ANDES / AMAZON COMBO

This is a bare minimum 10-day itinerary; we can also comfortably extend for 2-3 weeks to allow more than just a minimal visit.

 

Day 1

Fly to Cusco.
After clearing baggage security in Cusco Airport, look for your guide in the parking lot waiting area, holding up a sign with your name on it.

Transfer in
Afternoon guided excursion to Sacsahuaman National Park and other sites near Cusco

Cusco Hotel Casa Andina www.casa-andina.com

Day 2

Full day guided excursion in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, including Ollantaytambo Inca Citadel and the native bazaar at Pisaq.

Hotel Casa Andina
(Breakfast and Lunch included)

Day 3

Transfer to train station; train to Machu Picchu.  Meet your private guide at Aguas Calientes train station.
El Sanctuario http://www.santuariohotel.com/spanish/sh006.html
(Breakfast included)

Day 4

Return to Machu Picchu on your own, entrance pass and bus tickets included.
Afternoon train departs late afternoon to Cusco
Transfer in Hotel Casa Andina
(Breakfast included)

Day 5

Transfer to Cusco Airport
Fly to Lima then to Iquitos.
After clearing baggage security in Iquitos Airport exit the nearest door, look for our staff in the parking lot waiting area, wearing uniforms and tee shirts with our logo (head of a hoatzin bird in a diamond shape).
Transfer in
Speedboat transfer (note–is 4 hours) up the Amazon, then the Tahuayo tributary to our lodge.
Evening excursion

(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)

Days 6-7

From the main lodge

Guided excursions in and around the Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve. Every day your guide will discuss a selection of activities that you can choose to do. There is no extra cost for a private guide or customizing your itinerary to your needs and interests.
The main lodge has the greater variety of excursions of our two lodges.  The following is but a sample list:

Canopy platforms and zip lines

Hike into varzea forest behind lodge; highly probable to see pygmy marmosets, owl monkeys, yellow-crowned brush-tailed rates, wire-tailed manakins, barber bees. Also possible to see black tamarins, saddle-backed tamarins, trogons.

Hike to Lake Tapaje, explore by canoe.

Canoe into tahuampa forest (flooded forest), canoe past giant ficus trees, see hoatzin birds, horned screamers, look for caiman on the observation platform.

Motorboat to terra firme forest, hike into frog valley.  See beautiful little poison dart frogs, which were studied by scientists from Uppsala University (Sweden) September-November 2013. See bat cave; braver people can crawl through the bat cave.

Motorboat to Lake Charo to see pink dolphins, swimming. En route look for squirrel monkeys, sloths, raptors.

Fish for piranha.

Visit the native village of El Chino. Visit artisania cooperative. Visit with a shaman. Visit farm. Visit school.

(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)

Days 8-9

To the Amazon Research Center lodge, ARC

The Research Center is more remote.  On the boat ride to the Research Center Peru Lodge, we stop to see bats, sloths, monkeys, raptors, toucans. We have over 100 km of hiking trails from the research center, most of the trails are laid out in a grid to facilitate the scientific collection of population data. The trails go through several ecosystems, including bajial, high and low restinga, palm swamp and terra firme. We can see many different species of monkeys, including brown and white capuchins, saki monkeys, titi monkeys, squirrel monkeys, pygmy marmosets, moustached tamarins, saddle-backed tamarins, and sometimes uakaris, as well as giant tayra weasels and tamandua anteaters.  Data collected from camera traps also reveal a high density of jaguars live here but these are rarely seen.

Boating the various lakes and rivers from the research center we often see caiman as well as the highly endangered giant river otters.

Hiking to Lake Yarina (full day) we can see hoatzins on their nests, blue and yellow macaws and howler monkeys.

(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)

Day 10

Morning excursion
Afternoon motorboat to Iquitos.
Transfer to airport, fly to Lima.

(Breakfast and Lunch included)

All land as below: $2,295 per person (based on double occupancy)

The Andes portion includes all transfers, all lodging (very nice 3 star), meals as below, small group guided excursions, and with a private guide for Machu Picchu, taxes and entrance fees

Includes all in Amazon (all transfers, lodging, meals, private guided excursions–customized to your liking, entrance fees, port taxes, tips). Optional expenses only: cola or beer drinks, souvenirs, laundry

Airfare not included; we do have discounted rates on Lan Airlines, Per’s most reliable carrier.