Great People. Amazing Expeditions. Beautiful Peru.
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10 DAYS
FROM $ 1,579
Expedition Type
Activity Level
Service Level
CASUAL
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Discover the incredible biodiversity of Pacaya Samiria National Reserve with a team of naturalists, seeking out howler monkeys, caimans, rare pink dolphins, and more. Uncover the magnificent capital of Incas, hike to sites in the Urubamba Valley, meet artisans and farmers and getting acquainted with daily life in the Andes. Cap off the expedition with a guided tour through the marvel citadel of Machu Picchu.
Francisco Pizzaro’s ‘City of Kings’ is your launch pad to an epic encounter with the Amazon’s extraordinary biodiversity. On arrival in Lima, you’ll be escorted to your hotel and enjoy the day to explore the sights of this colonial capital on your terms.
After breakfast, fly to Iquitos and continue overland to the riverside village of Nauta where you board one of our speedboats to take you to the Heliconia Amazon River Lodge along the Amazon River. Enjoy the impressive jungle landscapes with the rustic small houses of the riverside towns. After your first Amazonian cuisine lunch, set out to a jungle hike into the Yanamono primary rainforest reserve, and learn about the native flora and fauna. Tonight, take a boat ride along one of the Amazon River’s tributaries to gaze at the magnificent Amazon night sky.
Join an early morning birding walk in the rain forest to spot toucans, bright hummingbirds, and many other species in the leafy forest canopy. After your energizing breakfast, get to know the ribereños who live on the riverbanks at the reserve’s edge. Hear about their age-old traditions, watch them make jewelry and other handicrafts, and learn how subsistence farmers cultivate wild plants and trees to earn income. In the waterways, look for signs of the massive paiche fish, the Amazon’s largest; rare pink dolphins; and indigenous piranhas. Follow the sounds of nocturnal wildlife through the nighttime forest. Spot tree frogs, shy snakes, spiders, crickets, owls and the occasional coati.
After breakfast, explore this remarkable wilderness on boat excursions and hikes on dry land. Skim past giant lily pads afloat on the black-water Yanamono lake, and venture into the rain forest on narrow tributaries. Spot sloths and monkeys, including saddleback tamarins, noisy howlers, and shaggy-tailed monk saki monkeys. Watch for an astounding variety of birds, from tanagers and hummingbirds to parrots and endangered scarlet macaws. Visit a family farm in the afternoon for trapiche (roller-extracted sugar cane alcohol), and learn how the locals process sugar cane.
Enjoy your last Amazonian breakfast before starting the rafting tour in the Amazon River. It is an exciting and safe activity that allows you to paddle in the largest 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. After lunch, return to Iquitos for your flight to Lima.
Board a morning flight to Cusco and drive to the scenic Sacred Valley for a full day of exploration with a local guide. Tour the Parque de la Papa, or Potato Park, a rural Andean community working to preserve hundreds of varieties of native potato. During this exclusive experience, you’ll walk through the park to learn about potato cultivation, traditional weaving, and the importance of both these practices to Andean culture. We’ll also visit the fascinating Inca sites of Ollantaytambo and Pisac, and enjoy a meal at local Restaurant in Urubamba.
Travel by train through the lush Urubamba Valley to Aguas Calientes, a frontier town nestled beneath Machu Picchu. The afternoon is free for optional excursions. Take a relaxing soak in the local hot springs, visit a botanical garden, or wander the handicraft stalls in town as you prepare for an early start the following day to go up to Machu Picchu.
Stacked up a hillside amid soaring mountain peaks, the 15th-century Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is one of the world’s most awe-inspiring sites. The sacred citadel was discovered by Agustin Lizarraga in 1902 and excavated by Hiram Bingham in 1911 with support from the National Geographic Society. Enjoy your morning exploring the fascinating labyrinth of temples, plazas, and homes; and learn the secrets of this city lost to the wider world for some 500 years. Choose to hike to the Sun Gate or tackle the trail up to Huayna Picchu (with extra cost), which towers over the site. Return to Ollantaytambo by train and continue to Cusco.
Since its narrow alleyways were originally designed by the Inca Society as a city for walking, start your exploration of Cusco on foot. Begin at the Plaza de Armas, the Main Square, which is marked by the exquisite Spanish Colonial architecture and ornamentation imposed by Spanish colonists to exert religious and political influence. Underneath it all, however, you can clearly see remnants of Inca Cusco in the solid stonework. Visit Koricancha, the most sumptuous “Sun Temple” in the Inca Empire, and the breathtaking Cathedral, a repository for Cusco’s colonial art, as well as many other important archaeological relics and artifacts. Stop by the colourful San Pedro market and pass through the charming neighborhood of San Blas. This evening we join our travel companions for a farewell dinner in a traditional restaurant.
Return to vibrant coastal Lima this morning for your flight home or consider extending your holiday.
In keeping with the nature of an expedition, we keep our schedule flexible to take advantage of the unexpected, adapting our course to the conditions and opportunities that arise. Your expedition experience can be tailored to the activity level you choose, whether it’s light or moderate or a little of both. Travelers should be in good health, comfortable walking or standing for extended periods of time, and able to get in and out of expedition landing craft. Daily activities may include boat rides, easy hikes, walking tours, and visits to cultural or historic sites, with options most days for more physical activities such as longer hikes and kayaking. All departures are family friendly.
Expedition Team
A Natventure Expert will accompany this Expedition, and local guides join us along the way.
MY OWN ROOM
During your expedition, sometimes it´s just more convenient and comfortable to have your own room (only for hotel stay). That´s why we offer the «My own room» option – a single room all to yourself.
My own room option: from $ 1,969
