Amazon & Machu Picchu

In the morning, transfer to the airport for a short flight to Cusco, center of the Inca Empire. Meet your guide at the airport and begin a day-long excursion through snowcapped mountains to the Incas’ legendary Sacred Valley. The first stop is Pisac’s hilltop citadel, featuring the civilization’s agricultural terracing along the steep valley walls, panoramic views of jagged granite peaks and the temple ruins. Descend down to the town of Pisac, known for one of the best Andean textile markets in Peru. After taking in some of the local culture and enjoying a traditional lunch, depart for Ollantaytambo (9,185 feet), a small town with an impressive Inca fortress. Stay overnight at a hotel in Ollantaytambo. (B,L)

Spend another day exploring the well preserved archaeological sites and dramatic landscapes of the Sacred Valley. This morning, pass small farms situated in the fertile Urubamba Valley surrounded by snowcapped mountains to reach Moray. This mysterious site includes three circular terraces, thought to have been used by the Incas as an open-air crop experimentation station. Continue past the small village and pre-Inca settlement of Maras. At this photogenic spot, a geo-thermally heated stream feeds hundreds of small salt terraces which create a striking white-on-brown landscape that has been used for salt mining since well before the Incas. Return to your Ollantaytambo hotel in the late afternoon. (B,L)

OPTIONAL ADD-ON: PACHAMANCA LUNCH

In the afternoon, gather for a special Pachamanca lunch where meat, several varieties of potatoes, corn, beans and other produce are cooked in the ground under hot stones. This traditional cooking practice has existed since the time of the Inca Empire. Enjoy your meal al fresco, surrounded by the beautiful scenery of the Sacred Valley. Return to your Sacred Valley hotel in the late afternoon. (B,L)

Start the day off with a refreshing walking tour of the Ollantayambo ruins. Next, head to the train station, where you’ll board the Vistadome train for the first leg of today’s unforgettable journey to Machu Picchu! Enjoy the panoramic views as the train follows the Urubamba River into the lush cloud forest, before arriving at the Aguas Caliente train station. Stop for lunch in town and then board a bus that will take you to the gates of Machu Picchu (7,875 feet). Spend the afternoon exploring the famous ruins with your guide. Return to Aguas Calientes, where you will have time to relax and enjoy dinner at your hotel. (B,D)

Today, you’ll have the opportunity to experience Machu Picchu during the early morning hours. Explore the numerous ruins including an optional climb to the sacred peak of Huayna Picchu. By midday, you return to Aguas Calientes for lunch and an early afternoon train ride back to Ollantaytambo. Your private vehicle will be waiting at the station to deliver you to the Chinchero textile market, where members of the local weavers’ collective will explain the traditional weaving methods of the Sacred Valley. Continue on to your Cusco hotel for the evening. (10,856 feet) (B)

Huayna Picchu Hiking Details: 1.25 miles; approximately 2-3 hours hiking, the trail is narrow and very steep. Altitude min/max: from 7,875 ft to 8,835 ft.

Today begins with a guided walking tour through Cusco to see the colorful markets, the colonial cathedral and Koricancha, the impressive Temple of the Sun. After a lunch of regional cuisine, you tour the remaining prominent Inca sights in and around Cusco. These include the fortress of Sacsayhuamán, with its megalithic stone terraces; Kenko, with carved stone surfaces and subterranean altars; Puka Pukara the small fortress that once protected the royal capital; and the water temple, Tambo Machay. In the late afternoon, you’ll return to the comfort of your hotel to relax or continue to explore Cusco on your own. (B)

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Puerto Maldonado, hub of the easternmost region of the Peru Amazon. Upon arrival you will be met by the naturalist guides and taken to the pier to board a motorized dugout canoe for your 45-minute trip downriver to reach the lodge. After getting settled in your accommodations and receiving an orientation, your Amazon adventure begins. On the first afternoon, accompany your guide on the walking trails around the 2,000 acre reserve to get acquainted with the neo-tropical rainforest environment. After dinner, you may join an evening excursion on the Madre de Dios River to look for caiman and other nocturnal Amazon wildlife and view the southern constellations. (B,L,D)

During your stay, enjoy a range expeditions, accompanied by bilingual naturalist guides, on land and water, including canopy walks, dugout canoe trips and rainforest hikes. Here is a sample itinerary: This morning, hike deep into the Tambopata National Reserve through terra firma forest to reach Lake Sandoval for a dugout canoe ride around this beautiful oxbow lake. Here you will learn about conservation efforts and the native flora and fauna. Be on the lookout for species such as the endangered giant river otter, blue and yellow macaws, red howler monkeys and black caiman. Return to the lodge for a delicious lunch and an afternoon siesta. In the late afternoon, you take a twenty-minute ride aboard a motorized canoe to the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway Interpretation Center. Ascend one of the 98-ft towers and cross the seven hanging bridges that connect the treetops 91 feet above the forest floor. After descending, you walk along the 656-ft wooden bridge over the aguajales palm swamps, home of the legendary anaconda. Here you will learn about the fauna and flora of these flooded ecosystems, part of the largest natural monoculture in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Return to the lodge for a delicious dinner, followed by an optional night walk. (B,L,D)

Transfer back downriver to Puerto Maldonado where you’ll be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lima and your connecting international flight home, marking the end of Southern Explorations’ services. (B)