8 Days / 7 Nights
Day 1: Depart North America / Arrive Lima
Depart North America today and arrive in Lima, Peru. You
are welcomed and transferred to the hotel.
Day 2: Lima - City Tour & Larco Herrera Museum
After a leisurely morning, embark on your tour of
Lima. Your local expert focuses on the city's colonial
heritage during a walking tour. Start at the Plaza de
Armas to see the Government Palace and visit the
Cathedral, where the skeleton of Francisco Pizarro is
sealed in a wooden coffin. From there, stroll to the
venerable San Francisco Monastery, with its splendid
17th-century cloister murals. Next, stop at Lima's
famous Herrera Museum. This evening, enjoy a welcome
dinner at a La Rosa Nautica Restaurant. (BD)
Day 3: Lima / Cuzco / Sacsayhuaman
Fly to the oldest inhabited city in the Western
Hemisphere: Cuzco. Today, visit several ruins, including
Kenko and Tambomachay. Journey to the "Valley of the
Incas" to the Sacsayhuaman Fortress. Later, see the
hillside fort and Puca Pucara, which most likely served
as a lookout post and stopping point between Cuzco and
the Sacred Valley. (B)
Day 4: Cusco / Machu Picchu
Travel aboard the Vistadome train from Cuzco to the
archeological wonder of Machu Picchu, built in the late
14th century. Machu Picchu was obviously a well-planned
and carefully built city, made up of two clearly
different sectors, one agricultural and the other urban.
With mountains to one side and a river roaring far
below, this solemn fortress is a fascinating remnant of
a once-bustling city that was mysteriously abandoned
after the middle of the 16th century. Secreted amidst
dense jungle vegetation and steep hills, Machu Picchu
remained undiscovered by the modern world until 1911.
Learn about the many legends and strange truths of these
ancient ruins from your local guide. (B)
Day 5: Machu Picchu / Cuzco
As the sunrises over the mountains, watch the
morning mist disappear once again to reveal the
awe-inspiring city of Machu Picchu, probably the most
amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire. Return to
Cuzco aboard the "Inca Train." Sip a cup of tea and
enjoy panoramic views as the beautiful greenery of the
Urubamba Valley rolls by. (B)
Day 6: Cuzco / Puerto Maldonado
Travel this morning to Puerto Maldonado. Discover the
magic of the Amazon rainforest with brilliant bouquets
of butterflies, and a treetop canopy bridge. Check into
your hotel.
Day 7 Amazon:
Your visit to Amazon provides an unforgettable
introduction to this amazing realm of incomparable
biodiversity. Climb the banks of the meandering Madre de
Dios, and enter another world. Wake up to a symphony of
tropical birdsong and end your days by lantern light,
falling asleep to the gentle night noise of the
rainforest. (BLD)
Day 8: Depart Amazon
You will be transferred to the airport to take your
flight to Lima. Upon arrival, connect to your flight
back home.