Peru Golden 24D/23N

Early in the morning after breakfast checkout of your hotel and take the 6-hour drive south to the small airport in Nasca for your aerial tour of the Nasca lines. These are giant figures etched in the sand that can only be appreciated fully by air. See the Monkey, the spider, hummingbird and geometric birds. These mysterious huge “drawings” are possibly an astrological calendar but their construction and true intent are a mystery still. After we take the bus to Arequipa (Bus Night Ride).

To do this tour from Cusco you have to leave one night before this tour will start at around.

You will be picked up from The bus Station or From your Hotel In Arequipa at 4 :00 a.m. with a private bus. After three hours of driving we make a short stop in Chivay. Then we will continue until we reach the viewing point ‘Cruz Del Condor’. We will stop here for about one hour to see the condors fly and to enjoy the beautiful view over the canyon. Afterwards we will go to Cabanaconde, at 3287 m.a.s.l. Here we will have lunch and prepare ourselves for the trekking. First we will pass by the viewing point named Pampa San Miguel, from where we can see the paths over which we will walk.

From here we start descending into the canyon in the direction of the village San Juan De Chucchu. This takes four hours approximately. On the way we will cross Colca River via a hanging bridge. During the trek the guide will tell you about the flora and fauna, medicinal plants and culture of the people living in the canyon. We will end this day inCosñirhua, a village at one hour walking distance from San Juan De Chucchu. In Cosñirhua the guide will prepare your dinner. You will spend the night in a local family house and be able to see their daily life.

After breakfast we will continue the trek through the canyon. On the way we will pass through Malata, a small village. After two hours of walking we arrive in Sangalle, better known as the Oasis. In the Oasis you can relax and take a swim in the swimming pool. After lunch we will have time to explore the area, ten we will have dinner and spend the night in bungalows. The accommodation has share bathroom and don’t have hot water showers.

In the morning around 04:30 am, you will have a coca tee and we are going to start the trekking up to Cabanaconde where we will have a breakfast. After that we are going to go back, but we will stop in the condor cross view point. From here you will have a beautiful view of the geological form of the canyon and the over flight of the condors (is not 100% sure to see those birds)over another part of the canyon. You will return to Cabanaconde to take the bus to Chivay. On the way we will make a stop to see Inca and pre-Inca agricultural terraces from the viewing point Wayrapunku. In Chivay you have the option of visiting the hot springs for one hour. The medicinal water has a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius. Afterward you are able to lunch in Chivay before returning to Arequipa. We will arrive in Arequipa at 6:30 p.m. approximately. so we will take the bus back to Cusco at around 8pm so you will be in Cusco next morning at around 6 am.

(Cusco – Puno leaving Cusco at 7:00 am arriving to Puno at 5:00 pm).

Andahuaylillas
It is named the “Sixtine Chapel of America” and in some sense the comparison examples of the Andean popular religious art. The church of Andahuayliaas is a jewerly of the mestizo baroque architecture that developed in Cusco. Its nave presents profuse decoration, especially in the celling decorated with carved panels which is a recover with pan de oro (type of gold decoration).

Raqchi (Temple of Wiracocha God)
To 121 Km of Cusco, it was an Inca church of monumental dimensions: 100 meters of length by 26 meters of wide and 14 meters of height; the temple is divided in two naves and each nave shows basics of 11 giant columns. The bases of the church are bulit perfectly carving stones continued with adobe. It is aprpreciated besides qolqas or granary places of military order, religious, Inka between others.

La Raya
Media point in the rout of Cusco РPuno. It is the highest part, it has 4335 meters above sea level, we can appreciate beautiful landscapes, llamas and vivu̱as, geographic union between two cultures quechua and aymara, we can see the Altiplano arid and dry union with the quechua zone with rivers and valleys.

Pukara
It is the most important and oldest ceremonial center of the Altiplano, preceding to tiahunaco, characterized by a series oh echelon platforms ceremonial center. It’s also possible to appreciate interesting litosculptures, trails or tomb stone of intriguing personage that seems to show evidence of a brave civilization. here is where it was discovered the origins of the Andean culture in the Altiplano. Reception and transfer from the fist class bus station to the hotel Overnight at Hotel.

After breakfast, we will take a two-hour motor boat excursion on the waters of Lake Titicaca, which straddles the border of Peru and Bolivia, to the unique floating “islands” of the Uros. These ancient inhabitants of the lake, known as the Water Tribe, have built their own “islands” by periodically adding new layers of a type of reed unique to the area called “totora”. Their homes and boats are also made of this material. There are over forty of these islands, which have strategic defenses such as watch towers just in case!

Then it is on to Amantani Island, which is inhabited by over 3,000 Quechua-speaking natives, still governed by their ancient traditions, whose main occupations are the production of ceramics and textiles. You can explore the Inca and Tiahuanco archaeological remains on the island. The positive energy here is so powerful, you have an almost panoramic view of the lake and you will not want to miss the sunset and sunrise either.
Lunch is a simple affair provided by us before staying overnight at the house of a local islander, to enjoy the hospitality of a typical Amantani home.

After a good breakfast, you will visit Taquile island, a narrow, long and quite hilly island, of approximately 15 square kilometers, which was once used as a prison when it belonged to the Spanish. You will meet its inhabitants and admire their colorful textile fabrics, which has been their staple trade since time immemorial. Here you can also enjoy a highly scenic trek, followed by lunch in a local restaurant. Then you will back to puno port at 5:00 pm.

You’ll be picked up at your hotel at 1:30pm for a tour of Cusco’s historical monuments, with transport between the sites provided by tourist bus.

In the Plaza de Armas, or Main Square, of Cusco, we’ll see the 17th century baroque Cathedral built on the site where Inca Wiracocha’s palace once stood, in part with stones taken from Sacsayhuamán Fortress. It boats an altar of solid silver, paintings by the lauded Cusco School (including Zapata’s last supper with Andean guinea pig gracing the table),the largest bell in South America, known as the María Angola, and various chapels filled with masterpieces of precious materials, including the Señor de Temblores (Lord of the Earthquakes), credited with saving Cusco during the 1650 earthquake.

We’ll then move backwards in time to the prior religious center of Cusco and most sacred spot in Cusco during Inca times, Qoricancha (Golden Temple), the Temple of the Sun, where offerings were rendered to the supreme Inca deity, Inti (Sun). Though its gold was looted by the Spanish, you’ll still get a chance to see some of the finest Inca stonework in Cusco.

We’ll then move along the outskirts of Cusco, where you’ll marvel at the massive stones which form Sacsayhuaman Fortress before we continue on to Qenqo (Labyrinth/Zigzag), a shrine dedicated to the earth deity Pachamama and astronomical calendar, Tambomachay (Resting Place), the “Inca Baths” with its artificial waterfalls, canals, and aqueducts channeled through the terraced rocks, supplied by nearby springs, and Puka Pucara, believed to have been a fortress protecting the entry to Tambomachay. You´ll be dropped off at your hotel around 6pm.

The Maras Moray Salineras is a fantastic half day tour to explore part of the Sacred Valley. You will see amazing views of the Urubamba mountain ranges, the Veronica mountain and the green valleys of farms. On this half day trip, you will be able to learn about agriculture, textiles, and the history of the Incas.

We will pick you up from your hotel around 8 a.m. and head to the farming laboratory in Moray. This beautiful drive is about one hour and 20 minutes. On your drive, you will see the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, lush yellow fields of wheat, and some villages. Finally, you will arrive at the fascinating display of terraces in Moray. Moray boasts three amphitheater-like terraces, made by the Incas. These terraces, which are carved deep into the earth, in the shape of a bowl, were thought to be used to determine the optimal conditions for growing crops.

When you are done exploring Moray, you will head about two miles away, to the salt mines of Maras. This village is known as a former salt-producing center and is thought to date back all the way to pre-Incan times. There are over 3,000 salt pools carved into the mountain side, that are filled daily by a stream of water. This spectacular area is perfect for you if you wish to see something different than the ruins.

Chinchero is a small Andean, Indian village located at 3,762 meters high, on the windswept plains of Anta, about 30 km from Cusco. There are beautiful views overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the snow-capped peak of Salkantay dominating the western horizon. Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow. Its major claim to tourism is its colorful Sunday market, which is much less tourist-orientated than the market at Pisac. This market is held every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday but if your trip isn’t on one of these days, they have a smaller textile center open daily. There, you can watch a demonstration on how to make beautiful, natural sweaters from Alpaca wool. Finally, you will get to visit the famous catholic roman church, which was build over the Inca palace.

Once you are done with the visit, you will head back to the city in time to enjoy some lunch on your own.

Our ATV tour begins with the gathering of our passengers at their hotels in Cusco or Urubamba Valley which is 45 minutes from the city of Cusco. Our day begins with a visit of the Inca weaving center in Chinchero, after this tour we head to main square of Maras community where the staff of Maras Adventure awaits with the ATV full equipment such as gloves, helmets, etc. Here our specialized Tour Guide will provide you all the necessary information on the proper use of ATV, also we will describe the route to cross, culminating this brief orientation we will begin our journey in the direction to Moray, you will be escorted by an experienced instructor through winding trails, climbing hills and find themselves sections of the area, in Moray we will have enough time to visit the circular terraces that were built in enormous natural depressions or holes in the soil surface, where the Incas used for scientific research in agriculture as to acclimatize their seeds brought from different parts of the Inca Empire. What is surprising is the difference in mean annual temperature between the top and bottom of the terraces down to about 15 °C , after this visit we went to the town of Maras, we will have a brief stop at the main square, then headed to the famous salt mines, better known as Salineras which are constituted by about 4000 small pools on the mountainside, where people fill the pools with salt water that flows from the mountain during the dry season, irrigation has to be done every 3 days, so that when water evaporates, the salt contained therein are slowly solidified, to get a salt production every 30 days. Then we take again the ATVs and we return to the starting point, here our transportation will be waiting to back to Cusco or the Sacred Valley.

We pick you up from your hotel at 5:30 a.m. so we will be arriving at Cachora town at 9:00 a.m. in the morning where we will have our breakfast while we arrange the equipment on mules and horses. Already from the village of Cachora we can observe the majestic Padrayoc snow covered peaks, the highest is 5482 m.a.s.l. The hike on this first day is 21.70 km or 8 hours. On the way we will observe Padrayoc and Wayna Cachora snow covered peaks. We can appreciate the beautiful change of the landscape from precipices to snowy mountains. The walk starts quite flat with views to snow covered peaks and small farms on the step mountainsides. From the viewpoint of Capuliyoc, where we might see condors, the descent towards the Apurímac Canyon starts. As the vegetation is changing from Agave and Tuna cactus forest to dwarftree forest we have lunch break at Chiquisqa (1950 m.a.s.l.). From here we continue the descent to the abundant Apurímac River in 1550 m.a.s.l. in the impressing deep canyon of the same name. After a short brake at the river we start the steep climb towards Santa Rosa, where we camp for the night in a small sugarcane plantation (2115 m.a.s.l.).

Early morning after breakfast, we continue our hike going up to Choquekiraw. The first 2-3 hours are going up steep, but then it will change between flat and climb the rest of the way surrounded by beautiful vegetation with several varieties of orchids. We will arrive to the archaeological place Choquequirao after 5 hours. After a good lunch and a little break we will walk to the main square of Choquekirao, to enjoy this majestic place, where we will observe the three levels of the excavated ruin. Approximately at 3 o’clock in the afternoon (depends of the weather) we can be lucky to appreciate “the flight of the Condors”. The guide will decide where to set our camp in Raqaypata (2910 m.a.s.l.).

After breakfast we have good time to enjoy the majestic archaeological place. We can appreciate houses, terraces and other parts of this late Inca-town. Besides we see the ruin in progress of excavation and finally areas unexplored- that can tell us about this last refuge of the oppressed Inca empire. After the lunch we walk through Choquekirao, with all equipment going to our next camp. We follow the old water canal for a while before we start the 3 hours walk to the Pinchinuyoc ruins found in 1998. First we walk through cloud forest, but then all becomes steep open prairie with open views of the Mountains and valleys. Pinchinoyoc – these ruins are something very special. All of a sudden they appear in the cloud forest, almost invisible because of the thick layer of mosses and other vegetation that covers it. Here we spend the night basically on the old Inca Terraces.

This morning we walk down through an interesting vegetation know as Dry Andean Highland Forest. Trees and plants here look different to what we have seen before. We arrive to the river Victoria after a few hours and use the brake here to get a refreshing bath in the cold and clear river water. We cross walking through the river, since there are no bridges. After our brake we start the long and steep climb to our camp in Maizal, high over the river close to the sacred Apus of the Incas. On the way up we catch our breath in the shade of small trees and other vegetations on the way up. In Maizal we have our lunch and enjoy, that we can relax this afternoon- with only optional physical activity. Maizal is properly the camp in the most beautiful location of them all. From here we see 3 valleys and a great snow peak right across from us. A good place to lean back and think.

We leave our camp at Maizal and walk towards the San Juan pass. Again a long climb, but we walk in a amazingly beautiful area- first with cloud forest and then over Andean Puna with the well known ichu grass. We rest at some of the Victoria mines, where metal shining stones tell about a high concentration of minerals and metals. On our way through the Puna we walk on very well preserved Inca trails, among other characteristics with the classic zigzag. We take lunch at the pass in 4000 m.a.s.l. with view of the mountain Choquetakarpo, before we start the descent towards Yanama, a small isolated settlement at the bottom of a long valley surrounded by mountains.

We continue from Yanama up through the valley towards the highest point of the tour, The Yanama Pass in 4500 m.a.s.l. On the way we have a good view of the snow capped Sacsarayoc. Once again we have the chance to see condors, and this mornings smooth climb bring us through new landscapes- especially the wet grass fields under the snowline that distinguish from everything else seen on the tour. In the pass we might walk in snow, and the descent is a long foggy hike through grassy fields- and bush areas and crossing small wood/dirt bridges on the way towards the community of Totora, where we spend the night.

We now walk the about 2000 meters down through the changing vegetations to the warmer camp in the village of La Playa. Approx. 7 hours walking. On the way we see small waterfalls and get a refreshing natural bath. The area also has a big variation of bird life and it is now obvious that the climate and vegetations have changed totally, and now we see plants recognizable from the living rooms in Europe and several types of orchids. The Playa is the biggest village on the way, where we can find some small shops to buy snack etc. In this area we can see small plantations of coffee and bananas and then we take public transportatiion to the Hydrolectrica and then we walk for about 2 hour more to get to Aguas Calientes town where we going to stay in a nice hostal with hot shower , is recommended to go to the natural hotspring in here.

From Aguas Calientes we walk or take bus to Machu Picchu. We start our visit with a 2-3 hours guided tour, that will bring us to the most important locations at the archaeological site and the guide will tell us about the great importance Machu Picchu enjoyed as astronomical and religious center. The rest of the day we spend at this amazing ruin and you will have the chance to climb Wayna Picchu or visit the beautiful moon temple. We meet in the afternoon in Aguas Calientes where we take the train to Ollantaytambo, and from here bus to Cusco. In Cusco we go to at central placed hotel close to the colonial style Plaza de Armas. This is the end of our service.

We leave AT 4 :00 AM towards Manu Park from Cusco by private bus, first stopping to visit the pre Inca burial towers of Ninamarca. We then drive through the mountains, to get to the typical and folkloric town of Paucartambo. Here we will take a short walk around town before carrying on to Tres Cruces, the highest point and entrance to Manu National Park. From here we will continue into the Cloud Forest and at San Pedro we will walk for around 1 hour to observe the National bird of Peru, the Cock of the Rock, and many different kinds of monkeys, plants and flowers. We arrive to Atalaya Port and then we will travel by boat for about 40 minutes to arrive to Soga de Oro Lodge so we take a rest for about 2 hours before we take our dinner after this we will go for a night walk to see Tarantule,Scorpions, Snakes and other Insects and creeping things we pass the night in the Soga De Oro Lodge.

We leave very early in the morning river down (Alto madre de Dios) to the native community of DIAMANTE and learning about their life and costum.Following the program we go to Boca ManuVillage to have some cold drinks, relax and then we go into the Manu Biosphere Reserve by Manu river. Our first stop in the Control (Puesto de vigilancia Limonal) and them we contunuo our trip by boat to Casa Matchiguenca Lodge,but in the way we will aprecite many different kind of animals such as Capybara, peccaries monkeys brilliant birds and the adult Black ,white Caiman, or even a pair of Jaguar.Late afternoon we arrive at Casa Machiguenga Lodge, which includes the same amenities while still rustic, cozy and intimate in its surroundings of the Manu park. Exclusively managed by indigenous Matchiguenka, original caretakers of the Manu wilderness.

This day we will explore the jungle most of the day, on the way we will appreciate many different kinds of animals; such as tapir, collared peccaries, monkeys, coati; birds such as eagles, parrots, toucans, medicinal plants, flowers, and the giant trees of the jungle. We will have our lunch in the jungle, and follow that we go to visit to beautifull lake ; Salvador Lake And Otorongo Lake where we will be travelling in Catamaran and enjoy watching the wild population of the amazin lake such as White,Black Caiman,and the famous Giant Otterwith. We will return to Casa Matchiguenca Lodge and spend the night here.

We leave after Breaskfast the Casa Machigenga Lodge inside the manu park to continue our adventure traveling river down to Boca Manu On the way if we are very luck we might see famous Jaguar along the beaches. We will stop at the Native Community of Isla de los Valles, and we are going to appreciate their culture and life style if you are interested in handicrafts and meeting the local people, crafts can be purchased from the people of Isla de los Valles community,also we will visit In the afternoon a Lake where we will fish Piranhas, after this activity we take our boat river up (Alto Madre de Dios) to Dorado Lodge.In the evening we will build a bonfire, relax and have some drinks and a BBQ. We will spend the night here.

We will get up early at the manu park to take our motorized boat river up to Atalaya Port on the way we will be stopping at the natural hotspring where you can take a swim so then we will continue towards the Atalaya Port where our private bus will waiting for us to take us back to Cusco via the cloud forest and Paucartambo. We will arrive back in Cusco in the late afternoon.