THE TASTE OF THE ADVENTURE
(13 DAYS / 12 NIGHTS)

DAY 1: LIMA | INC: - Arrival in Lima, meet and greet by the Peru Travel Now staff who will assist us with luggage and will provide a brief city orientation and helpful information. Transfer to hotel and overnight stay in Lima. DAY 2: LIMA/CUSCO | INC: B Transfer to the airport and flight to Cusco. On arrival, meet and greet, and transfer to hotel Morning off to get used to the altitude. In the afternoon it is time for an exclusive city tour starting with the San Cristobal plaza, an ideal place to enjoy the city views. Then we will head for the San Pedro market so as to truly discover and enjoy the local flavor and see the local products that supply the whole city. The Koricancha temple awaits with all its magnificence; its Quechua name stands for Temple of Gold and its splendor still can be felt in its walls, once covered in gold. Then we will go to the Santo Domingo church, and later to San Blas, the artisans' neighborhood. We will walk down Hatun Rumiyoc street to see the Inca Roca palace, which is now the Archbishop Palace, and we will stop at the popular Twelve Angle Stone to admire it up close. Our tour will continue to the Main Square for a chance to visit the Cathedral and its valuable and impressive colonial art work. Overnight stay in Cusco. DAY 3: CUSCO/SACRED VALLEY | INC: B/PL/D Located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Via Ferrata is a new choice for adventure, designed for an adrenaline charged experience in the middle of amazing views and with all the safety measures needed for those who have no climbing experience. Climb up 300 meters using iron ladders and knowing you are 100% safe. Enjoy the breathtaking view, and then descend a 100-meter cliff fixed to a rope. It is an unforgettable experience for those who love adventure. Picnic style lunch. In the afternoon, we will combine the beauty of the landscape and the excitement of adventure on a mountain bike trip. Dinner and overnight stay in the Sacred Valley. DAY 4: SACRED VALLEY | INC: B/L/D We will depart to Pachar, the starting point for our river rafting experience in the Urubamba. Here passengers will receive their river rafting equipment and a proper safety briefing so as to be prepared how to handle the rapids level II and III. After a brief practice on the flat parts of the river, we will start our journey on easy waters, while we admire the spectacular views of the mountains and archaeological remains, continuing towards Ollantaytambo and its amazing Inca terraces. At the time we experience class II and III rapids, to finish with "El Resbaladero" (The Slide), a strong class III rapid that includes waves and small whirlpools. We will then have lunch in a traditional restaurant located on the riverside, owned by the local community family. This is a great chance to enjoy the Andean cuisine while supporting community projects and we will visit the archaeological site. How will we do so? The answer: on a splendid horseback ride, passing by small villages, farms and Andean terraces along the way to finally arrive in Ollantaytambo, the oldest inhabited town in the American continent. A great chance to discover its secrets, while interacting with the locals and get to visit the majestic temple offering a breathtaking view of the valley. Finally, it is time to go back to the hotel and rest. Dinner and overnight stay in the Sacred Valley. DAY 5: SACRED VALLEY/PISCACUCHO/HUAYLLABAMBA | INC: B/L/D Transfer from the hotel to Km. 82, where we will meet our porters and equipment to begin our journey through one of the most coveted trekking trails in the world, the Inca Trail, only visited by 500 people a day. We start our trek going through semi-arid terrain along the Urubamba River with magnificent views of snow-capped mountains, until we arrive to Llactapata. Here we leave the Urubamba valley and set off up the Kusichaca River to our first camp site in Huayllabamba (around 3000 m.a.s.l - 9842 f.a.s.l).

KM 82 - Llactapata: 5 KM / 3 hours approx.
Km 82 to Huayllabamba: 11 km / 6 hours approx. DAY 6: HUAYLLABAMBA/LLULLUCHAPAMPA/WARMIWAÑUSCA/PACAYMAYO | INC: B/L/D Today is the most demanding day in our trekking adventure. After a healthy breakfast we begin to walk to the Warmihuañusca pass (4200 mts - 13860 ft. approximately). After reaching the highest point, we will then be able to capture the moment in photo. From this place, it is possible to see the other side of the way leading to Runkurakay ruins. At the end of a gorge, we will stop at a place called Pacaymayo (3600 mts. - 11181 ft.), our second camp, for a well deserved dinner.

Huayllabamba-Pacaymayo: 7km / 7 hours approx. DAY 7: RUNCURACAY/SAYACMARCA/PHUYUPATAMARCA/WIÑAYWAYNA | INC: B/L/D Today we will experience an intense day of trekking as we discover and visit archaeological sites along the way. We depart from Pacaymayo and a while later a zigzagging but short ascent will take us to the Runkurakay circular ruins. There is no sign of human life, only great forests and abrupt hills.
After learning about the place and a good rest, we will start our way down and then we can clearly notice that the Inca Trail is well preserved from this point. In a short while we will get to the steps which go up to Sayacmarca ruins (3620 mts - 11946 ft approximately). From Sayacmarca the stone road begins to go into the jungle, continuing our trek towards Phuyupatamarca ruins. The trail crosses the "Lago Seco" and for brief moments we will go up and down. We will then cross "The Tunnel", a natural cavity produced by a landslide but adapted by the Incas. The Inca Trail well-traced borders continuous on the hills full of moss and fern. After crossing a small pass, we will see some steep steps and under these the Ceremonial Center of Phuyupatamarca ruins (3650 mts - 12045 ft approximately), where we will set our camp.

Pacaymayo - Phuyupatamarca: 7 km / 6 hours approximately DAY 8: WIÑAYWAYNA/INTIPUNKU/MACHU PICCHU | INC: B/L/D We start early in the morning going down the trail, from where we can see the Urubamba valley and the river. The path goes down to Wiñaywayna ruins (2650 mts - 8745 ft approximately), the most important ruins after Machu Picchu, heading then towards Intipunku (2740 mts - 9042 ft approximately), the Gate of the Sun, our last pass. From this place, Machu Picchu (2450 mts - 8085 ft approximately) looks unreal and beautiful. We have the rest of the day to visit the entire citadel. It is time for a good night sleep in the hotel of our choice. Overnight stay at Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu.

Phuyupatamarca - Wiñaywayna: 4 Km / 3 hours approximately
Wiñaywayna - Machupicchu: 5 km /4hours approximately DAY 9: MACHU PICCHU/CUSCO | INC: B/L Early in the morning we start our visit to the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World. Machu Picchu welcomes us with its amazing terraces, steps, ceremonial shrines and urban areas. After the guided tour we will have time to explore the citadel and lunch in one of the restaurants in the area. At the arranged time, we will catch the train back to Cusco.
Arrival and transfer to your hotel. Overnight stay in Cusco. DAY 10: CUSCO/PUERTO MALDONADO/TAMBOPATA | INC: B/L/D Transfer to the airport and flight to Puerto Maldonado.
Arrival and meet and greet by Guide : Our guides are biologists, tourism professionals, or community members. Unless noted otherwise, our guides speak English. We assign guides at 10:1 ratio in Refugio Amazonas. This means groups smaller than 10 people will be merged with other groups under one guide. If you would like a private guide or a guide in a language other than English please let us know.
Transfer Airport to Puerto Maldonado Headquarters
Upon arrival from Lima or Cusco, we will welcome you at the airport and drive you ten minutes to our Puerto Maldonado headquarters. While enjoying your first taste of the forest in our gardens we will ask you to pack only the necessary gear for your next few days, and leave the rest at our safe deposit. This helps us keep the boats and cargo light.
Transfer Puerto Maldonado Headquarters to Tambopata River Port
Skirting Puerto Maldonado, we drive 20 kilometers to the Tambopata River Port, entering the Native Community of Infierno. The port is a communal business.
Transfer Boat - Tambopata River Port to Refugio Amazonas
The two and a half hour boat ride from the Tambopata Port to Refugio Amazonas will take us past the Community of Infierno and the Tambopata National Reserve's checkpoint and into the buffer zone of this 1.3 million hectare conservation unit.
Boxed Lunch
Orientation : Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips.
Dinner
Caiman Search : We will be out at the river's edge at night, scanning the shores with headlamps and flashlights to catch the red gleams of reflection from
caiman eyes.
Overnight at Refugio Amazonas DAY 11: TAMBOPATA| INC: B/L/D Breakfast Oxbow Lake Visit : We will paddle around the lake on a canoe or a catamaran, looking for lakeside wildlife such as hoatzin, caiman and horned screamers, hoping to see the otters which are infrequently seen here. You will also be rewarded with overhead sightings of macaws.
Canopy Climbing : Replicating the daily work of macaw researchers, we will climb a 30 meter tree with a rope, harness and jumar. From this vantage point we will have a macaw's eye view of the forest. This demanding exercise is perfectly safe and requires no previous experience.
Lunch

Brazil Nut Trail and Camp : A few minutes hike from the lodge is a beautiful old growth patch of Brazil Nut forest that has been harvested for decades (if not centuries) where the precarious remains of a camp used two months a year by Brazil Nut gatherers can still be experienced. We will be demonstrating the whole process of the rain forest's only sustainably harvested product from collection through transportation to drying.
Canopy Tower : A thirty minute walk from Refugio Amazonas leads to the 25 meter scaffolding canopy tower. A bannistered staircase running through the middle provides safe access to the platforms above. The tower has been built upon high ground, therefore increasing your horizon of the continuous primary forest extending out towards the Tambopata National Reserve. From here views of mixed species canopy flocks as well as toucans, macaws and raptors are likely.
Dinner
Night walk : You will have the option of hiking out at night, when most of the mammals are active but difficult to see. Easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as bizarre as their natural histories.
Overnight at Refugio Amazonas DAY 12: TAMBOPATA | INC: B/L/D Parrot Clay Lick
A fifteen minute boat ride and sixty minute walk from Refugio Amazonas is a clay lick used both by parrots and parakeets. From a blind you will see parrots and parakeets descend on most clear days to ingest the clay on a bank.. We visit the lick at dawn, when parrots are most active or in midmorning or early afternoon, when they are active.
Breakfast
Mammal Clay Lick : Twenty minutes walking from Refugio Amazonas is a peccary clay lick. These wild rain forest pigs show up in herds of five to twenty individuals to eat clay in the late morning. Chances of spotting them are around 15%, but well worth the short hike. Other wildlife also shows up including deer, guan and parakeets.
Lunch
Sea-Kayaking the Tambopata River : No previous experience is required. A boat will bring us upriver and then we will paddle down a portion of the Tambopata River. At the shores we will observe fragmented parts of the forest and come across birds, caimans and turtles. To finish our experience, we'll stop on a sandy beach and take a well deserved bath. No experience required, only swimming knowledge.
Dinner
Tambopata National Reserve Lectures : Nightly lectures prepared by the staff of Refugio Amazonas cover conservation threats, opportunities and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve.
Overnight at Refugio Amazonas DAY 13: PUERTO MALDONADO/LIMA | INC: B Breakfast
Transfer Boat - Refugio Amazonas to Tambopata River Port.
Transfer Tambopata River Port to Puerto Maldonado Headquarters.
Transfer Puerto Maldonado Headquarters to Airport.


We retrace our river and road journey back to Puerto Maldonado, our office and the airport. Depending on airline schedules, this may require dawn departures.
End of our services.

Highlights: LIMA, CUSCO AND PUERTO MALDONADO

*Based on two people sharing double room.

PRICE INCLUDES:

• Cusco city tour
• Hike by Vía Ferrata in Pachar and a 100 meter descend by rope
• Mountain biking in the Sacred Valley
• River rafting, lunch at a local community, horseback riding and visit to Ollantaytambo
• Premium Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
• Four spectacular days of moderate adventure and in touch with nature in Tambopata, which includes kayaking, sailing, bird watching and night walks.