 | Green Planet Expedition’s
Peru Adventure
Amazon to Machu Pichu
Sample Itinerary |
DAY 1 LIMA
We arrive late at night at Lima International Airport, where we’ll meet a Mondo Verde/Green Planet Expeditions representative and transfer to hotel Olivar***** located in the elegant district of San Isidro for our overnight accommodations.
Meals aloft. DAY 2 PUERTO MALDONADO - POSADA AMAZONAS
Upon arrival from Lima or Cuzco, reception and transfer to the Tambopata River port in Puerto Maldonado. Puerto Maldonado is situated at the confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers and 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 offices we will depart on a 30 minute drive to the Infierno Community port, followed by 45 minutes boat journey by motorized canoe to Posada Amazonas. Depending on the arrival time of the plane we will have a boxed lunch aboard the boats or have lunch upon arrival at Posada Amazonas.
During our voyage we may see bird species typical of the river or forest edge such as: Black Skimmer, Pied Lapwing, Capped Heron, Jabiru Stork, Roadside Hawk, and several species of kingfishers, swallows and flycatchers. When we arrive at Posada Amazonas we will unpack and unwind. Posada Amazonas is a comfortable yet unobtrusive 30 room lodge owned by the Community of Infierno and managed with Rainforest Expeditions.
We will receive a short orientation and a complete briefing on the lodge before our afternoon activity: the canopy tower. In this activity, we will visit a 35 meter scaffolding tower that is 15 minutes walking from the lodge. The scaffolding tower is built so that you safely climb using the internal staircase. From the top you not only get spectacular views of the river and the surrounding forest but also excellent opportunities to observe birds from the canopy including parrots, toucans and macaws. A video about the forest of Tambopata will be displayed after dinner.
L, D DAY 3 POSADA AMAZONAS-TAMBOPATA RESEARCH CENTER
We will be up at dawn for a visit to the Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake. After an early breakfast we depart, fifteen minutes from Posada Amazonas by boat and a 30 minute walk take us to the lake shore. From here we take a long, easy canoe ride around it. We will look for giant river otters, turtles, hoatzin, and wading birds. The giant river otters that are seen in Tres Chimbadas belong to a resident family of nine. As we approach noon, animal activity decreases, and we will continue travel up the Tambopata River for 6 hours into the pristine heart of the reserve. After the first hour we will leave the final traces of human habitation behind as we cross the northern boundary of the 700,000 hectare, completely uninhabited nucleus of the Tambopata National Reserve. Differences in wildlife abundance will be noted immediately: we will begin to sight macaws, herons, and kingfishers frequently and improve our chances of encounters with capybaras, caiman, storks, ducks and other wildlife.
We will eat a boxed lunch on the boat. We will arrive at Tambopata Research Center in the afternoon, being greeted by the Chicos, our flock of semi-wild, rescued macaws. On arrival, we will hold an orientation session. After this we will hike the 1.5 mile Bamboo Trail, a trail that passes above the clay cliff and has beautiful views of the Tambopata winding its way down from the Andes. It is also the home of the frequently found Howler and Dusky titi monkeys. These are also good places to observe canopy birds like tanagers, jacamars, elaenias, guans, and oropendolas. We will return to TRC for dinner. After dinner, to cap off a fulfilling day we can have a frog walk through the forest, allowing the photo lovers to take macro shots of American bullfrogs, horned frogs, tree frogs and an incredible variety of colourful insects.
B,L,D DAY 4 TAMBOPATA RESEARCH CENTER
At dawn we will cross the river and enjoy the world's largest macaw clay lick where hundreds of parrots and macaws of up to 15 species congregate daily. The January 1994 issue of National Geographic features an article on Tambopata Research Center and the Tambopata Macaw Project. It begins with a description of the daily spectacle at the clay lick: " When the morning sun clears the Amazon tree line in south-eastern Peru and strikes a grey-pink clay bank on the upper Tambopata River, one of the world's most dazzling wildlife gatherings is nearing its riotous peak. The steep bank has become a pulsing, 130-foot-high palette of red, blue, yellow and green as more than a thousand parrots squabble over choice perches to grab a beakful of clay, a vital but mysterious part of their diet. More than a dozen parrot species will visit the clay lick throughout the day, but this midmorning crush belongs to the giants of the parrot world, the macaws." You can expect to see ten to twelve of the following members of the parrot family: Red-and-green, Blue-and-gold, Scarlet, Red-bellied, Chestnut-fronted and Blue-headed Macaws; Mealy and Yellow-crowned Amazons; Blue-headed, Orange-cheeked and White-bellied Parrots; Dusky-headed, White-eyed, Cobalt-winged and Tui Parakeets and Dusky-billed Parrotlets. This show will continue until the macaws sense danger, usually in the form of an eagle, and depart simultaneously in an explosion of sound and colour. Around mid-morning, when the most intense clay lick activity is over for the day, we will return to TRC for breakfast..
After breakfast we will hike the 1.5 mile Ocelot Trail, a trail which exemplifies the quintessential rainforest . Although at this time of day mammals and birds are not as active as in the early morning, we will concentrate on the forest itself and discuss general rain forest ecology. This forest, which is estimated to be 200 to 300 years old and includes truly huge Ceiba trees and Strangler figs is home to several mammals that are occasionally encountered: Saddleback tamarins, Squirrel and Brown Capuchin Monkeys and Collared peccary. This trail is the one which most often sports ocelot, puma and jaguar tracks, although any one of these three large cats is extremely difficult to spot. We will return to TRC for lunch and take a short five minute boat ride to a small, drying oxbow lake where we will spend the morning on a platform in the middle of the pond observing some of its birdlife, which may include hoatzin, duck, ibis, woodpeckers, chachalaca, parakeets, oropendolas and numerous flycatcher species. After a lazy afternoon at the pond we will hike back to the lodge for dinner and a presentation on the macaw project.
B,L,D DAY 5 TAMBOPATA RESEARCH CENTER - POSADA AMAZONAS
We will wake up at dawn once again to visit the macaw clay lick and then return for breakfast. After breakfast we will take a short hike on one of our trails, before returning to TRC and embark to Posada Amazonas, arriving at mid-afternoon. We will spend our last night in the rain forest in this wonderfully designed lodge enjoying its happy hour as we ponder over the exciting happenings of the past few days.
B,L,D DAY 6 POSADA AMAZONAS – CUZCO – SACRED VALLEY
After breakfast, we return to Puerto Maldonado’s airport for a mid-morning flight to Cuzco (30 min.). After arrival in Cuzco we meet a Mondo Verde Expeditions representative and transfer to hotel Libertador***** for hot tea and restrooms. We return to our bus for our one-hour drive to the Willka T’ika Guesthouse located in Sacred Valley. Box lunch. After arrival at the guest house time to relax and acclimatize. Situated near the village of Urubanba in the Sacred Valley, this wonderful guesthouse offers grace and comfort enhanced by the magical aura of the Andes. The guest cottages at Willka T’ika are newly-built in traditional 16th-century Spanish colonial style. Constructed from natural materials and indigenous handwork that has been used by Peruvians for thousands of years, each room has a private bathroom connected to solar water panels. The gardens are breathtaking, lavishly filled with flowers, shrubs, and flowering plants, along with Andean medicinal herbs and indigenous grains and vegetables. Willka T’ika offers gourmet meals prepared with organic, homegrown vegetables, herbs, and Andean grains.
Before dinner, we’ll visit with a Spiritual Quechua leader to learn about Inca religion, traditional healing practices and story telling.
B,L,D included. DAY 7 PISAC RUINS – OLLANTAYTAMBO
From Willka T’ika we will drive to the ruins of Pisac located in the Sacred Valley. The ruins are located on a mountain top, 2 1/2 miles away from town and are surrounded by some of the most impressive Inca terraces in all of Peru. These terraces are still being used for farming today.
From Pisac we drive to a private hacienda for a gourmet lunch. Hacienda Huayo-Ccari was built in the 1950s by one of the most prestigious families in Cuzco. From the hacienda’s wonderful gardens we’ll enjoy splendid views of the valley below. The hacienda also houses a fine collection of antiques and folk art.
Later in the afternoon we drive down the Sacred Valley to discover Ollantaytambo, a fortress and town that acted as the first defense for Cuzco against incursions from the jungle tribes to the north. The town stands at a strategic location at the northern end of the gentle valley, the point where the valley narrows and the river begins its steep decent to the Amazon Basin. One of the most interesting aspects of the town is its street plan, which has survived much as the Incas designed it hundreds of years ago.
Late afternoon return to Willka T’ika Guesthouse for overnight.
B,L,D included DAY 8 CHINCHERO TEXTILES - CERAMIC WORKSHOP
After an early breakfast the group will travel to Chinchero. This typical Andean village is located in one of the most spectacular high plateaus with tremendous views of the Cordillera Vilcabamba Mountain range as well as the majestic Salkantay Mountain (almost 20,000ft.) We will have an opportunity to photograph the magnificent views, the village and also the Inca ruins located in the hillside and Main Square.
Later we will visit the home of artist and master weaver Nilda Callañaupa. Peruvian textiles, recently believed to be a generation away from extinction, are making a surprising comeback. The revival of the country's 2,000-year-old weaving techniques is largely due to Nilda Callañaupa, who is working with six mountain villages to resurrect symbolic patterns and avoid the use of garish chemical dyes and synthetic yarns. We will enjoy a highly educational weaving demonstration; learn about wool spinning, natural dyes, traditional patters and weaving techniques used in this region of the Andes. Our visit will also provide the group with great photo opportunities. Lunch at the home of Nilda so the group will have time to interact with weavers.
After lunch the group will have the opportunity to have a hands on weaving experience under the supervision of Nilda’s staff and weavers.
Later in the afternoon the group will return to the Sacred Valley. Before arrival at our hotel we will visit Seminario’s ceramic studio.
Along with his contemporary works, the Seminario’s and their artisans produce ceramics with the same techniques used during Incan times. Pablo, Marilu or an associate, will describe the techniques used and we can watch the artisans at work. The Seminario’s also have a small shop where we can purchase a variety of attractive and well-designed items. In 07 the Field Museum of Chicago purchased a group of ceramics from the studio. They will be featured at the museum during an exhibit that will highlight the history of Peruvian ceramics from pre-Inca to contemporary times.
Later in the evening we return to Willka T’ika Guesthouse for dinner and overnight.
B,L,D included. DAY 9 SACRED VALLEY – MACHU PICCHU
After a very early breakfast we will be picked up at our hotel to begin our journey to Machu Picchu - the "Lost City of the Incas". After a short drive to Ollantaytambo, we will board our train for the Putucusi Rail Station where we will climb a final 2,000 feet by minibus to the citadel of Machu Picchu. Rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911, Machu Picchu was unknown to the Spaniards. Its reason for existence remains under debate. Some argue it was built and populated by the family of one Inca ruler, Pachakkutek; others have proposed the principal function of Machu Picchu was to maintain a reliable supply of coca leaves for the priests and royals of Cuzco. Bingham fostered the school of thought that the city existed primarily for strategic and defensive purposes, but other findings support the hypothesis that Machu Picchu was a university where the children of the leaders of other Andean cultures conquered by the Incas were taken to be taught and brainwashed. At any rate, as we wander through the maze of empty plazas, chambers and dwellings saddled atop steep mountainsides, we will be unable to resist our own speculations at the impenetrable mystery of these stones. After lunch and thoroughly exploring the significance of a variety of stone structures and ruins, we will descend to the village of Aguas Calientes. Overnight at the Pueblo hotel.
The Pueblo hotel is the winner of the National Geographic Traveler Best Practices Award for Sustainable Tourism Practices. (May/June 2002 issue)
B,L,D DAY 10 MACHU PICCHU – CUZCO (Free day)
Full day to explore the magnificent trails at the hotel, relax and enjoy the hotel’s spa services. The Pueblo hotel is situated on five hectares of cloud forest considered to be a genetic bank. It is surrounded by spectacular scenery and a wealth of biodiversity. The Pueblo hotel has the world largest native species orchid garden open to the public. The hotel grounds is home to 372 species of native orchids, 162 different bird species—36% of all the bird species recorded at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary can be seen in the Hotel gardens. There are 16 hummingbird species and other awe-inspiring species including the Peruvian Cock of the Rock, the golden-headed quetzal, the aquatic Mirlo, the highland motmot, and the white-capped dipper. The hotel grounds is home to 108 butterfly species, more than 200 species of trees and a great variety of reptiles and mammals, including two spectacled bears. The hotel offers a wide variety of ecotourism activities that promote contact with nature and the local culture, and implements projects for researching and conserving the local flora and fauna, in cooperation with prestigious international institutions.
Later in the afternoon we’ll walk to the train station for our return to Cuzco. The journey to Cuzco takes about 4 hours by train. We’ll transfer hotel Libertador***** for dinner and overnight.
B,L,D DAY 11 CUZCO CITY TOUR
After breakfast we depart on a city tour. At 11,200 feet above sea level, Cuzco is the heart of Tahuantinsuyo, Peru’s pre- Colombian Empire. Cuzco today is the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America, a fascinating and colorful combination of the past and the present. After lunch we’ll enjoy a guided city tour.
Among the sites that we’ll visit in Cuzco on our city tour are:
Santo Domingo. This church is built over what once was the most magnificent temple in the Americas, Coricancha, or the Temple of the Sun. The Inca temple’s courtyards once held life-sized gold and silver representations of all the flora and fauna of the Empire. Pizarro’s men looted the temple to extract the royal ransom for the Inca king Atahualpa, who was held prisoner in Cajamarca by the Spaniards and later killed. An earthquake destroyed the Santo Domingo church in 1950 revealing the Inca walls that had been hidden or plastered over. The walls of the Temple of the Sun are the finest example of Inca stonework in existence.
The Cathedral. Located in the northeast side of the Plaza de Armas, the cathedral dates back to 1550. It contains over four hundred twelfth-century paintings done by the members of the renowned Cuzco School. The Lord of the Earthquakes altar weighs over 52 pounds and is made of solid gold and studded with precious stones. The main altar is covered with sheets of silver.
Plaza de Armas. The Plaza is called “Huacaypata” by the Quechuas, a word that translates “cry” or “moan,” signifying the expressions of reverence and submission with which the religious or military ceremonies were carried out in this place. Colonial arcades, along with remains of ancient Inca temples, today surround the plaza.
Sacsayhuaman. Located two kilometers from the city of Cuzco, the immense walls of the Sacsayhuaman complex consist of huge stones distributed in a zigzag pattern in three platforms with an average length of 1,181 feet. These platforms are connected by flights of stairs and doorways also in stone; one of the doors is 29 feet tall and 15 feet wide and weighs more than 100 tons. The largest stone block found in Sacsayhuaman stands almost 28 feet high and weighs 361 tons. Inca Pachacuti employed 20,000 men for the construction of the complex, which took approximately 50 years to complete.
Tambomachay.- Apparently, Tambomachay was one of the favorite resting-places of the Incas. Used as a watering place, it was also one of the pillars of the defense system of the Valley of Cuzco. The site consists of a set of stone structures finely carved, aqueducts and water falls originating from near springs and thermal sources.
Following our return to the city of Cuzco for lunch, we have a free afternoon for relaxation and shopping for traditional art and fine alpaca garments. Dinner in the city of Cuzco and overnight at hotel Libertador*****.
B,L,D included DAY 12 CUZCO – LIMA – USA
After breakfast transfer to Cuzco airport for flight to Lima. After arrival in Lima we transfer to hotel Olivar. Afternoon free to relax. Tanta restaurant is only half a block away from the hotel where you can have a very nice meal before transferring to the airport for flight out.
B Included |
