CUZCO, MACHU PICCHU, M/V AQUA AMAZON CRUISE

Cuzco, Machu Picchu & 4 night M/V AQUA Amazon basin
10 days / 9 nights
$5574 per person double occupancy in 2009
Includes domestic airfare in Peru, accommodations, tours, transportation, taxes and service charges where applicable, and meals as specified.

All Lost World Adventures itineraries are privately guided, and may be modified to suit personal travel dates, interests and budgets.

Day 1: Lima
Upon arrival at Jorge Chavez International Airport, claim your baggage and proceed to Customs & Immigration. You will then be met by our local representative and transferred to your Lima hotel.

Overnight accommodations at the new (opened June 2007) Hotel Costa del Sol Ramada Lima, with daily buffet breakfast included. Conveniently close to the airport, this four star hotel features 130 rooms, restaurant, bar, business center, wireless internet, spa, and beauty salon.

Day 2: Lima – Cuzco
Proceed on your own to the airport, located across the street. Check in for your flight to Cuzco.

Airport reception and transfer to your hotel

Cuzco (10,750 ft), the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America and capital of the Inca Empire. Much of colonial Cuzco was built on Inca foundations, and your guide will point out Inca stonework along the many streets.

Overnight at the Hotel Monasterio in a deluxe room, breakfast buffet included - 3 nights. This 5-star hotel just opened in 1996 and was actually converted from a 17th-century monastery built over Incan foundations where an Incan wall still remains. The hotel is also located close to the city's central square, the Plaza de Armas.

After settling in set off on a tour of Cuzco and the nearby Inca ruins. Cuzco, the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent, was the capital of the Inca Empire and is considered by many Quechua peoples to be the spiritual center of the world. Much of colonial Cuzco was built on Inca foundations, and your guide will point out Inca stonework along the many streets. Visit the main square, the Cathedral, Santo Domingo Church, as well as a first introduction to Inca stonework at the ruins of Puka-Pukara, Qenqo, Tambo Machay, and the renowned fortress of Sacsayhuaman overlooking Cuzco and the surrounding valley. (B)

Day 3: Pisac & Ollantaytambo
This morning, depart with your guide for a full-day excursion to the village and ruins of Pisac located 20 miles from Cuzco. After exploring the ruins you will visit a colorful Indian market where you'll be able to trade with locals for a variety of handicrafts, including woolen sweaters and ponchos. Lunch will be served in Urubamba, followed by a tour of the town and fortress of Ollantaytambo located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. (B,L)

Day 4: Cuzco – Machu Picchu
Set off on a scenic four-hour trip through the Urubamba Valley, followed by a 20-minute bus ride up to the breathtaking "Lost City of the Incas"--Machu Picchu. Set in the saddle of a mountain 1,000 feet above the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu escaped ransacking by the Spaniards. Explore the walls, stairways, temples and terraces with your guide. For the more energetic, a moderate 2-mile hike up to the Sun Gate offers fabulous views overlooking this ancient wonder. Overnight at Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, or for an additional charge, upgrade to the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, located adjacent to the ruins. (B,L)

Day 5: Machu Picchu – Cuzco
Enjoy a full morning visit to the citadel and return to Cuzco in the afternoon. Overnight accommodations at the Hotel Monasterio, breakfast included. (B)

Day 6: Cuzco – Lima - Iquitos - Nauta– Maranon River
Hotel pickup and transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima. Upon arrival, proceed on your own to your connection flight to Iquitos.

Upon arrival at Iquitos International Airport (transfer based on late afternoon arrival), you will be met by your guides. After claiming your luggage, you will board an air-conditioned bus for a scenic 1½-hour drive through the Peruvian countryside to the small village of Nauta, where the M/V Aqua lies at anchor, awaiting your arrival.

The following itinerary is based on travel during the dry season (June-November). A wet season itinerary will be included for travel between December and May.

Take a few moments to settle into your over-sized suite before dinner. Over the next four days, you will sail along several tributaries of the Amazon, as well as on the mighty river itself. You are embarking on a spectacular adventure, to a place visited by only a few of even the most experienced world travelers.

At approximately 8:00 p.m., there will be a routine safety drill. Following that, your Cruise Director and guides will give a brief orientation talk about life on board, where you will go and what you will see on your Amazon journey. Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the world's best. Here it is presented with a touch of European flair, and a vegetarian dish is always available. Raise a glass of fine South American wine to toast the beginning of a beautiful journey, then look out the window and watch the river go by as you experience your first wonderful meal aboard the M/V Aqua. Perhaps enjoy a nightcap on the Upper Deck, under the stars, before retiring. (B,D)

Day 7: Ucayali River/Yanallpa Area
The sumptuous daily breakfast buffet features a broad choice of traditional breakfast egg dishes, plus Peruvian specialties and fresh-squeezed juices.

Around 8:00 this morning you depart for a jungle walk to Yanallpa Lake. You will go in search of the bizarre-looking birds called "hoatzins," which live in huge colonies in a very strange Jurassic Park-like lake. As we hike, your guides will teach you orientation techniques used in the deep jungle. Return to the ship around 11:00 a.m.

At 12:30 p.m. lunch will be served in the air-conditioned dining room.

This afternoon you will cruise the majestic Ucayali River, giving you a chance to see and meet native balseros, or fishermen, who will demonstrate their skill and let you see their catch-including a type of "armored" catfish with a shell-like skin-which they are taking to the market in the small village of Requena. You will also find a "banana balsero" raft, loaded with hundreds of clusters of bananas, drifting down the river to market. Return to the M/V Aqua by 6:00 p.m.

After dinner, there will be a night trip on the Sapote River. Your guides will show you several types of caiman, members of the alligator family, along the fish-rich Sapote River. Chances are good that you will surprise other night-dwelling creatures as well.

Return to the M/V Aqua and sail upstream on the Puinahua River. (B,L,D)

Day 8: Puinahua River/Hatum Posa Lake and Pacaya River
After breakfast (around 8:30 a.m.), set off for a jungle walk near Hatum Posa Village. On this walk, your guides will introduce you to native people doing subsistence farming and will tell you how they learned to cultivate wild plants and trees to earn income. Deep in the primary forest, your guides will also show you the wealth of fruit trees and medicinal plants hidden in the jungle. Return to the ship around 11:00 a.m.

At 12:30 p.m. lunch will be served in the air-conditioned dining room.

Pacaya River Exploration, Plus Night Trip from Ranger Station No. 1 to Yanayacu Lake
In the late afternoon, we will take our skiffs along the Pacaya River, journeying from Ranger Station No. 1 toward Yanayacu Lake, where you can view the abundant life that is hidden in the deep rainforest. You may see saki monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and the easy-to-spot heavy howler monkeys. As the sun sets, you will hear the loud, ferocious sounding warning signals made by howler monkeys marking their territories. When night falls, you will hear the second movement of the Amazon rainforest symphony, as other nocturnal animals send their shrill calls across the tree tops. We will use special spotlight torches to locate night creatures, including, perhaps, huge caimans. Return to the ship around 7:30 pm

Tonight the vessel will be docked by the No. 1 Ranger Station in Pacaya Samiria National Park. (B,L,D)

Day 9: Puinahua/Pacaya River and Carocurahuayte Lake
After breakfast (around 8:30 a.m.), set off for a jungle walk near Hatum Posa Village. On this walk, your guides will introduce you to native people doing subsistence farming and will tell you how they learned to cultivate wild plants and trees to earn income. Deep in the primary forest, your guides will also show you the wealth of fruit trees and medicinal plants hidden in the jungle. Return to the ship around 11:00 a.m. (B,L,D)

Day 10: Iquitos - Lima - Int'l Departure
At 8:30 a.m. there will be one last skiff trip (optional) along the majestic Amazon with a last chance to photograph the wildlife of the jungle. Return to the M/V Aqua. You have time to pack and prepare for the next stage of your journey.

After lunch, you will disembark and transfer to Iquitos for a city tour. Your afternoon in the remote city of Iquitos, accessible only by river or air, will not disappoint. This bustling town, complete with a house built by Gustave Eiffel, was once a rich center of the rubber industry. After the city tour, you will make a stop at San Juan Amazonian Indians' Market for some last-minute shopping.

After the tour, you will transfer to the Iquitos International Airport, where your guides will help you check-in and will wait with you until you flight departs. This schedule is based on a late afternoon flight to Lima. (B,L)

Note: All itineraries are subject to change, due to weather and other conditions. All times indicated are approximate, and are also subject to change.

Contact us to book this tour or customize an itinerary of travel in Peru..