| Day 1 - Thursday |
Depart for Lima, capital of Peru.
Arrive early morning on Friday. |
| Day 2 - Friday |
Tour central Lima by
foot. Visit National Museum, Plaza de Armas, Plaza San Martín,
La Catedral, San Francisco church and catacombs, Plaza Bolivar,
and La Merced church. |
| Day 3 - Saturday |
Take early morning flight to Cusco (elevation
11,000 feet). Acclimate to altitude. Free afternoon. Attend folklore
dance show at Qosqo Center of Native Dance. |
| Day 4 - Sunday |
Depart by bus to the Amazon basin. Visit Ninamarca
tombs (chullpas), the town of Paucartambo, and the cloud forest. |
| Day 5 - Monday |
Search for the cock of the rock and other birds.
Board boat, head down the Alto Madre de Dios and visit the private
reserve of Erika to see the Transitional Zone. |
| Day 6 - Tuesday |
Travel by boat to Boca Manu, a town located
at the confluence of the Alto Madre de Dios and the Manu Rivers.
Enter the Reserve Zone of Manu National Park and camp along the
riverbank. |
| Day 7 - Wednesday |
Travel by boat to Salvador Lake where we will
spend two nights in a private lodge. Take a jungle walk in the afternoon
to view monkeys, caimans, and the giant river otter. |
| Day 8 - Thursday |
Cross the Manu River and walk an 8-km trail
to an oxbow lake called Otorongo. Climb a 15-m tower to enter the
canopy and search for wildlife. Back at Salvador, take a night hike
to search for black caimans. |
| Day 9 - Friday |
Travel downriver to a riverside lodge. Spend
our last night in the jungle. |
| Day 10 - Saturday |
View parrots of all types at the “Collpa”
macaw lick. Return to Boca Manu’s airport and return to Cusco
by chartered plane. |
| Day 11 - Sunday |
Travel by bus to Pisac in the Sacred Valley.
Visit the Pisac ruins and Sunday market. |
| Day 12 - Monday |
Take train to Aguas Calientes. Free afternoon.
Options include hikes or climbs to Huayna Picchu, Sun Gate via the
Inca Trail, Machu Picchu Mountain, Inca Bridge, or Temple of the
Moon. Other options are to visit the hot springs or just relax in
town. |
| Day 13 - Tuesday |
Get up early and take the bus to Machu Picchu.
Take a two-hour guided tour of the ruins while there are very few
people in the ruins. Other options as above. |
| Day 14 - Wednesday |
Free day in town or in the ruins. Board afternoon
train to Ollantaytambo. |
| Day 15- Thursday |
Visit Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo, agricultural
terraces of Moray, and market town of Chinchero. Return to Cusco. |
| Day 16 - Friday |
Free morning in Cusco. Take city tour and visit
the colonial cathedral and the Inca ruins of Coricancha, Sacsayhuaman,
Quenqo, and Tambo Machay.. |
| Day 17 - Saturday |
Free day in Cusco. Shop until you drop. |
| Day 18 - Sunday |
Return to Lima by air in the morning. Visit
the Gold Museum in the afternoon. |
| Day 19 - Monday |
Visit the Pre-Inca and Inca ruins of Pachacamac
near Lima. Free afternoon. Depart for the U.S. in the evening. |
| Day 20 - Tuesday |
Arrive U.S.. |
