Day 1. Fly London to Cusco.
Day 2. Arrive Cusco. Guided city tour.
You will be picked up from Cusco Airport and transferred to the hotel. Spend the afternoon visiting the city of Cusco, ancient capital of the Incan Empire and where we can see the interesting blend of the Incan and Spanish cultures. The outing begins at the Qoricancha Temple, an old Incan palace and main centre for the worship of the sun god, Inti. Once the Spanish conquered Peru, the Dominican order built a lovely church over this temple’s foundations: the church of Santo Domingo that is still there today. Then we continue with the Cathedral, and 4 archeological sites located 15 minutes outside of the city: Sacsayhuaman, a fortress that has layered walls located behind each other, the rear ones higher than the frontal ones. The Incas had built it on the side of a hill, taking advantage of the altitude changes. We will also visit Quenqo, which takes its name from the Quechua word K'enko, meaning "labyrinth", perhaps due to the labyrinthine underground galleries or the small canals carved into the rocks in a zigzag shape. Pukapukara was built to fulfill military functions, whilst Tambomachay is notable for the excellent architecture used.
Hotel
Meals included:
Day 3. Drive to Incas Sacred Valley and visit Pisac then transfer to Ollantaytambo.
After breakfast at the hotel, the guide will pick you up, drive for about an hour until Pisaq, where we will visit the archeological site and the market. The archeological site has an impressive architecture layout erected on the top of a hill, and is considered one of the most important sites of the Sacred Valley, with fascinating stone block walls forming an amazing architectural complex. The craft market is located in the main plaza, offering a wide variety of products such as textiles, pottery and silver jewellery. The knowledge and skills of this type of craft gets passed down from generation to generation. We will stop in a nice restaurant for lunch, then after some rest we will continue to Ollantaytambo, which is an important architectural complex of the ancient Inca Empire, and one of the few places where the Spanish conquistadors lost a major battle. Very well known for its “andenes” (terraces dug into the slopes of mountains for agricultural purposes), Ollantaytambo was a highly effective fortress that also served as a temple. Then, we will continue to the town of Ollantaytambo, “the unique living Inca town”: the best surviving example of Inca city planning, with narrow cobblestone streets that have been continuously inhabited since the 13th century.
Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 4. Drive to Km 82 to start trek. Trek via Llactapata and Kusichaca to Wuayllabamba Camp.
We will transfer you from the hotel to Km. 82, where we will meet our porters and equipment. We start our trek escorted by the porters, going through semi-arid terrain along the Uruamba River with magnificent views of snow-capped mountains. We will leave the Urubamba valley and will have an overview of it before setting off up to the Kusichaca River to our first campsite in Huayllabamba (around 3000m altitude).
Km. 82 to Huayllabamba: 11 km / 6 hours approximately.
Camp
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 5. Ascend to Warmihuañusca (highest part of trek) then continue to Pacaymayo Camp.
After a healthy breakfast we will begin to walk to the Warmihuañusca pass (4200m). After a short time, we will reach the top of the pass. From here, it is possible to see the other side of the way leading to the Runkurakay ruins. At the end of a gorge, we will stop at a place called Pacaymayo (3600m), our second camp.
Huayllabamba-Pacaymayo: 7km / 7 hours approximately
Camp
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6. Ascend to Runku Raccay Pass then continue to Wiñayhuayna Camp.
We depart from Pacaymayo and a while later a zigzagging but short ascent will take us to the Runkurakay circular ruins. There is no sign of human life, only great forests and abrupt hills. After a good rest, we will start our way down and then we will clearly notice that the Inca Trail is well preserved from this point. In a short while, we will get to the steps which go up to Sayacmarca ruins (3620m). From Sayacmarca the stone road begins to go into the jungle, continuing our trek towards Phuyupatamarca ruins. The trail crosses the "Lago Seco" and for brief moments we will go up and down. We will then cross "The Tunnel", a natural cavity produced by a landslide but adapted by the Incas. The Inca Trail well-traced borders continue on the hills full of moss and ferns. After crossing a small pass, we will see some steep steps and under them the Ceremonial Centre of Phuyupatamarca ruins (3650m). After a short rest we will start to go down the trail hiking for 3 hours until we reach Wiñaywayna (2700m), the main archaeological site after Machu Picchu in the Inca Trail, we will visit the site, from where we can see the Urubamba valley and the river. The path goes down to WiñayWayna ruins (2650m), where we will have our last campsite.
Camp
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 7. Final trek to arrive at Machu Picchu for a guided visit of Inca ruins. Train then drive back to Cusco.
We will start early this morning for our last day of hiking, heading towards Inti Punku (2740m), the Sun Gate, our last pass. From this place, Machu Picchu (2450m) looks unreal and beautiful. We will visit the citadel. Then we will head down to Aguas Calientes town from where we will take our train back to Cusco. Arrival to Cusco late at night.
Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 8. Fly to Puerto Maldonado. Transfer to Jungle Lodge.
Start your journey arriving to Puerto Maldonado, where our staff will welcome you and provide the necessary information for your stay. Navigate by outboard motorised canoe along the Madre de Dios River for approximately 25 minutes to Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción. Enjoy lunch with organic ingredients and native flavours. After lunch, take a walk through the Concepcion nature trails, where you will discover and learn about primary and secondary rainforest, its components, uses, transformations by humans, and its relevance for the world. At dusk navigate by outboard motorised canoe, on the twilight river excursion. By sailing on the Madre de Dios River, you will learn about its ecosystem, Amazonian creeks, nocturnal animals’ behavior, and the southern constellations. In the evening enjoy a nice dinner in the Casa Grande's dining room.
Hacienda Concepción
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 9. Wildlife and Amazon jungle exploration.
After a nutritious buffet breakfast, get ready for a long trek through terra firma into the Tambopata National Reserve towards Lake Sandoval. Here you will understand why Madre de Dios is called the biodiversity capital of Peru, while learning about the Reserve’s conservation efforts and the lake’s formation. Navigate by dugout canoe across this mirror-like oxbow lake that is home to the endangered giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), blue and yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus), black caiman (Melanosuchus niger), and one of the world’s biggest fresh water scaled fish, the paiche (Arapaima gigas). Back to the lodge for lunch, and later the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway and Anaconda Walk await. Take a 20-minute ride by outboard motorised canoe to the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway Interpretation Centre where you will learn about its construction and the conservation projects of ITA-Inkaterra Asociación (NGO). Ascend one of the two 98-foot towers (30m) and cross the 7 hanging bridges that connect the treetops at 28 metres high. Enjoy the breathtaking vistas and get the chance to watch white-throated toucans (Ramphastos tucanus), woodpeckers, trogons, squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis) and the three-toed sloth (Choleopus hoffmani). After descending go along the 200-metre wooden bridge over the swamps (aguajales). You will learn about the fauna and flora of this flooded ecosystem. At night get ready for an adventure on the rainforest by night excursion, where you will explore the Amazon rainforest that gives way to nocturnal animals who display intriguing behaviour patterns, and enhanced senses as adaptation mechanisms. Listen to nocturnal living nature sounds, and penetrate this hidden world. End up your day with a pleasant dinner.
Hacienda Concepción
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 10. Boat back to Puerto Maldonado and transfer to Cusco Airport.
After breakfast, take a ride back to Puerto Maldonado by outboard motorised canoe. Arrive at the Butterfly House where you may wait for your flight back home while visiting this beautiful space and learning about the fascinating transformation of these colourful insects.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 11. Arrive London.