Amazon Basin, Cuzco & Machu
Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Nazca lines
12 days / 11 nights 
From $3665 per person, double occupancy for 2008
All Lost World Adventures itineraries are
privately guided, and may be modified to suit personal
travel dates, interests and budgets.
Day 1: US –
Lima
Airport reception and transfer to your 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
– Puerto Maldonado - Amazon
Basin
Proceed on your own to the National Aiport (located across
the street from your hotel). Fly to Puerto Maldonado and
take a 2-hour motorized canoe trip to Posada
Amazonas on the Bajo Tambopata River. Puerto Maldonado
is situated at the confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios
and Tambopata Rivers and is a bustling tropical frontier
town. Its principal activities are gold mining, collecting
Brazil nuts, extracting timber, agriculture and ecotourism.
After a brief survey of the town depart on the 2-hour
boat trip by motorized canoe to a lodge on the Bajo Tambopata
River. During the voyage look out for bird species typical
of the river or forest edge such as: Black Skimmer, Pied
Lapwing, Capped Heron, Horned Screamer, Bat Falcon, and
several species of kingfishers, swallows and flycatchers.
Posada Amazonas is a comfortable, unobtrusive
23-room lodge owned jointly by Rainforest Expeditions
and the Ese'eja native Community of Tambopata. All rooms
have private bathrooms with cold water. There is no electricity
at the lodge. You will receive a short orientation and
a complete briefing of the lodge and the Ese'eja Ecotourism
Project over dinner. (B,L,D)
Day 3: Posada Amazonas
Rise at dawn to view the spectacular show of color at the
parrot clay lick down river. Hike a short trail to Tres
Chimbadas lake and take a leisurely canoe ride to spot giant
river otters, turtles, hoatzin, and wading birds. Ascend
a 30 meter tower with an internal wooden staircase for superb
observation of a variety of birds including parrots, toucans
and macaws. (B,L,D)
Day 4: Posada
Amazonas – Puerto Maldonado - Cuzco
After an early breakfast return to Puerto Maldonado for
your flight to Cuzco (10,750 ft), the oldest continuously
inhabited city in South America and capital of the Inca
Empire. Overnight accommodations at the centrally located
Posada
del Inca Hotel, or for an additional charge,
upgrade to the Hotel
Monasterio.
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 5: 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 6: 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. Dinner and breakfast buffet included. (B,L,D)
Day 7: Machu
Picchu – Cuzco
Enjoy a full morning visit to the citadel and return to
Cuzco in the afternoon. Overnight accommodations at the
Posada
del Inca Hotel. (B)
Day 8: Cuzco
– Puno
Depart by motorcoach for Puno. Along the way, you will
visit Andahuayillas (with its main church known as the
"Peruvian Sistine Chapel"), Raqchi (with its
temple to the God Viracocha), and the Pucara Ruins.
You will be met at the Puno bus station
and transferred to your hotel. Overnight accommodations
at the Sonesta Posada del Inca Puno. Sitting on the scenic
shores of Lake Titicaca, this new hotel boasts panoramic
views of the lake and a warm ambiance that reflects traditional
Peruvian culture - 2 nights. (B,L)
Day 9: Taquile
Island Boat Tour
This morning depart on a full-day excursion to Taquile
Island, located 28 miles east of Puno in Lake Titicaca.
On the way, you will visit the floating "totora"
islands of the Uro Indians, ancient inhabitants of Lake
Titicaca. The island, inhabited by 1,500 Quechua-speaking
Indians, is world famous for its hand weavings and an
ancient communal way of life. You’ll spend the rest
of the day exploring the island before returning to Puno
in the late afternoon. (B,L)
Day 10: Puno
– Lima
Transfer to Juliaca Airport for your flight to Lima. Overnight
at the Hotel
Antigua
Miraflores. (B,L)
Day 11: Nazca
Lines - Paracas
Early this morning you will be picked-up at your Lima
hotel and depart by private vehicle for Ica, located 186
miles south of Lima. Ica is Peru's principal grape-growing
region. From Ica, you'll depart on a 70-minute round-trip
flight over Ica, Palpa and the mysterious Nazca markings.
You'll marvel at the huge birds and animals, geometrical
lines resembling landing fields, and other figures. In
the afternoon, visit the Huacachina Lagoon, a lush oasis
in the dunes, and take a tour of the Ica Regional Museum
with its fascinating collection of mummies, pottery and
textiles from the Paracas and Nazca cultures. Afterward,
you'll depart for the beautiful oasis town of Paracas.
Overnight at the Hotel Paracas, breakfast included. (B)
Day 12: Ballestas
Islands – Lima
After breakfast, you'll enjoy a yacht cruise to the Ballestas
Islands, inhabited by thousands of guano birds and sea
lions. On the way to the islands, look back at the mainland
at Paracas' gigantic candelabra on the cliff overlooking
the bay. Afterward, return to Paracas and visit Lagunillas,
in the Paracas National Reserve. This afternoon you will
return to your Lima by private vehicle, stopping for lunch
at San Jose in Chincha, a beautiful colonial hacienda
built during the 17th-century.
Transfer to the Lima international airport
for your departing flight. (B)
Contact
us to book this or to request a customized itinerary of travel in Peru.
