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9 Day itinerary in Peru, South America

Peru's Machu Picchu, Amazon Wildlife & More!

Peru has a lot to offer, much more than anyone could squeeze into a couple of weeks, but I’ll show you how you can have a memorable experience in Peru in only 10 days. With 10 days in Peru, you can explore up to three regions: The Coast, with a visit to its capital, Lima by the Pacific ocean; the sp... Read More

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Tati

By Tati

Overview

Physical Difficulty

Light
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Recommended Age

Minimum 5

Operated in

English, Spanish, German, Italian

GUIDANCE

On Some Day Trips

starting point

Lima

trip type

Private

trip attributes

Indigenous culture

Culture & History

Nature & Wildlife

Culture & Heritage

Start/End

Night

Highlights

1

Explore the imposing Machu Picchu

2

Visit Lima’s Old Town, a Unesco World Heritage

3

Enjoy a day amid sacred Valley’s small towns

4

Experience the raw nature of the massive Amazon Jungle

Itinerary

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Day 1

place Welcome to Lima

Welcome to Lima!. The city has a history that goes back over 4,000 years and highly developed pre-Hispanic civilizations left many traces here. Then, from 1.535 till the end of the 18th century it was the richest and the most important city in South America. After Independence it fortified its position as the most important city of Peru, and today Lima is not only the oldest capital of South America but one with the most diverse people, architecture and history. You will arrive at Jorge Chavez Airport. Most international flights arrive in Lima at night, so we will pick you up and take to the hotel in Miraflores to rest nd prepare for the coming days. *If you arrive midday, you have the option to add an extra tour Lima, or visit it on your own. I would suggest walking around colorful and lively Barranco, wonder about Miraflores or enjoy a walking food tour with us where you will sample more than 15 Peruvian foods and drinks.

Accommodation:

  • Standard: Allpa Hotel & Suites
  • Mid-Range: Hotel Antigua Miraflores
  • Comfort: Second Home Peru
Day 2

place Lima Downtown, a Unesco World Heritage

This half-day visit will provide us with a general panorama of the city of Lima and its many great historical periods, pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern. We leave from beginning the district of Miraflores. On the way to the historical centre, we will see the Huaca Pucllana Archaeological Complex (no entrance). Once in the city centre, we will visit the Bodega & Quadra Museum, where we can see the 17th century Wall of Lima. Diverse colonial objects will transport ourselves in time to understand the life and society of the "City of The Kings", the name given to Lima, capital of the viceroyalty of Peru. Then, we will visit the Convent of Santo Domingo, an architectural place that synthesizes the peak of colonial architecture and the importance of religious life in the colony. It is possible to climb the tower for observation. We finish the visit in the Plaza de Armas, if we are lucky we will able to watch the change of the Guard in the Government Palace. Return to Miraflores. - Shared tour, maximum of 10 travellers. - Transportation depend on the # of travellers, Van or Sprinter. - Museo Bodega & Quadra closed on Mondays, instead, we visit the colonial patio of Casa Osambela.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Standard: Allpa Hotel & Suites
  • Mid-Range: Hotel Antigua Miraflores
  • Comfort: Second Home Peru
Day 3

place Flying to Cusco and acclimatization

Today, we will pick you up from your hotel to take your local flight to Cusco. It is quite an experience to fly to Cusco: to align with the landing field, the pilot has to make some pretty clever manoeuvres and will eventually end up passing quite close to the mountains. The view is thrilling, but also spectacular. Cusco is located at an altitude of 3,400 metres (11,200ft) and it is common for many travellers to experience some mild symptoms of altitude sickness in Cusco, or ‘soroche’. It’s hard to tell if you will be affected by altitude sickness as some people can be more susceptible than others regardless of age, sex or physical condition. So, you will use this free time in Cusco to acclimate to getting less oxygen. Our recommendation is to take it very slow, drink plenty of water or Mate de Coca, and eat very light, just give time to your body to adjust. At arrival, you'll be met by your guide to take you to your hotel and brief you about the coming days.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Standard: Hotel Royal Inka I
  • Mid-Range: Casa Andina Standard Cusco Koricancha
  • Comfort: El Retablo Hotel
Day 4

place Discover Cusco and and visit Saqsayhuaman

Today we will leave the city heading to Saqsayhuaman, an imposing Inca building that dominates Cusco from the north heights of the city. We will first visit Puca Pucara, Tambomachay and Q'enko; all these archaeological sites will help us understand the history and Inca Cosmovision as they are related to the cults of the Inca state and the astronomical observation, critical to the development of the agricultural economy in the Andes. On our way back, we will visit two important sites of the city; The Cathedral and the Qoricancha Temple of the Sun which is the truly sacred centre of the ancient Inca capital. * The order of the visits may change, they will be confirmed locally. . Group Size: 16 p . Duration: 4 hrs

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Standard: Hotel Royal Inka I
  • Mid-Range: Casa Andina Standard Cusco Koricancha
  • Comfort: El Retablo Hotel
Day 5

place The Sacred Valle and the villages of Pisac and Ollantaytambo

We will go towards the Incas Sacred Valley. There we will find Pisaq village (2,950 m), where we will visit one of the main architectural complexes of the Incas. Pisaq's archaeological site is located at the top of the village and its domains the valley from the south, offering spectacular views. Its sophisticated system of farming terraces permits us to understand the importance of agriculture in the Andes and the techniques they used during the Inca empire. We will go all over the artisanal market. Later, we will continue along the Urubamba river bank to Ollantaytambo. We will stop for having lunch on the way. In the afternoon we will arrive in Ollantaytambo. Its ruins are beautiful and surrounded by mountains, the valley vastness, the river and cobblestone streets with tile houses and roofs. We will walk over the village by visiting the Fortress and citadel, built to control the access to this part of the valley and protect it from invasions. We will also walk through little streets so that we can understand how this military, religious and cultural centre worked during the Inca empire. * Group Size: 16 p Duration: 8 hrs.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:

  • Standard: Hostal Iskay
  • Mid-Range: Hotel Samanapaq
  • Comfort: El Albergue Ollantaytambo
Day 6

place Walk among the stones of Machu Picchu Citadel

Constructed on a saddle between two Andean peaks, Machu Picchu was one of the greatest achievements of South American civilisation. Very early morning you will take the train to Aguas Calientes in one of the most beautiful train trips in the world. The train to Machu Picchu passes through a landscape that changes dramatically. The foothills of the Andes have become dense cloud forests. A natural show that is worth seeing. Once in Aguas Calientes, you'll disembark and board a bus direct to the citadel, ascending 400 meters using a zigzag road for about 30 minutes. Your visit to Machu Picchu includes a 2-3h guided walking tour of the historic citadel. You will then descend back to Aguas Calientes for lunch. You can then catch the train back to Ollantaytambo and return to Cusco by coach. . Duration: How much time you can spend at Machu Picchu is based on the selected circuit. Even though each tourist has up to 4 hours to visit the site, a shared guided tour normally lasts 2.5 hours. . Group: 16 people

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Standard: Hotel Royal Inka I
  • Mid-Range: Casa Andina Standard Cusco Koricancha
  • Comfort: El Retablo Hotel
Day 7

place To the Amazon Jungle, wildlife at the Tambopata National Reserve

Today you’ll take a short flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, a frontier town in the Amazon basin. Your guide will be waiting for you at the airport and take you to the river port, where you will embark on our one and a half-hour boat trip up the Tambopata River. During the boat ride, you will also have lunch, a delicious vegetarian Arroz Chaufa wrapped in the leaf of the bijao heliconia. We will enter the buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve and the Bahuaja Sonene National Park. During your journey, you might see wildlife such as river birds like the oropendolas and their hanging nesting colonies, egrets, herons and others that might fly over such as toucans or macaws. Occasionally we may spot mammals like capybaras, monkeys or reptilians such as spectacled caimans and turtles. Once at INOTAWA Lodge, your guide will tell you about the dos and don'ts in the jungle in order for you to enjoy your stay safely. After settling in your room, you head out into the jungle for a small walk in order to observe the flora such as the immense Ironwood or Kapok trees and birds such as Trogons, quails and wild turkeys. Once night falls, we can also find spiders such as tarantulas and other nocturnal creatures.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:

  • Standard: Inotawa
  • Mid-Range: Inotawa
  • Comfort: Inotawa
Day 8

place Full day of Amazon Rainforest activities

Collpa La Torre clay lick: Very early we will have a 10-minute boat ride to collpa La Torre, a cliff of 4 meters height and 20 meters long, that holds a lot of clay peeks, needed for these birds diet. Macaws, parrots, periqueets and some mammals, like deer, capibaras and squirrels come here to eat. You will seat on a hiding spot 30mts away from the collpa, an excellent observation point. After breakfast, we head to Lake Tres Chimbadas for some piranha fishing in a water mirror lake, typical of the Peruvian Amazon jungle. We will board a catamaran, we will be able to see fauna and flora: birds like shansho, needle ducks, herons, kingfisher; some reptiles and mammals, especially the always requested otters, here is home of a big family of them, that usually comes out to say hello. Sportive fishing is about fishing out piranhas to observe them and set them free. In the afternoon, we visit The Farm (La Chacra). We will visit the community farm, where traditional agriculture is still practiced, we will get a chance to know different fruits endemic to the Amazon jungle like copoazú, arazá, pijuayo, yuca, the big banana, pineapple and cacao and species like cumin and sacha coriander. We will collect and taste the fruits and species of the season. After a 30 minutes walk, we will get to a clay reef of about 50 meters height, the Mirador Bahuaja. The viewpoint has rooftop benches that will allow you to relax and observe the sunset over the Tambopata river. Magnificent. At sundown, we will ride a boat around the Tambopata river to enjoy the sounds of the jungle invading the night. After dinner, presentation of cámara trap and conservation projects. Thanks to your visit, Inotawa can develop conservation projects. Amongst them, one that involves fauna monitoring with camera traps, which allows us to observe directly the state of our protected area. Because finding big mammals works as an indicator of a healthy ecosystem.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

  • Standard: Inotawa
  • Mid-Range: Inotawa
  • Comfort: Inotawa
Day 9

place Thank you for supporting the rainforest. We wish you farewell!!

Inotawa is a family business that has been conserving a forest area in the Peruvian jungle of Madre de Dios since 1998. It is an ecotourism company, with projects in development for the conservation of culture and environment. Thanks to the visit and support of tourists like you we all can protect the biodiversity in the Amazon Rainforest. After an early breakfast, it’s time to pack your bags and sail back along the Madre de Dios to Puerto Maldonado where your Peru trip ends. From here you will fly to Lima, which will take about 2.5 hours before connecting on to your international flight home. We hope you can come back one day!

Meals: Breakfast

What’s Included

Accommodation expand_less

  • Hotel Royal Inka I
  • Allpa Hotel & Suites
  • Hostal Iskay
  • Inotawa
  • Hotel Antigua Miraflores
  • Casa Andina Standard Cusco Koricancha
  • Hotel Samanapaq
  • Inotawa
  • Second Home Peru
  • El Retablo Hotel
  • El Albergue Ollantaytambo
  • Inotawa

Meals expand_less

  • Breakfast (8)
  • Lunch (3)
  • Dinner (1)

Transport expand_less

  • Transfer between Puerto Maldonado airport and the lodge in shared Bus + Boat
  • Train in Expedition category (or similar)
  • Private Transfer from/to airports

Extras expand_less

  • Rubber Boots (if required)
  • Bi-lingual naturalist guide
  • Entrances to each archaeological site and/or natural reserves included in the trip
  • Follow-up phone call along the trip
  • 24-hours emergency phone

Not Included expand_less

  • International and local flights (we can arrange local flights if demanded)
  • Travel insurance (mandatory)

About Tati

TEAM LEAD

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star_outline 5 (5 reviews)

Expertise: 

Rural home stays

Indigenous culture

Hiking

Culture & History

Meet local people

Nature & Wildlife

Food & Culinary

Purposeful Travel

Water & Coastline

Culture & Heritage

Tailor-made travel starts with a blank sheet of paper and a conversation. Nothing is set, nothing is off-the-peg, or off limits. Hello, my name Tati, and I will take the time to really listen to what it is you want from your trip.

Travel that Makes a Difference

By choosing to travel with us, you support local communities, wildlife, and the environment. We are dedicated to positively impacting the world through every journey we offer.

Let’s regenerate the planet together

We overcompensate your entire journey’s carbon footprint including flights - for free.

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FROM PRICE PER TRAVELER

$1,590.00 USD