Day 1

Arrive Lima

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 airport hotel and enjoy the day to explore the sights of this colonial capital on your terms.

Trip Summary Accomodation Icon Hotel - Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport

Day 2

Traverse the Inkaterra Forest

This morning, we fly to Puerto Maldonado (internal flight included) and embark on a journey on the Madre de Rios River to our jungle lodge. where we meet our guides for the Inkaterra Field Station. Join a Local Specialist for insights into the forest, then keep a keen eye out for shy caiman during a pre-dinner boat expedition. 

Trip Summary Accomodation Icon Hotel - Inkaterra Field Station

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3

Step Into the Mystical Amazon

Climb the exhilarating Inkaterra Canopy Walkway for an unforgettable opportunity to observe the rainforest from its rooftop. Deep within the rain forest, we enjoy the company of mischievous monkeys cavorting among the trees of Monkey Island. A short boat ride takes us into the Tambopata National Reserve where we’ll hike through the thick jungle, admiring towering green walls of vegetation, the cacophony of birdcalls and the dappled light that filters through the canopy above. Arrive at Sandoval Lake, where you may spot a wide variety of birds, monkeys, giant river otters, black caimans and the elusive anaconda. The perfect end to our day sees us watch the sun set over the lake before heading back to our lodge for dinner.

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4

Encounter the Biodiversity of the Amazon

Discover the Amazon’s otherworldly realm of aguajales rainforest swampland during your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and learn how vegetation has adapted to the exotic species that are drawn here as you Connect With Locals. Here you will also get a chance to visit our organic bio-orchard to discover many of the rainforest’s tropical plants up-close and learn of their healing capabilities. Boldly venture out at night to discover some of the strange species that come alive under deep darkness in the Amazon with our Local Specialist. Stroll quietly as your senses heighten to the mysterious nocturnal sounds of birds, mammals, insects and amphibians wondering close by.

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5

Parrots and Puerto Maldonado

This morning, embark on an excursion to a popular feeding area for multi-coloured parrots. After breakfast, we head back to Puerto Maldonado as your Amazon experience comes to an end. On arrival in Lima, you’ll be transferred to your hotel in the exclusive barrio of San Isidro where you’ll enjoy a Welcome Reception this evening to meet your Travel Director and travel companions.

Trip Summary Accomodation Icon Hotel - Novotel

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Welcome Reception

Day 6

Lima Sightseeing

Ease in to Lima life with a leisurely morning to enjoy the city. Next, you’ll connect with the colonial heritage of Francisco Pizzaro’s 'City of Kings', joining your Local Specialist for a city tour that reveals Lima’s colonial splendour. Admire the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre and see the Church of San Francisco, delving into its hidden catacombs, religious art museum and extensive library. Later, you’ll embark on a scenic walk through Miraflores with your Travel Director and soak up the local sights and sounds.

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast

Day 7

Lima – Cusco – Sacred Valley

We'll fly to Cusco this morning, the gateway to Peru's treasured Sacred Valley, where you will enjoy a local Peruvian lunch with sweeping views of the Sacred Valley. Then we'll Dive Into Culture, meeting a Shaman who will perform a special ceremony to welcome us to Peru. Tonight, you'll stay at our Stays With Stories hotel along the banks of the Vilcanota River, on the grounds of an old 17th-century colonial hacienda. It is great for morning birders and afternoon walks in the gardens.

Trip Summary Accomodation Icon Hotel - Aranwa Sacred Valley

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8

Sacred Valley

Connect With Locals over a Be My Guest experience lunch, learn about the culture surrounding the production of Giant White Corn. Our hosts will demonstrate the differences between traditional farming techniques and the newer technologies used today. Revel in the romance of the local Marinera dance and local musicans. This evening, meet Local Specialist, Peter Frost, a writer, photographer and independent scholar who has explored the Andes and Amazon for 47 years, locating and investigating the previously unknown Inca and pre-Inca site of Qoriwayrachina. He currently resides in Peru and works as an accompanying expert for National Geographic Expeditions.

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Be My Guest

Day 9

Sacred Valley – Machu Picchu

Visit the mystical Incan stronghold of Ollantaytambo, en route to Machu Picchu, a village in the Sacred Valley, set on the Urubamba River amid majestic mountains. It's known for the Ollantaytambo ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces on a hillside. Then, ascend to the Lost City in the Clouds aboard the Vistadome train (light snack included) travelling along the Inca Trail, where you can view hikers and porters along the way. Here you will delve into the mysteries of this once-great civilisation, joining your Local Specialist for an exploration of the temples, palaces and terraces whose construction defy imagination. Visit the iconic great Temple of the Sun, the House of the Priest, the Sacred Plaza and the intricately carved Intihuatana, most likely used as a sundial centuries ago. We return to our hotel where we will Connect With Locals and learn how to prepare an authentic Ceviche and pour the perfect Pisco sour.

Trip Summary Accomodation Icon Hotel - Sumaq

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

Day 10

Machu Picchu – Cusco

The ruins of Machu Picchu beckon yet again and we enjoy one final opportunity to reconnect with its story, spending some time on our own to explore the hill-top fortress. Next, we’ll journey back to the Sacred Valley by train, stopping en route to Cusco to Dive Into Culture and learn about the natural dyeing techniques used by native weavers. Visit the Pisac handicraft market followed by sampling the sweet flavours of chicha as we Dive Into Culture yet again, savouring the favourite drink of the Andes. Then a Stays With Stories tonight, in what was once an old, colonial Hacienda located in the historic centre of Cusco.

Trip Summary Accomodation Icon Hotel - Novotel

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast

Day 11

Cusco Sightseeing

Begin your day at the ruins of the UNESCO-listed Sacsayhuaman fortress overlooking Cusco. Your Local Specialist will guide you through Cusco’s colonial centre. Later, you’ll join another Local Specialist who will reveal insights into the nearby 13th-century Incan settlement of Qoriwayrachina. The afternoon is free.

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast

Day 12

Cusco – Juliaca – Puno

Fly to Juliaca and meet a Local Specialist to learn about daily life on the Peruvian altiplano. After an included lunch, we’ll visit Sillustani, a pre-Incan burial ground on the shores of Lake Umayo. Explore the towering chullpas (above ground tombs) before travelling to Puno along the shores of Lake Titicaca, the birthplace of the sun.

Trip Summary Accomodation Icon Hotel - GHL Lake Titicaca

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch

Day 13

Lake Titicaca Excursion

Connect With Locals as you cruise the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca, passing floating islands constructed by the Uros Indians. Next, in the midst of South America’s largest lake lies Taquile Island, where we’ll Dive Into Culture and embark on a private tour to gain insights into the tradition of knitting and weaving for which the local villagers - men and women - are renowned. Enjoy a lunch here and learn more about the islanders’ unique way of life upon islets make of totora reeds, which grow in the lake, and are attached to sticks driven into the bottom of the lake. Tonight, we indulge in a Regional Dinner at our favourite local restaurant in Puno.

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Regional Dinner

Day 14

Puno – Juliaca – Lima – Paracas

Return to Lima this morning, then continue your journey to the coastal playground of Paracas. Discover what life is like in Peru’s rural countryside before arriving to Paracas for dinner at your seaside hotel and an evening at leisure. Perhaps there’s even time for a stroll along the Malecon.

Trip Summary Accomodation Icon Hotel - Aranwa

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 15

Paracas – Nazca Lines Flight

Take to the skies, soaring above the coastal desert to see the enigmatic Nazca Lines, gigantic geometric designs viewable only from the air. Next, stop this afternoon at our Dive Into Culture, the Regional Museum of Ica, where we’ll explore the centuries-old cultures of the Paracas and Nazca. Later, we will once again Dive Into Culture during a visit to Bodega El Catador to learn about and taste the finest pisco in the country. The rest of the day is free.

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast

Day 16

Paracas – Ballestas Islands – Lima

This morning, connect with nature with a Local Specialist, cruising around the uninhabited Ballestas Islands, a 'mini-Galapagos' teeming with wildlife. See the mysterious Candelabra in Pisco Bay, then return to Lima where this evening, we’ll visit the Larco Museum with a Local Specialist. Our journey almost at its end, we’ll indulge in a festive Farewell Dinner in the museum’s garden restaurant.

Trip Summary Accomodation Icon Hotel - Novotel

Trip Summary Meals Icon Included Meals - Breakfast, Farewell Dinner

Day 17

Depart Lima

Say hasta luego to Peru and its ancient treasures, and take transfer to the airport for your flight home or consider extending your holiday in Lima at the Novotel Lima.