Classic Machu Picchu and Refugio Amazonas
11 Days/10 Nights
From $2,529 per person
(Dbl. Occupancy, Not Incl. Airfare)
Overview
Experience Peru’s culture, history, and amazing wildlife in this fascinating tour. You will begin in Lima, and continue on to Cusco, the Andean capital of Inca civilization, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and Machu Picchu, where you will stay overnight. Then travel to Refugio Amazonas, a private jungle lodge located within the 275,000 hectare Tambopata National Reserve in Peru’s Amazon basin. Wildlife can be observed from atop a canopy tower, catamaran boat ride across an oxbow lake, and at a parrot clay lick.
Lodging and Meals: This tour includes accommodations for 10 nights (3 nights in Lima, 3 nights in Cusco, 1 night in Machu Picchu, and 3 nights at Refugio Amazonas), and 19 meals (10 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 4 dinners).
Best Time to Go: April-October.
Destinations: South America and Peru.
Interests: Adventure, Culture & History, and Wildlife Viewing.
Places Visited: Lima, Cusco, The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Puerto Maldonado & the Southern Amazon.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Lima.
Day 2: Lima-City Tour.
Day 3: Lima-Cusco-City Tour.
Day 4: Cusco-Sacred Valley-Awanakancha-Pisac Market-Ollantaytambo.
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.
Day 6: Machu Picchu-Cusco.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In the evening, you will enjoy a Folkloric Dinner Show at La Dama Juana Restaurant. Overnight in Lima. (B,D)
Day 11: Lima.
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.
What's Included
Price Includes
- South American Vacations’ expert pre-departure planning services and documentation.
- Airport/hotel transfers including baggage handling.
- Hotel accommodations including taxes and service charges.
- Excursion to Machu Picchu including overnight stay and transportation via Vistadome train.
- Other excursions as indicated on the itinerary including all applicable entrance fees.
- Meals as indicated on the itinerary.
- Local, English-speaking tour guides.
Price Does Not Include
- International airfare.
- Domestic airfare ($500).
- Meals not indicated on the itinerary.
- Gratuities to tour guides, drivers, and hotel staff.
- Gifts and personal items.
- Travel insurance.
We will be happy to quote the cost of international airfare and travel insurance and to make these arrangements for you.
Accommodations
Lima
Cusco
3 Star – Casa Andina Classic Cusco Plaza
4 Star – Hotel Novotel Cusco
5 Star – Libertador Palacio del Inka
Deluxe – Hotel Monasterio
Machu Picchu
3 Star – El Mapi Hotel
5 Star – Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel
Deluxe – Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge
Puerto Maldonado
Additional Details
Group Private: All transfers are private, and the city tours of Lima and Cusco, Sacred Valley of the Incas excursion, and Machu Picchu guided tour are group tours for single passengers and 3 Star accommodations, and private for 4 Star, 5 Star, and Deluxe accommodations. All Refugio Amazonas services are operated in small groups.
Elevations: Cusco is 10,912 feet (above sea level), the Sacred Valley of the Incas is 8,944 feet, and Machu Picchu is 7,900 feet.
Acclimatization: In order to acclimatize to the higher altitude of Cusco, we suggest that you travel first to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. If you are interested in this option, which would add one day to your tour, please ask your travel counselor to provide you with an itinerary.
Passport/Visa: U.S., Australian, Canadian, and EU citizens require a passport valid for at least six months from date of entry and return ticket for stays of up to 90 days. Citizens of other countries are advised to contact the Peruvian embassy in their country before traveling.
Travel Insurance: In order to protect your travel investment from unforeseen circumstances that may arise before or during your trip, we strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance. We offer Allianz Travel Insurance’s Classic and other plans. The Benefits and Coverage Limits are summarized on our Travel Insurance page. Call your travel counselor if you have any questions or to purchase a plan.
To Book This Trip: We require a non-refundable deposit of $500 per person plus the cost of airfare (if we make the arrangements for you). The balance of the trip cost is due 60 days prior to departure.
