|
DAY 1
Monday: LIMA
Pick up upon arrival at Lima’s airport and transportation to the hotel.
Overnight (No meals)
DAY 2 Tuesday: CUSCO
 Transfer
to the Lima airport for the flight to Cuzco (airfare not
included).
Upon arrival to Cusco Airport. Reception and
transportation to the Hotel where you will receive an
aromatic coca tea to stimulating for the height, will
have the free morning to rest and also we suggest you
have a light lunch in either your hotel or in one of the
surrounded; in the evening we will depart on a City tour
(entrance to the archaeological centers and museums
including) we will visit the Main square, Cathedral, the
Koricancha (temple of the sun) and in addition we will
make a route bordering archaeological centers like
Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Q'enko, Puka Pukara and
Tambomachay, tour finishes 6:30pm approximately at the
main square in order you can take dinner in one of the
exquisite restaurants in the area, then overnight. (B)
*Optional Buffet Dinner with Folkloric Show: Adding $30
per person
DAY 3 Wednesaday: CUSCO - MACHU PICCHU
 Early
breakfast and pickup to go the train station to depart
to Machu Picchu, the trip takes about 4 hours. During
the trip we will have an amazing view of the landscapes
of the Sacred Valley of Urubamba and the Amazon
rainforest providing you a small hint of how much Peru
has to offer. Upon arrival to the little town of Aguas
Calientes you will have to approach the bus station
towards the “Ciudadela of Machu Picchu” (Only 20 minutes
ride) to receive a professional guided tour by this Huge
Historical Sanctuary follow by some free time to explore
the zone on your own and then take your buffet lunch at
the selected restaurant (included), an according time,
we will go down to the Aguas Calientes town to relax at
the hot springs or just overnight at the select hotel in
Aguas Calientes town. (B,L).
DAY 4 Thursday: MACHU PICCHU - CUSCO
 Breakfast
and rest of day at leisure by your own (entrance and bus
fee to Machu Picchu not included on this day) in the
afternoon return to Cusco. Reception at the train
station and transfer to the Hotel where it passed the
night (B).
Upon request: You can make a second visit to Machu
Picchu and have the chance to know hidden places, such
as the Intipunku (Gate of the Sun) or for more
adventures can take a hike to the top of Huayna Picchu
(Young Mountain) to visit the Temple of the Moon and
enjoy a spectacular view of the city. Or if you have
good physical conditions can take a hike full of
adrenaline to the Putukusi mountain opposite position
than Machu Picchu which allows us to have other
unforgettable views from this new wonder.
DAY 5 Friday: SACRED VALLEY TOUR
Breakfast. You will be picked up at 8:15 am. Full day
excursion to the Urubamba Valley visiting: the colorful
Indian market in Pisac where a mixture of color and
tradition will be able appreciated besides will have a
good opportunity to try our bargain skills on the free
time to interact with the local craftsmen to purchase
their hand-made souvenirs. The Valley has a distance of
31 km (19 miles) of Cusco, and an altitude of 2,970 ms
(9,700 p), Pisac is located to the entrance of the
Sacred Valley and followed by Ollantaytambo, the older
town continuously occupied of the American continent.
The narrow streets of Ollantaytambo, along with their
channels that have not varied from the time Inca, evoke
their ancestral inheritance, lunch in a typical
restaurant and then the last visit will be to Chinchero
market.
Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of
the rainbow. Its major claim to tourism is its colorful
Sunday market which is much less tourist-orientated than
the market at Pisac. At the end, return to Cusco main
square at 6:30pm approx.
The night is free for you to eat in a restaurant of your
choice; although we always have plenty of suggestions
for you should you require them. (B, L)
Note: Take this tour on market days: Tuesday, Thursday
and Sunday
Bilingual Guided tour on different days
DAY 6 Saturday: MANU AND COCK-OF-THE-ROCK LODGE:
Our overland journey begins at 3,400m/11,150 ft, with an
early departure from the highland city of Cusco. Today’s
destination is the lush cloud forest region where the
Andes fall away to the Amazon basin. This is a day of
scenic drama and striking contrasts. We first visit a
mountain wetland habitat teeming with migrant and local
waterfowl, before crossing two mountain ranges between
the Cusco valley and the Paucartambo valley, to a
maximum altitude of 3,900m/12,790ft. Finally we follow a
sinuous ribbon of highway on its plunge through an
extraordinary world of forested cliffs, waterfalls and
gorges. We take leisurely stops to see mountain villages,
a hilltop necropolis of chullpas (pre-Inca burial
chambers), and the abrupt ridge top of Ajanaco, which
marks the final high point where the Andes begin their
swoop into the Amazon basin. In clear weather we will
see a breathtaking panorama of cloud forest and mountain
giving way to the lowland rainforest plains far below us.
After a picnic lunch near here we descend through the
startling and rapid environmental transformations
characteristic of the tropical Andes, passing from
grassland and stunted trees through elfin forest, until
we wind through a lush and magical world of overhanging
trees, giant ferns, monster begonias, countless orchids
and bromeliads, and a diverse and teeming birdlife.
We make frequent spontaneous stops, perhaps spotting a
brilliantly feathered quetzal, a trogon, or the wild
turkey-like Guan. We reach the comfortable Cock-of-the-Rock
Lodge in the late afternoon, the best hour to visit the
nearby viewing platform for the display ground, or
“lek”. This is usually the highlight of a long, full day,
a chance to see Peru’s dazzling national bird, the Cock-of-the-Rock
(Rupicola peruviana) in full, raucous courting display.
(Box lunch, D)
DAY 7 Sunday : COCK-OF-THE-ROCK LODGE TO PANTIACOLLA LODGE
Rising early, we have a second chance to view the Cock-of-the-Rock
display, and then scout for birds, and perhaps Brown
Capuchin or Woolly monkeys along the nearby road. Or we
can take a secluded nature walk on a short trail loop to
the river and back. After breakfast we continue our
drive, as mountains give way to low rolling hills and
farmland. At Patria we visit a plantation of coca grown
legitimately for the Peruvian coca leaf market.
At midday we reach Atalaya, a tiny port where the
Piñipiñi River meets the Alto Madre de Dios. Now the
lowland rainforest part of our journey begins. Rivers
are the highways of the rainforest, and henceforth we
will travel in large, comfortable dugout canoes shaded
by canopy roofs and driven by powerful outboard motors.
During normal river conditions we arrive at our lodge in
time for exploration and wildlife viewing – which may
include toucans, kingfishers, a rare endemic hummingbird,
the endangered Monk Saki Monkey, and a multitude of
butterflies - along one of its many forest trails. (B,
L, D)
DAY 8 Monday: AMAZONIA LODGE OR PANTIACOLLA LODGE TO MANU WILDLIFE CENTER
There is time for another short morning hike on the
lodge trails before leaving early for Manu Wildlife
Center.
As we follow the broad, rushing course of the Alto Madre
de Dios river past the last foothills of the Andes, our
ever-changing route offers sightings of new birds --
terns, cormorants, White-winged Swallows, and flocks of
nighthawks flushed from their daytime lairs by the sound
of our engine. Splashes of brilliant yellow, pink and
red foliage dot the forest-clad slopes around us, and
the breeze is laden with the heady perfumes of the
tropical forest.
We pause during our journey to stretch our legs and
visit an indigenous Piro Indian village where we may buy
forest handcrafts such as bracelets, necklaces, bags and
baskets. Later we pass the mouth of the Manu river, the
gateway to the reserved zone of the Manu National Park.
Taking another break at Boca Manu, the village a short
way downriver, we visit the boatyards where local people
build the dugout boats so essential to life on the river.
After a boat journey of approximately 6 hours, we arrive
at Manu Wildlife Center, one of the world’s top ten
wildlife lodges. After a reception and orientation we
move into our private bungalow and rest to escape the
midday heat.
Later, we make our first acquaintance with the lowland
rainforest, learning about the plants and forest ecology
as we explore some of the 30 miles of trails that
surround the lodge. We have an excellent chance of
encountering some of the 12 species of monkeys,
including the Monk Saki and Emperor Tamarin, which
inhabit the surrounding forest. (B, L, D)
DAY 9 Tuesday: MANU WILDLIFE CENTER: THE MACAW CLAY LICK, CANOPY TOWER &
TAPIR CLAY LICK
Another early start (inevitable on wildlife expeditions),
is followed by a short boat ride downstream. We take a
20-minute trail through palm plantations to a cut-off
channel of the river, where we find the Blanquillo Macaw
Lick. A spacious hide provided with individual chairs
and a convenient place for cameras and binoculars is our
ringside seat for what is usually a very spectacular
show. We enjoy a full breakfast here while waiting for
the main actors to arrive.
In groups of twos and threes the big Red-and-Green
Macaws come flapping in, landing in the treetops as they
eye the main stage below -- the eroded clay banks of the
old channel. Meanwhile the supporting cast appears:
these may included Blue-headed, Mealy, Yellow-crowned,
and Orange-cheeked Parrots -- and the occasional villain,
a menacing and unwelcome Great Black Hawk.
The drama plays out in first in tentative and then
bolder approaches to the lick, until finally nearly all
the macaws, parrots and parakeets form a colorful and
noisy spectacle on the bare banks, squabbling as they
scrape clay from the hard surface.
(Please note that the clay lick is most active from
August to October and less so during the months of May
and June.)
We return to the lodge for lunch, and then we continue
to explore and discover the rainforest, its lore and
plant life, on the network of trails surrounding the
lodge, arriving in the late afternoon at our 34m/112ft
Canopy Tower. On its platform we witness the frantic
rush-hour activity of twilight in the rainforest canopy,
before night closes in.
Later we set off along the “collpa trail”, which will
take us to the lodge’s famous Tapir Clay lick. Here at
the most active tapir lick known in all the Amazon, our
research has identified from 8-12 individual 600-pound
Tapirs who come to this lick to eat clay from under the
tree roots around the edge. This unlikely snack absorbs
and neutralizes toxins in the vegetarian diet of the
Tapir, the largest land animal of Latin America. The
lick features a roomy, elevated observation platform
5m/17ft above the forest floor. The platform is equipped
with freshly-made-up mattresses with pillows. Each
mattress is covered by a roomy mosquito net. The
50-m-long, elevated walkway to the platform is covered
with sound-absorbing padding to prevent our footsteps
from making noise. This Tapir Experience is unique and
exciting because these normally very shy creatures are
visible up close, and flash photography is not just
permitted, but encouraged.
The hard part for modern city dwellers is to remain
still and silent anywhere from 30 minutes to two or more
hours. Many prefer to nap until the first Tapir arrives,
at which point your guide gently awakens you to watch
the Tapir 10-20m/33-66ft) away below the platform. Most
people feel that the wait is well worth it in order to
have such a high probability of observing the rare and
elusive Tapir in its rainforest home. (B, L, D)
DAY 10 Wednesday: MANU WILDLIFE CENTER: COCHA BLANCO AND THE WILDLIFE TRAILS
We set off early for Cocha Blanco, an old oxbow lake
full of water lilies and sunken logs. As we circle the
lake on our catamaran we might encounter the resident
Giant Otter family on a fishing expedition, or troops of
monkeys crashing noisily through the trees. Wattled
Jacanas step lightly on the lily pads, dainty Sun Grebes
paddle across the water, supple-necked Anhingas air-dry
their wide, black wings, and perhaps an Osprey scans for
fish from a high branch.
Among the bushes near the waterline, Hoatzins, which
look like rust-colored, punk chickens, announce their
presence with distinctive, bizarre wheezing and grunts.
Woodpeckers, tanagers, macaws, toucans and parakeets all
finally come swooping in to trees surrounding the lake.
Many of them roost around the lake for the night.
After lunch at the lodge our guide is available to lead
us on freewheeling expeditions in search of further
wildlife encounters, or we may take one of the lodge’s
many trails on private and personal excursions to
commune with the spirits of the rainforest.
This evening, from late afternoon until after dinner, we
can take a boat ride in search of caiman (alligator-like
reptiles), and other nocturnal wildlife along the
riverbank. (B, L, D)
DAY 11 Thursday: MANU WILDLIFE CENTER TO CUSCO
After an early breakfast, we leave on the two-hour boat
trip to the Boca Manu airfield, enjoying early morning
wildlife activity as we go. From here we fly to Cusco,
where our rainforest adventure ends with a pickup and
transfer to our hotel. Overnight(B)
Please note that the 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 12 Tuesday: LIMA
Transfer to the airport where you'll take the flight back to Lima (airfare
not included) in time to get your international flight connection. (B)
END OF THE SERVICE |
Transfer
to the Lima airport for the flight to Cuzco (airfare not
included).
