo ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces on a hillside. Then, ascend to the Lost City in the Clouds aboard the Vistadome train (light snack included) traveling along the Inca Trail, where you can view hikers and porters along the way. Here you will delve into the mysteries of this once-great civilization, joining your Local Specialist for an exploration of the temples, palaces and terraces whose construction defy imagination. Visit the iconic great Temple of the Sun, the House of the Priest, the Sacred Plaza and the intricately carved Intihuatana, most likely used as a sundial centuries ago.
Day 6: Machu Picchu – Cusco Dive Into Culture
Location: Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Cusco
Accommodation Name: Novotel Cusco
Meals Included: Breakfast
The ruins of Machu Picchu beckon yet again and we enjoy one final opportunity to reconnect with its story, spending some time on our own to explore the hill-top fortress. Next, we’ll journey back to the Sacred Valley by train, stopping en route to Cusco learn about the natural dyeing techniques used by native weavers. Visit the Pisac handicraft market followed by sampling the sweet flavors of chicha, savoring the favorite drink of the Andes.
Day 7: Cusco Sightseeing
Location: Cusco
Accommodation Name: Novotel Cusco
Meals Included: Breakfast
Begin your day at the ruins of the UNESCO-listed Incan Sacsayhuaman fortress overlooking Cusco. Admire the massive, sacred stonework before your Local Specialist guides you through Cusco’s colonial center. During your city tour, MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® by visiting the shop of the social project Mantay, a housing and education project for underage mothers to live here and learn a craft or trade. Later, you’ll join another Local Specialist who will reveal insights into the nearby 13th-century Incan settlement of Qoriwayrachina. The afternoon is free to join an optional experience including a visit to the Chocolate Museum, Cusco off the beaten track or the greenhouse and salt wells of Maras and Moray.
Day 8: Cusco – Juliaca – Lake Titicaca
Location: Cusco, Juliaca, Sillustani, Lake Titicaca
Accommodation Name: GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Fly to Juliaca and meet a Local Specialist to learn about daily life on the Peruvian altiplano. After an included al fresco lunch, visit Sillustani, a pre-Incan burial ground on the shores of Lake Umayo where striking chullpas (stone tombs) are scattered across the landscape, inviting you to step back in time. Then travel via Puno along the shores to Lake Titicaca, the birthplace of the sun. Here you’ll Dive Into Culture visiting the home of Víctor Coila, his wife Mariluz, and their two daughters for a meal of quinoa bread, potatoes with cheese and authentic chaco sauce.
Day 9: Lake Titicaca Excursion Connect With Locals Dive Into Culture
Location: Lake Titicaca, Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca
Accommodation Name: GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Connect With Locals as you cruise the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca, passing floating islands constructed by the Uros people. Next, in the midst of South America’s largest lake lies Taquile Island, where we’ll MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® and embark on a private tour to gain insights into the tradition of knitting and weaving for which the local villagers - men and women - are renowned. Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO. This experience aligns with UN's Global goal 10, reduced inequalities. Enjoy a lunch here and learn more about the islanders’ unique way of life upon islets make of totora reeds, which grow in the lake, and are attached to sticks driven into the bottom of the lake. Tonight, we indulge in a Regional Dinner at our favorite local restaurant in Puno.
Day 10: Lake Titicaca – Juliaca – Lima Dive Into Culture
Location: Lake Titicaca, Juliaca, Lima
Accommodation Name: Iberostar Hotel Lima
Meals Included: Breakfast
This morning we return to Lima, enjoying an afternoon at leisure after our flight. Enjoy time on your own to explore the capital of Peru, settled on the country's arid Pacific coast. We’ll join a Local Specialist this evening, visiting one of Lima's most renowned museums after dark - the Larco Museum. Admire the pre-Columbian artefacts that reveal insights into the cultures of ancient Peru. Then, sit down to a gourmet Farewell Dinner filled with Peruvian flavors as you overlook the museum's beautiful gardens.
Day 11: Traverse The Inkaterra Forest
Location: Lima, Puerto Maldonado
Accommodation Name: Amazon Field Station by Inkaterra, Puerto Maldonado
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning, we fly to Puerto Maldonado (internal flight included) and embark on a journey on the Madre de Rios River to our jungle lodge, where we meet our guides for the Inkaterra Field Station. Join a Local Specialist for insights into the forest, then keep a keen eye out for shy caiman during a pre-dinner boat expedition.
Day 12: Step Into The Mystical Amazon
Location: Puerto Maldonado
Accommodation Name: Amazon Field Station by Inkaterra, Puerto Maldonado
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Climb the exhilarating Inkaterra Canopy Walkway for an unforgettable opportunity to observe the rainforest from its rooftop. A short boat ride takes us into the Tambopata National Reserve where we’ll hike through the thick jungle, admiring towering green walls of vegetation, the cacophony of birdcalls and the dappled light that filters through the canopy above. Arrive at Sandoval Lake, where you may spot a wide variety of birds, monkeys, giant river otters, black caimans and the elusive anaconda. The perfect end to our day sees us watch the sun set over the lake before heading back to our lodge for dinner.
Day 13: Encounter The Biodiversity Of The Amazon Make Travel Matter
Location: Puerto Maldonado
Accommodation Name: Amazon Field Station by Inkaterra, Puerto Maldonado
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Discover the Amazon’s otherworldly realm of aguajales rainforest swampland during your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and learn how vegetation has adapted to the exotic species that are drawn here. Here you will also get a chance to visit our organic bio-orchard to discover many of the rainforest’s tropical plants up-close and learn of their healing capabilities. Boldly venture out at night to discover some of the strange species that come alive under deep darkness in the Amazon with our Local Specialist. Stroll quietly as your senses heighten to the mysterious nocturnal sounds of birds, mammals, insects and amphibians wondering close by.
Day 14: Back To Lima Via Puerto Maldonado
Location: Puerto Maldonado, Lima
Accommodation Name: Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport
Meals Included: Breakfast
After breakfast, we head back to Puerto Maldonado as your Amazon experience comes to an end. Upon arrival in Lima your meet and greet local guide will walk you to your hotel located right next to the airport. Balance of the day is at leisure.
Day 15: Depart From Lima
Location: Lima
Meals Included: Breakfast
International flight departure at leisure.
What's Included
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An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
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Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
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All porterage and restaurant gratuities
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All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
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Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
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Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
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Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
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Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
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Tickets for a ride aboard the Vistadome train to Machu Picchu
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A Trafalgar bonus all Intra-Air Flights: Lima to Cusco, Cusco to Juliaca and Juliaca to Lima, including porter service at all airports.
What's Not Included
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International Flights
International flights to and from Lima are not included.
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Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is not included and is recommended to be purchased separately.
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Personal Expenses
Personal expenses such as souvenirs, additional meals, and drinks are not included.
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Optional Activities
Optional activities not listed in the itinerary are not included.
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Visa Fees
Visa fees and any related travel documentation are not included.
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Gratuities for Tour Director and Driver
Gratuities for the tour director and driver are not included and are at your discretion.
Mode of Transport
Travel in style with luxury air-conditioned coaches, scenic train rides aboard the Vistadome train, and intra-air flights between Lima, Cusco, and Juliaca, including porter service at all airports.
Accommodation
Stay in comfort at the Iberostar Hotel Lima, Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay, El MaPi, Hotel Novotel Cusco, GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca, and Amazon Field Station by Inkaterra, with a final night at Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport.
Dining Summary
- 6 Dinner (D)
- 14 Breakfast (B)
- 7 Lunch (L)
- 1 Farewell Dinner (FD)
Dive Into Culture
- Lima: Dive into the rich history of Casona San Marcos, an ancient building in Lima now part of the property of a university. Learn to play the “cajón” (meaning “box” or drawer”) box-shaped percussion instrument played by slapping the faces with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements. Continue your musical discovery trying the basic steps of “musica negra”, a dance that originated in Chincha (near Paracas) that is popular during over the Christmas season. Over your lesson, try a snack from a “pregonero”, a vendor who specializes in selling a typical snack through boisterous advertising in the city streets.
- Sacred Valley: We'll Dive into Culture and meet a Quechua Shaman who will perform a ceremony welcoming you to Peru.
- Sacred Valley: This evening, meet Local Specialist Peter Frost, a writer, photographer and independent scholar who has explored the Andes and Amazon for 47 years, locating and investigating the previously unknown Inca and pre-Inca site of Qoriwayrachina. He currently resides in Peru and works as an accompanying expert for National Geographic Expeditions.
- Lake Titicaca: Visit the home of Víctor Coila and his wife Mariluz, and their two daughters, Luz Mery and Carla Mercedes. Join the family to try quinoa bread, potatoes with cheese, and chaco - a sauce made with a kind of clay used in cooking and medicine.
Check out our Q&As
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What unique cultural experiences are included in the tour?
The tour includes several unique cultural experiences such as learning to play the 'cajón' percussion instrument and trying the basic steps of 'musica negra' in Lima, meeting a Quechua Shaman in the Sacred Valley, and learning about the production of Giant White Corn from local hosts. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to learn how to prepare authentic Ceviche and pour the perfect Pisco sour.
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What kind of wildlife can I expect to see in the Amazon Rainforest?
In the Amazon Rainforest, you can expect to see a staggering variety of wildlife including 540 bird species, 362 ant species, over 100 mammal species, nightjars, owls, capybaras, caimans, anacondas, black caimans, yellow spotted side-neck turtles, red howler monkeys, and two endangered families of giant river otters.
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What activities are planned for Machu Picchu?
At Machu Picchu, you will take a shuttle to the top of the mountain for a guided hike, learning about its history and the use of each section. You will also have the opportunity to explore the ruins at sunrise and spend some time on your own to soak in the iconic site.
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What kind of local interactions can I expect during the tour?
You will have several opportunities to interact with locals, including a Be My Guest experience lunch in the Sacred Valley, visiting the home of a local family at Lake Titicaca, and learning about traditional farming techniques. Additionally, you will meet Local Specialist Peter Frost and visit the shop of the social project Mantay in Cusco.
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What are some of the highlights of the Lima city tour?
The Lima city tour includes visiting Casona San Marcos, learning to play the 'cajón' percussion instrument, and getting an introduction to 'musica negra'. You will also visit the Main Square of Lima, take a walking tour of Miraflores, and explore the Larco Museum with a Local Specialist.
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What kind of accommodations are provided during the tour?
The tour provides accommodations in cherry-picked hotels that are tried and trusted. Some notable accommodations include the Iberostar Hotel Lima, Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay in the Sacred Valley, El MaPi in Machu Picchu, Hotel Novotel Cusco, GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca, and the Amazon Field Station by Inkaterra in Puerto Maldonado.
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What kind of meals are included in the tour?
The tour includes breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals. Specific meals include a Welcome Reception, a Be My Guest experience lunch, a Regional Dinner, and a Farewell Dinner. You will also have opportunities to try local specialties such as quinoa bread, potatoes with cheese, and chaco sauce.
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What kind of transportation is provided during the tour?
The tour provides luxury air-conditioned coach transportation with Wi-Fi in most countries, as well as alternative transportation such as rail journeys. Tickets for a ride aboard the Vistadome train to Machu Picchu are included, along with all Intra-Air Flights: Lima to Cusco, Cusco to Juliaca, and Juliaca to Lima, including porter service at all airports.
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What kind of activities are planned for Lake Titicaca?
At Lake Titicaca, you will visit the home of a local family, cruise the deep blue waters with a Local Specialist, and explore floating islands constructed by the Uros Indians. You will also visit Taquile Island for a private tour to learn about the tradition of knitting and weaving, and enjoy a traditional lunch.
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What kind of experiences are included in the Amazon Rainforest portion of the tour?
In the Amazon Rainforest, you will climb the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway, hike through the Tambopata National Reserve, and visit Sandoval Lake. You will also explore the aguajales rainforest swampland, visit an organic bio-orchard, and take a night stroll to discover nocturnal wildlife. Additionally, you will take a short boat ride to an uninhabited river island to observe the rich birdlife.
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Who will be my travelling companions on the tour?
The beauty of taking a guided holiday with us is that you’ll have the opportunity to meet and travel with people from all over the globe.
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What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Vaccination against Covid-19 is not mandatory to travel with Trafalgar. However, we strongly recommend that guests are vaccinated before travelling. Please note that airlines and/or other authorities may have different requirements. It is the guest's responsibility to comply with these requirements at all times.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Since 1947
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Trafalgar is a founding partner of the TreadRight Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation established in 2008. So far, the charity has donated more than US$2 million to help underprivileged communities and support sustainable tourism around the world.
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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Low Deposit
Trafalgar requires a minimum deposit of 350 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of trafalgar charges.
Up to 91 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 90 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 29 days before tour starts: Forfeit 80% of booking price.
At 1 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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