11 Day Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca & Cusco w/ 3 day Amazon

MACHU PICCHU DAY BY DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: Saturday 27 September:
Fly to Lima. Upon arrival near midnight we will transfer to your deluxe hotel near the Lima Airport.

Day 2: Sunday 28 September: Lima - Cuzco
After getting in late we will have a late start, departing around 10:30am for the airport for our noon flight to Cusco – This afternoon we will do a ½ day tour of Cusco and its ancient ruins and church, before checking into our 5 star Luxury Hotel.

Day 3: Monday 29 September: Cuzco – Machu Picchu
**Important: Most of the visitors to Machu Picchu travel there in backpacking train in the morning and return the same day back to Cuzco. This gives you 3 to 3 ½ hours maximum at Machu Picchu. We will stay overnight at Machu Picchu. This gives us unlimited time to visit Machu Picchu. We also take the Vista dome train that is more comfortable and has glass ceilings to really enjoy the Andies! This Morning we will transfer to the railway station for the early morning departure to Aguas Calentes and then a bus ride up to the spectacular Machu Picchu ruins. This fabulous city has houses, temples, warehouses, a large central square, all connected by narrow roads and steps and is surrounded by terraces cut in to the mountain side which were used for agriculture. Plenty of free time to explore the ruins, we do not have to take the train back the same day. We will overnight in one of the few deluxe hotels!

Day 4: Tuesday 30 September: Machu Picchu – Sacred Valley
Today you will have a free day to hike and explore the many mountains and streams around Machu Picchu or return for another day at Machu Picchu. We also use this day as an emergency back up if for any reason we were not able to visit Machu Picchu on day 3. We will take the train to the Sacred Valley where we will overnight. This saves us almost 2 hours of train or bus ride to get all the way back to Cusco, just to turn around and come back to the Sacred Valley tomorrow. Overnight in a deluxe hotel in the Sacred Valley.

Day 5: Wednesday 1 October: Urubamba Valley – Secred Valley - Cuzco
Full-day excursion to the Urubamba - the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will visit the village of Pisac, founded during the colonial times and set at the foot of a hill crowned by remains of an Inca city, where we will spend time exploring. We will also visit Ollantaytambo, the only Inca town which was not overthrown by the conquistadores, and explore the ruins which tower above it. This evening we will return to Cuzco and your 5 star hotel.

Day 6: Thursday 2 October: Cuzco
To day we will visit the many ruins around the Cusco area including the Sacsayhuaman Fortress overlooking the city of Cuzco, a pre Inca architectural masterpiece; Kenko, a rock sanctuary whose main attraction is the monolithic alter representing a puma; the red Fortress of Puca-Pucara and Tambomachay, a beautiful fountain fed by a spring forming a series of basins that continue to the city of Cuzco; the main square, the Catheral and Koricancha or Temple of the Sun. We will also visit an Alpaca Factory. We will then return to your 5 star hotel in Cuzco.

Day 7: Friday 3 October: Cusco – Lake Titicaca
This morning will be free to enjoy Cusco before we depart on our afternoon flight to Puno Lake Titicacca. Upon arrival we check into our 5 star hotel right on Lake Titicaca.

Day 8: Saturday 4 October: Lake Titicacca
Early transfer to the port for your boat ride on Lake Titicaca. We will first visit the Uros and their floating islands. Made entirely of reeds and inhabited by the Aymara Uros people, these people live in huts built on floating platforms of reeds, about 3 feet thick. We will walk on the floating islands reeds and take a boat ride on boats that are entirely made from reeds. We will then travel by boat to the island of Taquila. Members of this self supporting Aymara community receive visitors in their colorful national costumes and show them around the island. Taquile is renowned for its fine, decorative weavings. Lunch is included. Return to your 5 star hotel in Puno.

Day 9: Sunday 5 October: Lake Titicacca - Lima
This morning we fly to Lima in time to do a ½ day tour of colonial modern Lima, including the cathedral, dating from 1654, the main square, which still houses the original bronze fountain built in 1650, and the San Francisco Convent and its catacombs. Known as the city of the Kings, Lima was founded in 1535 by Pizarro and rebuilt in 1991, the same year that UNESCO declared it a world heritage site. Lima is one of the very few South American cities that preserved their colonial past. Lima was home to the Spanish Viceroy during the time of the Spanish colonialists. The tour also includes a visit to the residential areas of San Isidro and Miraflores, stopping at Larco Mar to enjoy a view of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Overnight in your 5 star luxury hotel Lima.

Day 10: Monday 6 October: Lima – Iquitos on the Amazon River
Today we will have a ½ day tour of Lima before our afternoon flight to Iquitos located on the banks of the Amazon. After arrival we will do a city tour before checking into our 5 star luxury hotel.

Day 11: Tuesday 7 October: Iquitos – Amazon – Ceiba Tops
This morning we will transfer to Explorama Dock on the Amazon River. We will travel 25 miles down the Amazon by boat to the only 5 star luxury lodges along the Amazon – Ceiba Tops. Here we will spend the next 3 days 2 nights using Celba Tops as a base to explore the Amazon and its rain forest. This afternoon we will walk through the beautiful primary rainforest reserve surrounding Ceiba Tops, which includes many huge trees festooned with epiphytes. After dinner there will be local flute or guitar music and our guides will relate some of the many legends of the Amazon River.

Day 12: Wednesday 8 October: Jungle Experience and Yagua Indians
Morning boat ride on the Amazon looking for dolphins. We will visit a small village of Yagua Indians where your guide will explain the Yagua Indian culture and how it was affected by the arrival of Europeans. You will have time to see their local crafts and see a demonstration of the blow gun that is still used for hunting today. In the afternoon we will visit the small town of Indiana. Originally a Franciscan Mission, Indiana has grown into an Amazon River community with its own market, schools and small hospital. This evening we will return to our 5 star lodges.

Day 13: Thursday 9 October: Ceiba Tops – Iquitos – Lima and flight home
Your choice of a morning walking or more boating on the Amazon. In the late afternoon we will take the boat back up the Amazon to Iquitos and in the evening fly to Lima to catch our late night flight back to the US and Home.

Day 14: Friday 10 October: Arrive Home