Classic Machu Picchu and Refugio Amazonas

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Lima.

Depart to Lima. After passing through immigration and customs, proceed to the reception area, where our inbound services representative will be holding a sign with your name on it. You will be greeted and then transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Lima.

Day 2: Lima-City Tour.

In the afternoon, you will have a city tour of Lima. The tour begins in Miraflores with a stop at the Parque del Amor, a seaside park with a huge statue of a kissing couple and continues with a drive by of the Huaca Huallamarca, a restored adobe pyramid dating from the pre-Inca period located in San Isidro. The next stop is the Plaza de Armas in downtown Lima, where you will visit City Hall (Palacio Municipal), the Government Palace (Palacio de Gobierno), and the Cathedral of Lima. The last stop is the Convent of Santo Domingo. Following the tour, you will be returned to your hotel. Overnight in Lima. (B)

Day 3: Lima-Cusco-City Tour.

Early morning transfer to the airport for the flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. Because of the high altitude (10,912 feet above sea level), we recommend that you rest for a short period. In the afternoon, you will have a city tour that includes a walk-through of the Cathedral, the Koricancha (‘site of gold’), typical streets, and the four ruins that surround the city: the Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Kenko, Puca Pucara, and Tampumachay. Overnight in Cusco. (B)

Day 4: Cusco-Sacred Valley-Awanakancha-Pisac Market-Ollantaytambo.

Today you will have a full-day excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The tour begins at Awanakancha, a living museum of the Peruvian Andes, where you can observe traditional textile dyeing and weaving techniques and the four types of camelids that are native to the region. You will also visit the Indian artisan market in Pisac and have lunch at a local restaurant (included). The last stop is the impressive Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo that served as both a fortress and ceremonial center, and is the site of a short-lived victory by the Incas over the Spanish. Overnight in Cusco. (B,L)

Note: The Indian market is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from October to March, and daily from April to September. On the days of the week that the market is not open, you will be taken to the Inca ruins above the village.

Day 5: Cusco-Machu Picchu.

Early morning transfer to the train station for the ride to Machu Picchu, ‘the Lost City of the Incas’ (7,900 feet). This mountaintop citadel, which served as both a center of worship and an astronomic observatory, is located in the middle of the cloud forest overlooking the Urubamba River. There are both agricultural and urban areas constructed with the precision stonework that the Incas are known for. The agricultural area consists of terraces and food storehouses, and the urban area contains temples, squares, and royal tombs. Guided tour followed by lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Aguas Calientes. (B,L)

Day 6: Machu Picchu-Cusco.

This is a free day to explore Machu Picchu on your own. You may want to hike Huayna Picchu or enjoy another activity. Mid-afternoon, you will depart from Machu Picchu by train to Poroy Station in the Sacred Valley, and then be taken to your hotel in Cusco. Overnight in Cusco. (B)

Note: Hiking Huayna Picchu requires a permit. To ensure availability, we recommend purchasing the permit at the time of booking.

Day 7: Cusco-Puerto Maldonado-Refugio Amazonas-Night Walk.

Depart to Puerto Maldonado.  Upon arrival, you will be welcomed at the airport and driven (ten minutes) to the headquarters of the operator of the Refugio Amazonas in Puerto Maldonado.  Here you can leave non-essential items, which will help to keep the boats and cargo light.  You will be taken to the Tambopata River Port, entering the Native Community of Infierno.  The port is a communal business.

The two and one half hour boat ride from the Tambopata Port to Refugio Amazonas will take you past the Community of Infierno and the Tambopata National Reserve´s checkpoint and into the buffer zone of this 1.3 million hectare conservation unit.  Boxed lunch.  Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips.

Night Walk.  You will have the option of hiking out at night, when most of the mammals are active but difficult to see. Easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as bizarre as their natural histories.  Overnight in Refugio Amazonas.  (B,L,D)

Day 8: Refugio Amazonas-Oxbow Lake-Canopy Tower-Farm Visit-Ethnobotanical Tour.

Oxbow Lake Visit.  You will paddle around the lake on a canoe or a catamaran, looking for lakeside wildlife such as hoatzin, caiman and hornerd screamers, hoping to see the otters which are infrequently seen here.  You will also be rewarded with overhead sightings of macaws.

Canopy Tower.  A thirty minute walk from Refugio Amazonas leads to the 25 meter scaffolding canopy tower.  A bannistered staircase running through the middle provides safe access to the platforms above.  The tower has been built upon high ground, therefore increasing your horizon of the continuous primary forest extending out towards the Tambopata National Reserve.  From here views of mixed species canopy flocks as well as toucans, macaws and raptors are likely.

Farm Visit.  Five minutes downriver from the lodge lies a farm owned and managed by charismatic Don Manuel from the neighboring community of Condenado.  He grows a variety of popular and unknown Amazon crops – just about every plant and tree you see serves a purpose.

Ethnobotanical Tour.  Along this trail we will find a variety of plants and trees that are used by the local population with at least the same variety of purposes.  We will learn about the medicinal (and other) uses of Ajo-Sacha, Yuca de Venado, Uña de Gato, Charcot-Sacha, Para-Para, among several others.

Tambopata National Reserve Lectures.  Nightly lectures prepared by the staff of Refugio Amazonas cover conservation threats, opportunities and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve.  Overnight in Refugio Amazonas.  (B,L,D)

Day 9: Refugio Amazonas-Parrot Clay Lick-Brazil Nut Trail and Camp-Mammal Clay Lick.

Parrot Clay Lick.  A fifteen minute boat ride and sixty minute walk from Refugio Amazonas is a clay lick used both by parrots and parakeets.  From a blind you will see parrots and parakeets descend on most clear days to ingest the clay on a bank.  Species such as Dusky headed and Cobalt winged Parakeet descend at this clay lick.  With luck we will also see some or all of the following species in the early morning rush: Mealy and Yellow-crowned Amazons, Blue-headed Pionus, Severe macaw and Orange-cheeled (Barraband`s) Parrot.  We visit the lick at dawn, when parrots are most active or in mid-morning or early afternoon, when they are active.

Brazil Nut Trail and Camp.  A few minutes hike from the lodge is a beautiful old growth patch of Brazil Nut forest that has been harvested for decades (if not centuries) where the precarious remains of a camp used two months a year by Brazil Nut gatherers can still be experienced.  We will be demonstrating the whole process of the rain forest’s only sustainably harvested product from collection through transportation to drying.

Mammal Clay Lick.  Twenty minutes walking from Refugio Amazonas is a peccary clay lick.  These wild rain forest pigs show up in herds of five to twenty individuals to eat clay in the late morning.  Chances of spotting them are around 15%, but well worth the short hike.  Other wildlife also shows up including deer, guan and parakeets.  Overnight in Refugio Amazonas.  (B,L,D)

Day 10: Refugio Amazonas-Puerto Maldonado-Lima-Folkloric Dinner Show.

You will retrace your river and road journey back to Puerto Maldonado, the office of Posada Amazonas, and the airport for your return flight to Lima. Depending on your airline schedule, this may require a dawn departure. Upon arrival in Lima, you will be transferred to your hotel.

In the evening, you will enjoy a Folkloric Dinner Show at Dpaso Restaurant. Overnight in Lima. (B,D)

Day 11: Lima.

Check out at noon. Transfer to the airport for your return flight to your final destination. (B)

B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

A Note About Your Free Day in Machu Picchu

On your free day, you will be on your own. If you choose to revisit Machu Picchu, you will need to purchase a second entrance ticket, which currently costs $74 per person. If you are staying in Aguas Calientes, you will also need to purchase a round-trip bus ticket ($28 per person) for transportation to the site. The first bus departs at 5:30 AM. As an alternative to visiting Machu Picchu again, you can hike Huayna Picchu (a +/- 60 minute hike), or partake in another activity. The cost for hiking Huayna Picchu is $13 (in addition to the second entrance ticket). At the end of the day (mid-late afternoon), you will walk to the train station for the return ride to Poroy train station, where our local representative will be waiting for you to take you to your hotel in Cusco.