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Recent Tour Diaries:
July 29, 2008 - August 05, 2008
July 14, 2008 - July 21, 2008
June 16, 2008 - June 24, 2008
Day 1 Start Tour
Day 2 Hola Lima
Lima Guided Sightseeing tour, Government Palace, City Hall, Cathedral of Lima, Miraflores, San Isidro, San Francisco Convent visit
Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology visit
Get a thorough grounding in Peru's history and culture in this fascinating museum. Exhibits trace the country from prehistoric times through the present with collections of weapons, carvings, textiles, Inca jewelry, and ancient mummies and funeral objects. Check out the interactive model of Macchu Picchu, which explains the various sectors of the mysterious city.
Day 3 Lima--Cuzco
Fly to Cuzco
Cuzco guided sightseeing
Colorful Cuzco was an important Inca center, and sites surrounding the town testify to the power of the empire. Begin your tour at Tambo Machay, the ritual baths probably used by nobility. Underground water bubbles up over the intricately carved stone platforms, creating a shower as it tumbles over the edge. The impressive stone at Qenko had a slightly less cleansing purpose -- each year, priests would pour llama blood over the top and watch its progress through the complicated zigzag pattern to determine the luck for the coming planting season. Puca Pucara was likely a hunting lodge or vacation home for the emperor; from its high position, you can gaze out at the glaciers in the south.
Tambo Machay, Qenko, Puca Pucara
Day 4 Cuzco Landmarks
Travel to Pisac via Ollantaytambo & Urubamba Valley
Built to resemble an ear of maize, Ollantaytambo is one of the few remaining examples of Inca urban grid architecture. Get an overhead view from the fortress, still impressive all these centuries later. Continue on through the lush Urubamba Valley before reaching Pisac, which hosts a renowned crafts market three days a week.
Indian Market
Ollantaytambo Fortress
Train Ride to Machu Picchu
Day 5 Machu Picchu--Cuzco
Explore Machu Picchu
Get the best view of the most impressive site in South America as you arrive at Intipunko, or the "Sun Gate," overlooking Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is a stunning complex of buildings clinging to the surrounding mountains and above the Urubamba River. Much of the extensive city is still intact, showcasing the agility and skill of Inca stone work. (Legend claims that the Inca knew of leaves that would dissolve rock, allowing them to meld stones together when building; birds in the surrounding jungle have been known to melt nesting holes in the mountains themselves, supporting the theory, but the leaves have not been identified.) Archaeologists disagree about the purpose of Machu Picchu -- many believe it was a country retreat, others think it may have been a university.
Hike to Intipunko
Day 6 Machu Picchu--Cuzco
Machu Picchu free time
Transfer back to Cuzco
Day 7 Cuzco
Rafting excursion down the Urubamba River
Raft through the Sacred Valley, which winds through major Inca sites and beautiful scenery. Ancient fortresses loom on cliffs high above, while the river makes its slow way into the jungle.
Day 8 Cuzco--Puerto Maldonado
Fly to Puerto Maldonado
Motorized canoe to Posada Amazonas
Take a motorized canoe to your base camp, the Posada Amazonas, a clean modern lodge in the midst of the Amazon. Just over 15% of the Amazon rainforest is in Peru, covering about half the country.
Jungle Hike
Day 9 Tres Chimbadas
Boat to Tres Chimbadas
The beautiful Tres Chimbadas Lake is home to turtles, herons, osprey, black-collared hawks, and more unique animals. Look especially for the family of five giant river otters that make their home in the lake and surrounding waters.
Visit Tambopata Research Center
Get ready for a mud bath -- a parrot mud bath. The Tambopata Research Center, an architecturally low-impact center for biologists and other jungle scientists, is next to the world's largest clay lick, where macaws, parakeets, and parrots come to eat the detoxifying mud.
Day 10 Puerto Maldonado--Lima & Flight Home
Fly to Lima
Travel home - Note: Your flight home is overnight. You will return home on Day 11.