You will be met at Lima’s international airport and escorted to your hotel, after which you will have the rest of the day free for optional sightseeing excursions.

Overnight stay in Lima

In the morning, you will be transferred from the hotel to Lima airport for the domestic flight to Juliaca, in southeastern Peru. You will be met at the airport and driven to your hotel in the lakeside city of Puno (3800 meters / 12,550 feet), where you will have the rest of the day free for optional visits and acclimatization.

Overnight stay in Puno

After breakfast, we will begin our cruise on the highest navigable lake in the world, heading first for the Uros floating reed islands. From here, it is a two-hour boat ride to the island of Amantani, where we will spend the night in the homes of local people. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about the ancestral traditions and daily life of the people who inhabit the Lake Titicaca region. In the late afternoon, we will head to the highest part of the island to enjoy the sunset over Lake Titicaca. On a clear day, it is possible to see the distant peaks of the Cordillera Real in Bolivia.

Overnight stay in Amantani island-Home stay

After a traditional breakfast, we will say goodbye to our hosts and start our return journey. After a lake cruise of approximately 90 minutes, we will pay a visit to the neighboring island of Taquile. The inhabitants of this island have retained many of the traditions, customs and laws established by their Inca ancestors. We will have plenty of time to explore the island, visit the community and their handcraft center, and enjoy a local lunch, before boarding our boat again for the return trip to Puno, arriving in the city in the late afternoon, where you will be transferred to your hotel.

Overnight stay in Puno 

After a full day’s scenic bus ride across high Andean plains, we will arrive in Cusco, the former capital of the Incas. We will have lunch along the way and visit several places of interest, including the charming colonial church in the picturesque village of Andahuaylillas and the temple to the Inca creator god at Raqchi. Upon arrival, we will check in to our hotel and rest, in preparation for your first full day in the imperial city of Cusco (3300 meters / 10,900 feet).

Overnight stay in Cusco

Today you will have a free day in Cusco for optional visits, shopping, resting, or simply wandering the picturesque streets of the city.

Overnight stay in Cusco

We will leave the city in the early morning and head by bus to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Along the way, we will visit a weaving center and museum, where local weavers will explain the textile making process from shearing, spinning and dyeing with plant extracts to the actual weaving of textiles. After this special experience, we will continue our tour by visiting the archaeological site at Pisaq. This charming colonial-era village with its lively local market is situated at the base of a mountain upon which the Incas built a fortified temple complex. We will have plenty of time to explore this beautiful place. After a picnic with fantastic views of the Sacred Valley far below, we will visit the colorful handcraft market in the village, and in the afternoon we will drive to the village of Ollantaytambo. Located at the narrow end of the Sacred Valley, this village is often described as a living museum, where the descendants of the Incas continue to live in houses built by their ancestors, below the ruins of an imposing Inca temple complex.

Overnight stay in Ollantaytambo

After breakfast, we will make the impressive train ride through the Urubamba Gorge to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu). During the two-hour ride following the course of the Urubamba River, we will descend into lush tropical vegetation. Shortly after our arrival at Aguas Calientes, we will drive up to the most famous site in the southern hemisphere: the enigmatic remains of the “Lost City of the Incas”: legendary Machu Picchu. You will be escorted by an expert guide, who will explain the significance of this unique legacy of the great empire of the Incas. We will return in the afternoon by bus to the village of Aguas Calientes. You can choose to relax before dinner by visiting the local natural hot springs.

Overnight stay in Aguas Calientes

Today you will have a free day for independent activities, such as hiking in the area, before we take the afternoon train back to Cusco, where you will be transferred to your hotel.

Overnight stay in Cusco

In the morning you will be transferred from the hotel to Cusco airport for the 30-minute flight to Puerto Maldonado, where you will be met and transferred to the river port for the journey by boat to Posada Amazonas. During our trip, we may encounter several of the bird species which inhabit this part of the river and the forest. Upon arrival at Posada Amazonas, we will receive a short presentation and a full briefing on the lodge and the Eseja Ecotourism Project. If time allows, we will make an afternoon trip into the forest and visit a local farm. To provide you with further information on the forest, a video about Tambopata will be shown after dinner.

Overnight stay in the lodge

We will be up at dawn for our visit to Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake. We will be taking a long, relaxing canoe ride around the lake, looking out for giant river otters, turtles, hoatzins and wading birds. We will return to the lodge for lunch, and in the afternoon we will hike a short trail to the 35-meter high observation tower. This tower is strategically located inside the forest. Access is via a stable stairway with a railing for support. The views from the tower over the forest canopy are excellent.  

Overnight stay in the lodge

After an early breakfast, we will visit a small parrot clay lick. From the blind, constructed next to the lick, photographers will be able to take excellent pictures of these wonderful birds. Dozens and sometimes hundreds of small parrots and parakeets congregate here on clear days to ingest clay. After lunch, we will visit a local community ethno-botanic center to learn about local culture and its traditional relationship with the forest. We will return to Posada Amazonas in time for our evening meal.

Overnight stay in the lodge

After an early breakfast, we will return to Puerto Maldonado by boat, where you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Lima and international connections.