Peru: The Inca Adventure

Day 1 – Lima

Board your flight to Lima, a busy city situated in Peru’s coastal district between the Pacific and the western hills of the Andes mountains. Your courier will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel in this capital known as the “City of Kings.”

Day 2 – Lima

Today’s guided city tour of colonial Lima includes the Main Square, the Cathedral, and San Francisco Convent and Catacombs. Gain an understanding of the craftsmanship of Peru’s forgotten Pre-Columbian civilizations at the Larco Herrera Museum, where you can see ceramic pieces, textiles, jewelry and carved stones. Savor a delicious Peruvian dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 3 – Cusco

Take a short flight to Cusco. Visit Sacsayhauman Fortress in the surrounding mountains, a jewel of Inca architecture. On to Q’ enquo, a rock sanctuary with a monolithic altar representing a puma; the red fortress of Puca-Pucara; and Tambomachay, a beautiful fountain fed by a spring forming a series of basins. Also tour the City of Cusco to see the Main Square, the Cathedral and the Santo Domingo Church or the Koricancha (Temple of the Sun).

Day 4 – Cusco

Take a full-day excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Inca (Urumbamba) and visit Pisac, set at the foot of a hill crowned by the ruins of an Inca city. Pisac is well known for its crafts market. Indians barter their products and artisans from all over the area sell alpaca blankets and ponchos, engraved gourds, baskets, antique reproductions and jewelry. Also visit Ollantaytambo, the only Inca town that is still inhabited, and explore the ruins towering above.

Day 5 – Cusco

Travel by train to Aguas Callientes, situated at the foot of the Machu Picchu Ruins. Visit Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca town, the fabled lost city that has been forgotten for more than three centuries. It was built entirely of stone blocks, fitted with masterful precision. See the houses, temples, palaces, altars and a large central square; all surrounded by terraces cut into the mountainside that were used for agriculture. Return to Cusco for a dinner that includes a lively Andean Folklore Show.

Day 6 – Posasa Amazonas

Take a flight to Puerto Maldonado, a bustling tropical frontier town. Depart by motorized dugout canoes for Posada Amazones, constructed with architectural techniques that native communities throughout the Amazon use for building their homes. The rainforests of the reserve are a paradise for giant butterflies, river otters, various species of monkeys and bird-life, as well as jaguars, tapirs, caimans and capybaras. This afternoon’s Ethnobotany Hike is led by an Ese’eja native who will explain the everyday uses of forest medicine, construction, food and fiber. Visit a small Clay Lick and take delight in the dozens of blue, red, green and yellow macaws and parrots that congregate here.

Day 7 – Posada Amazonas

Take a quiet catamaran ride around beautiful Tres Chimbadas Oxbow Lake to look for giant river otters, turtles, hoatzin and wading birds. After lunch, visit a native Community “Slash and Burn” Farm and learn why the Ese’eja cultivation system is sustainable over the long term. Option: Take a nature hike into the rain forest tonight to observe the nightlife activities of exotic insects and frogs of different colors.

Day 8 – Posada Amazonas

Journey back to Puerto Maldonado for the flight to Lima, then return home with images of your Inca Adventure etched in your mind forever.