Amazon and Andes Odyssey

On arrival in Lima and after clearing customs, you’ll just walk across the road to the airport hotel for a transit night before continuing on to Puerto Maldonado in the morning where your real adventure begins. If you want time to explore Lima, it is possible to add additional time before or after the trip.

Return to the terminal via the walkway in time to catch the flight out to Puerto Maldonado in the early morning. On your arrival, you’ll be met by your guide and transferred to the Tambopata River port in Puerto Maldonado. Situated at the confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers, Puerto Maldonado is a bustling, booming tropical frontier town. Its principal activities are gold mining, Brazil nut collecting, timber extraction, agriculture, and ecotourism. After a brief stop at our local office (where extra luggage may be left if necessary), it’s another 30-minute drive to the Infierno Community River Port. From here, embark on a 2-1/2 to 3-hour boat journey by motorized canoe to Refugio Amazonas, enjoying a boxed lunch aboard the boat along the way. During the voyage, look for any of a number of different bird species such as the black skimmer, the pied lapwing, the capped heron, the jabiru stork, the roadside hawk, and several species of kingfishers, swallows, and flycatchers. On arrival at the lodge, there will be a short orientation and a complete briefing on the lodge before dinner. After dinner this evening, head out with a guide to search for caimans.

Please note: Daily activities at the Amazon Lodge are subject to change, and the exact program may differ from what is listed here.

The Tambopata National Reserve and the adjacent Bahuaje-Sonene National Park are home to over 20,000 plant species, over 900 species of birds, 91 mammals, 1,630 butterflies, 127 amphibians and reptiles, and much more. It is also a haven for the Amazon’s largest, most spectacular and most endangered predators – the jaguar, the giant otter, the harpy eagle, and the black caiman. Hopefully, you will see some of them. Please ask your guide for all the options.

For the next two days, there is a huge variety of options to choose from. The jungle is usually alive very early in the morning so try to get out pre-dawn and explore, as this will be your best chance to see wildlife. There are monkeys, birds, giant otters, ants galore, and a chance to learn about the rainforest from your expert resident guides either on foot or by dugout canoe. There will be plenty of time for a siesta to avoid the hottest part of the day. You can then take a canoe trip on a lake or explore more trails and catch a beautiful sunset over the Amazon basin. The evening can be free to relax or for those still eager to see wildlife there are two more options: either head out on foot in search of nocturnal mammals or take a canoe in the hope of glimpsing the rare black caimans that inhabit the nearby water.

Arise at dawn this morning for a visit to a small parakeet clay lick. Dozens, often hundreds, of blue-headed parrots, orange-cheeked parrots, cobalt-winged parakeets, and sometimes even the rare rock parakeet congregate here on clear days to ingest clay. This congregation creates a riotous and colorful wildlife spectacle where the greens, oranges, reds, and blues of the parrots dance around the bank competing for their choice of clay. Return to the lodge for breakfast and continue with activities from the lodge.

This morning, return by motorized dugout canoe to Puerto Maldonado and transfer to the airport for a spectacular flight over the rain forest to Cusco, located high in the Andes near 11,000 feet. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your local hotel followed by an easy afternoon walking tour of the ancient city and the four extraordinary nearby ruins, Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay.

Starting from the Plaza de Armas, visit many of the city’s historical sites, see Incan stone walls serving as the foundations of Spanish architecture, and tour the cathedral built atop the ruins of an Incan temple. Cusco was the head of the Incan Empire and was built in the shape of a puma. The city itself is the puma’s body, and the enormous Sacsayhuaman ruins represent the head and teeth. The largest and most impressive of Sacsayhuaman’s original rocks are still in place, though only about 20 percent of the original site remains today. Qenko, meaning zig-zag, consists of a large limestone rock covered with carvings with mysterious caves and altars below and zig-zag walls and channels thought to have been used for ritual sacrifices. Puca Pucara, or red fort, is a small site that appears red when viewed in the right light. Tambo Machay, another small site, is known locally as “El Bano del Inca,” or the Incan bath, as it has beautiful ceremonial stone fountains and bathing pools. For lunch and dinner, select among the variety of great places to eat in the city. Overnight in Cusco.

Spend the day visiting the Sacred Valley, including the picturesque market at Pisac. Pisac is famous for its traditional Sunday market where locals barter for food, clothing, animals, and other supplies. It is open every day, and there are always many local textiles and crafts for sale on any day of the week. Continue down the Urubamba Valley to Ollantaytambo. Ollanta, as it is also called, is remembered as one of the few places that the Spanish lost a major battle during their conquest. It is 200 steps straight up the stone stairway to the top of the huge Incan fortress, which offers great views. The unfinished temple at the top was still being built when the Spanish eventually conquered the area. This is also a good site to see Incan city planning in the town below: each cancha (block) had one entrance to the central courtyard from which individual homes were entered. Overnight in Ollanta.

After breakfast, take the 1 ½-hour Vistadome train ride from Ollanta to Machu Picchu, the ‘lost citadel’ of the Incas (baggage limit on PeruRail is 11 lbs.) From the station at Aguas Calientes, it’s another 30 minutes (five miles) by bus up to the entrance of the site. Enjoy an afternoon guided tour of the ruins with time afterward for individual exploration. Be sure to read about Machu Picchu in advance to fully appreciate the trained guide’s expertise. Stumbled upon by accident in 1911, it remains a mysterious site, as there are no Spanish records, Incan legends, or oral histories to explain its history or uses. Elegant ornamental stonework hints at the possibility of Machu Picchu’s importance as a ceremonial center. Overnight at a lovely lodge in the cloud forest near Aguas Calientes. The elevation at Machu Picchu is 7,900 feet.

One-Day Inca Trail Trek Option:
For those with some interest in light trekking, we also offer a one-day Inca Trail Trek. Take the train toward Machu Picchu and disembark at kilometer marker 104 to cross the hanging bridge to the Chachabamba site. After a brief visit, begin a 3-4 hour ascent to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna, an important ritual site. The Inca Trail cuts across the ridge above Machu Picchu to the Gate of the Sun for a first awe-inspiring glimpse of Machu Picchu. Total hiking time is about six hours. Bookings must be made at least 90 days in advance.

Rise early and explore the ruins at a leisurely pace before the tourist crowds arrive. Climb the steep path (optional) to Huayna Picchu for a spectacular view of the ruins. Consider taking some time to shop at the Machu Picchu market in Aguas Calientes or take a walk in the cloud forest from the lodge. In the afternoon, take the four-hour ride back to Cusco on the Vistadome train through the spectacular scenery of the Urubamba Valley. You will be met at the station and transferred to your Cusco hotel.

This morning, transfer to the airport for the flight to Lima.  You can choose to select an additional add on: a tour in Lima andLima airport hotel room. Upon arrival in Lima, be met and transferred to your hotel dayroom. Take a city tour of Lima, then later in the day, transfer to the airport for the international flight to the U.S.