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DAY 1 ARRIVAL.
Reception in the Lima airport and transfer to Carmel Hotel or
similar . Overnight (no meals)
DAY 2 LIMA CITY TOUR AND GOLD MUSEUM
In the morning, Lima city tour (half day). You will be picked up
from your hotel at 10 a.m. The city tour begins with a visit to the
Plaza the Armas, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO. Running along two sides are arcades with shops: Portal de
Escribanos and Portal de Botoneros. In the center of the Plaza is a
bronze fountain dating back to 1560. Located in the Plaza is the
Cathedral, note the splendidly carved stalls, the silver covered
altars surrounded by fine woodwork, mosaic covered walls bearing the
coat of arms of Lima and Pizarro. Next to the Cathedral is the
Archbishop's Palace. Then you will visit the Monastery of San
Francisco. This is famous for the Sivillian tilework and paneled
ceiling in the cloisters, the catacombs under the church and part of
the monastery are well worth seeing. You will visit the old colonial
streets in the center of the city, and the modern Lima with the
district of San Isidro and Miraflores. Then you will visit the
Peruvian Gold Museum; this excellent private collection includes pre-Columbian
gold, silver and bronze, ceramics, weavings, mummies, etc. The
second floor of this museum is a remarkable arms collections with an
impressive exhibition from Spanish colonial times. Overnight at
Carmel Hotel or similar. (B, L)
DAY 3 PARACAS
Early in the morning transfer to the bus station, at 7:30 am you
willl take the Royal Class motor coach (best available) to Paracas (3 hours
1/2). Upon arrival transfer to Las Olas Hostal or similar, then
excursion to Paracas of about 2 h. 30 min. Paracas is one of the
best marine reserves, with the highest concentration of marine birds.
In the afternoon return to the hotel and overnight (B)
DAY 4 BALLESTAS ISLANDS
At 7:15 in the morning transfer to the mole where you will take a
motorboat excursion to the Ballestas island. This islands are
spectacular, eroded into numerous arches and caves, which provide
shelter for thousands of seabirds, some of which are very rare, and
seas lions. The islands are known as "the Galapagos of Peru", at the
end private transfer to Nazca, during the route you will visit the
Chauchilla cemetery, where skulls, mummies and pottery shards
littering the desert. Overnight at Paredones Hostal or similar. (B,L)
DAY 5 NASCA LINES
You will be picked up from your hotel, transfer to the little
airport where you'll take the flight over the famous Nazca lines.
Cut into the stony desert are large number of lines, not only
parallels and geometrical figures, but also designs such as a dog,
an enormous monkey, a bird with a wing span of over 100 meters, a
spider and a tree. The lines, that represent some sort of vast
astronomical pre-Inca calendar, are best seen from the air, we will
take a half hour flight above the Lines (included). At 1:30 pm we
will take the motor coach Royal class to Lima where we will arrive
around 7:30 pm. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel .Overnight at
Carmel Hotel or similar. (B)
DAY 6 MEETING THE JUNGLE
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Pto Maldonado(airfare not
included). Transfer from Puerto Maldonado airport to the river port
on the Madre de Dios River. A 25 minutes journey down the Madre de
Dios River by motor canoe brings you to the riverside trailhead to
Sandoval Lake Lodge. From here the trail takes you on a 2-miles
(3,2-kilometers) walk through secondary forest, until we reach a
small canal where we board canoes and are paddled 220 yards (201
meters) through a flooded forest of 100-foot (30-meters) tall
Mauritia palms. As the canal opens onto the shimmering surface of
the lake, we transfer to a catamaran and are leisurely paddled
across half the lake to the lodge. After lunch and a brief rest to
avoid the early afternoon heat, we will learn about the history of
the lodge and the philosophy of its founders. Then we once again
board the catamaran and set off to explore the entire west end of
the lake. Here, in the flooded palm forest we drift to the sounds of
hundreds of Red-Bellied Macaws as they return to the palm forest for
the night. This macaw species is found locally in parts of the
Amazon, always living in flooded palm forests such as the beautiful
palm stand at Sandoval Lake. At 500-800 birds, this flock of macaws
at Sandoval Lake is currently the largest reported in the world for
this highly-specialized macaw. As night falls we will look for the
large and extremely rare Black Caimans. If it is a clear starlit
night, we will also be able to float in the middle of the lake to
marvel at the brilliance of the sky and listen to the sounds of the
forest. We return to the lodge for a short video or slide
presentation and dinner. At any point, you could step out from the
bar to admire the wide variety of nocturnal moths, beetles and
praying mantis attracted to our black light in the lodge clearing.
For those with lots of energy, our guide will take us on a short
night-walk into the forest behind the lodge.(B,L,D)
DAY 7 SANDOVAL LAKE
A pre-dawn wake-up call will enable us to be on the lake for sunrise
and a hopeful encounter with the family of Giant Otters who frequent
the lake and are most active at this time of day. Sandoval Lake
offers abundant wildlife including over 40 species of birds resident
to its lake margins, most of the fish-eating water birds around the
lake actively fish in the early morning as well, and this outing
should provide excellent views, of the prehistoric- looking Hoatzins,
These are easy to observe and also photograph from the paddled
canoes or catamarans. After returning for a late breakfast we set
off into the cool under story of the tall virgin forest near the
lake to see some towering wild Brazil Nut trees and a demonstration
of how our hosts collect, open and commercialize this important
natural product. After lunch and an hour or so to relax we once
again board the catamaran to explore the eastern part of the lake,
where we might see one or more of the five species of monkeys who
live in the forest near the lake, such as the Brown Capuchin Monkey
and Squirrel Monkey. Before dinner we will again enjoy an
informative natural history video or slide presentation. We will
leave after dinner to try and spot some Black Caimans on the lake,
or to go on a short night walk through the primary forest. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 RAINFOREST
After a dawn breakfast, we will cross the lake by catamaran and take
a short walk into the interior of the Mauritia palm forest to stand
beneath and closely view the impressive morning congregations, this
place has a very interesting concentration of parrots, parakeets and
large and small macaws that can be observed using dead Mauritia palm
trees, some of them are resident nesters (Yellow headed Parrot,
Mealy Parrot, Blue headed Parrot, Scarlet Macaw, blue and Yellow
Macaw, Red and Green Macaw, Chestnut fronted Macaw, Dusky headed
Parakeet, Red bellied Macaw, Cobalt winged Parakeet, Tui Parakeet).
Returning from the macaw show we will cross the lake to explore a
primary forest trail and admire the impressive ancient rainforest
trees and lianas with our knowledgeable resident naturalist guide.
As we walk, the forest will be brought to life as your guide
explains the ecology of the rain forest and its diverse flora and
fauna. We return for lunch, and then there is an optional rest for
those who would like to escape the early afternoon heat. For those
still full of energy, there is an option to independently explore
some of the forest trails using our trail map. You might stroll
through our medicinal plant garden or watch hummingbirds visiting
the nectar feeders, or the tanagers visiting our fruit feeders. In
the cooler late afternoon we will once again board the catamaran to
explore the eastern end of the lake, and hopefully experience a
spectacular sunset over the lake before returning to the lodge for
dinner. For some people, an alternative afternoon activity would be
to relax on benches inside the forest perched above a clear running
stream in which a variety of bathing hummingbirds and forest birds
visit. After dinner, there is a final chance to look for Black
Caiman on the lake, or to go on a short night hike through the
forest. (B,L,D)
DAY 9 CUSCO
After early breakfast we leave near dawn and we take a final,
shorter paddle around the west end of the lake to try and glimpse
the Giant Otters before returning by motor canoe for the 35 minutes
return trip to the Puerto Maldonado Airport, taking advantage of
valuable early morning wildlife activity along the river. From here
you fly to Cusco (airfare not included). Upon arrival transfer to
the Orquidea Real Hostal or similar. Overnight. (B)
Please note that the jungle program may vary slightly so as to
maximize your wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our
researchers and experienced naturalist guides based at the lodge.
DAY 10 CUSCO CITY TOUR
Morning at leisure. At 13:30 you leave on the Cusco City Tour. This
tour includes the major sites of historical interest in Cusco, such
as the famous Inca fort at Sacsahuaman, and the temple of the Sun.
Also included in this is a tourist card, giving you access to all
the sites in the Cusco area as a whole (i.e., including outside of
the City itself) This tour finishes at 18:00. Overnight at Orquidea
Real Hostal or similar. ( B )
DAY 11 SACRED VALLEY TOUR (TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SUNDAY)
At 8:30 a.m. we will depart for the Sacred Valley tour, that
includes: Bus service to the market of Pisaq, the ruins of
Ollantaytambo, and the market at Chinchero. There is an English
speaking guide, and lunch in a typical restaurant in Urubamba. Of
course, throughout this trip you will have magnificent views of the
high Peruvian Andes. At 18:00 hrs you arrive back at the Orquidea
Real Hostal or similar . ( B,L )
DAY 12 MACHU PICCHU
At 5:30 a.m. you will be picked up from the hotel to the train
station which leaves at 06:00 a.m. Travel will be in a "Vistadome"
Class (formerly "Autowagon"), the best there is. At 09:40 a.m. you
will arrive at the Aguas Calientes Station, from where you will take
a 25 minute bus ride to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Once there, you
will take a guided tour, with an English speaking guide. Lunch is
included at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge (close to the ruins).
Overnight at the Presidente Hostal or similar in Aguas Calientes (Machu
Picchu). (B,L)
DAY 13 MACHU PICCHU
Morning at leisure in Aguas Calientes to continue visiting the area,
the local hot springs (bring with you a bathing suit) or optional
visit to Machu Picchu (bus ticket and entrance fees not included).
At 3:30 pm we will take the Vistadome train back to Cusco, arriving
at 7:25 pm. We will stay overnight at Orquidea Real Hostal or
similar. (B)
DAY 14 PUNO - CHULLPAS OF SILLUSTANI
Transfer to the airport to take a flight to Puno(airfare not
included). Upon arrival transfer to Conde Lemos Hotel (or similar)
located in Puno. On route you will stop to visit the chullpas of
sillustani.
CHULLPAS OF SILLUSTANI
Near Puno are the Chullpas (pre-Colombian funeral towers) of
Sillustani. The scenery is desert but impressive, in a beautiful
setting on a peninsula on lake Ayumara about 32 Km. from Puno. Most
of the towers date from the period of Inca occupation in the 15th
century, the engineering involved in their construction is more
complex than anything the Incas built. Lodging at Conde lemos Hotel
or similar. (B)
DAY 15 UROS AND TAQUILE ISLANDS
You will be picked up from your hotel at 6:40 a.m., after a 2 hour
motorboat ride, you will arrive at the Uros island in the Titikaka
lake. Fishermen and hunters inhabit the floating islands of the Uros.
The residents of the Uros use the cattail, a type of rush, which
grows in the lake, to create the conditions that ensure the islands
stay afloat. The dense roots that the plants develop support the
island. The roofs are waterproof and the houses are extremely humid
because of the surrounding water. At present, they speak Quechua and
Aymara. Then we will visit the Taquile island, where we will have
lunch in the cooperative restaurant. There is also a cooperative
shop on the plaza that sells exceptional wool goods which are of
very fine quality and somewhat expensive. Taquile Island is famous
for its craft production, particularly for its beautiful textiles.
The island is narrow at about 1 Km. wide and 6 to 7 Km. long. The
visit could be exhausting because of the 533 steps on the stone
stairway to climb to get to the village and because of the altitude
(13,000 ft above sea level). On Taquile there are numerous pre-Inca
and Inca ruins as well as Inca terracing. We will return in Puno in
the afternoon, overnight at the Conde Lemos Hotel or similar . (B,L)
DAY 16 PUNO - LIMA
Morning at leisure in Puno. In the afternoon transfer to the airport
to take the flight to Lima (airfare not included).(B)
END OF OUR SERVICES |
click to enlarge
Lima Plaza
de Armas
Chan-chan
Nazca
Lines
Machu
Picchu
typical
native fishing boat
Sun Island |
