Group tour- Family trip- South Peru
Tour for 13 or 16 days relaxed South Peru with 3 days jungle Puerto Maldonado, cusco, machu picchu, titicaca, Puno, Arequipa
In private group minima 10 persons ( you can choose program and departure date) ( Dutch tour with fixed date look at This Link )
We can arrange with or without English speaking tour leader!
In private you can decide the quality of hotels!
How do we work?
Our tours are with an English-speaking tour leader, he travels all the time with you and the group, he is no guide but after many years working in Peru/Bolivia he knows what a tourist need
Or you do in private without a tour leader.
He supports and translates into any problem. He gives you general info in every place, enough info, so you can discover the beauty of this country by yourself, or with members of the group. We promote a lot of freedom and flexibility in our tours, we call it alone in a group, you do your thing with the comfort of a group while the tour leader arranges your excursion or bus ticket.
Kind of Tour
This is an easy hotel + tour for all ages. Open young-minded persons are what we are looking for. Leave your western look home and just enjoy the beauty of this Andean country. Accept that its different, we come to admire the country, not to change it!
We use good 3 *** hostels/hotels centrally located. We are going slowly to high altitude, so you get easily get used to it, together with coca thee! With this tour, you have a good idea of South Peru!
What is included?
*bus transport, and 3 national flights + international flights (if you like)
*All hotels in good 3***. Hotels and hostels with private bathroom all very clean and central located
*All hotels are based on a double room, if you are single and don’t mind to share the room with a man or women from another sex, there is no surcharge, if you like a single room there’s an extra cost and you have to tell us in advance.
*All buses are based on good local buses, sometimes private if written in the program.
*In all the hotels is breakfast included!
Not included
*Your food. In the hotels is breakfast included.
*The entry fees and taxes, Colca Canyon entrée.
*The excursions, everything with the blue excursion sign, below there is a list of all the estimated prices
*Insurance, everybody is obligated to have their travel insurance from home, before starting this trip.
Highlights
*3 days Jungle/ lodge wit parrot clay lick
*sleep in the sacred valley
*The Inca empire with Machu Picchu
*Amazing Cusco
*Bus with stops over altiplano to Puno
*Sleep with a local family on an island at Titicaca
*Short tour with only highlights
*possible extension to Arequipa
Day 1 depart to Lima
Depart in the evening from Europe to Madrid and at night international flight to Lima
Day 2 Puerto Maldonado
Early in the morning, you arrive in Lima, there you have a connection flight to the Jungle
Jungle
Your guide will be waiting for you at the airport and take you to our office located approximately 5 minutes from the airport in the city of Puerto Maldonado. Here we will register and make some last-minute shopping for things we might have forgotten such as batteries or raingear.
Afterward, we will take an unpaved road to Puerto Nuevo, our port in the Infierno Community, for about one hour. On our journey, we can see various types of woodland, traditional banana and citrus plantations, cattle ranches, and small creeks. Once in Puerto Nuevo, we will embark on our 1.5-hour boat trip up the mighty Tambopata. During the boat ride, we will also have lunch consisting of delicious vegetarian Arroz Chaufa wrapped in the leaf of the bijao heliconia. There will also be fruit, crackers, and a bottle of water. We will enter the Buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve and the Bahuaja Sonene National Park. During your journey, you can appreciate the bank’s vegetation consisting mainly of patches of canes, Cecropias, and Ficus. We might also see wildlife such as river birds like the oropendolas and their hanging nesting colonies, egrets, herons, and others might fly over such as toucans or the magnificent macaws. Once we arrive at INOTAWA the manager will receive us, and your guide will tell you about the dos and don’ts in the jungle for you to enjoy your stay to the maximum. He will also lead you around the installations and show you your room. In the afternoon we head out into the jungle for a small walk to observe the flora such as immense Ironwood or Kapok trees and birds such as Trogons, quails, and wild turkeys. Once night falls, we can also find spiders such as tarantulas and other nocturnal creatures. After dinner, your guide will give you a small speech about what to expect and explain the various activities during your stay
Day 3 Puerto Maldonado Jungle lodge
Jungle
We leave the lodge very early in the morning to go fifteen minutes upriver to observe the activity of the macaws, parrots, parakeets, and the occasional mammal feeding on the earth. La Torre Clay Lick is a mud bank about four meters high and twenty meters wide crisscrossed with veins of mineral-rich clay essential to the diet of these animals. On-site, we have a hideout at a distance of thirty meters which keeps us hidden while at the same time allowing us an unobstructed view of the display in front of us. During the phenomenon, we need to stick to the rules and guidelines set by our guide the previous evening. Returning to the lodge we will have breakfast and after a short rest head for the La Torre Lakes.
Tres Chimbadas Lake
Its entrance is located fifteen minutes downriver from INOTAWA. We then walk about 45 minutes to the lake located deep in the jungle. We will pass an eco-tourism concession held by the native people of the Infierno community. They guard and maintain the area thanks also to the income generated by entry fees from tourists. At the lake itself, we will board a traditional catamaran with a single oar to move around on the lake following the route indicated by our guide. We can see luscious vegetation and birds such as Snakebirds, herons, kingfishers, etc. We might also find reptiles and mammals, above all the illusive giant river otter. The lake happens to be the territory of a clan that can frequently be spotted. It is also possible to practice catch and release fishing and maybe catch a piraña.
Farm
In the area, traditional agriculture is practiced. We will visit Don Aurelio and his family on their farm. This is a great opportunity to see the harvest and try various exotic fruits from the amazon such as Copazú, Arazá, Pijuayo, Yucca, and Pineapple. There are also various herbs such as pallilo and false cilantro as well as a range of medicinal plants such as piñón, caña caña and Piri Piri that are traditionally and widely used by the local people.
The farms also create open spaces for papaya and banana plantations. This is the preferred habitat for birds such as silver beaked tanagers, oreoles, oropendolas, toucanets and various woodpeckers.
Nocturnal boat ride
At night we head out in the boat to enjoy ourselves and the sounds of the Amazonian night, we might see a thunderstorm spilling out on the horizon or marvel at constellations like the Southern Cross or Scorpion. We are also carrying a powerful searchlight in case we come across some nocturnal animals such as caimans, bats, nightjars, or capybaras on the banks and meanders of the Tambopata River. Afterward, dinner will be served
Day 4 Jungle – Cusco – Sacred valley
After an early breakfast, we will return to the INOTAWA office in Puerto Maldonado and then on to the airport. Your guide will accompany you until the airport and help you with the check-in process for your flight back to Cusco. From Cusco airport, we drive directly to the lower part/ Sacred Valley.
Here we have a nice hotel.
Day 5 Sacred valley + train to Aguas Calientes
Today we will visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It is divided by the Urubamba River and protected by towering mountains, like Veronica, Chicon, and Pitusiray, all above 5000 meters. Your first stop is visiting the local market in the small village of Pisac. After lunch, you will spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the impressive Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo town and ceremonial center, an important archeological site, and an Inca stronghold during the Spanish conquest. In the afternoon we take the train to Aguas Calientes. This is the village close to Machu Picchu. There is also a big tourist market and it is much warmer than Cusco because we are on the border with the jungle. We stay overnight in Aguas Calientes.
Day 6 Machu Picchu + Train to Cusco
Today we will leave early on sunrise to the Machu Picchu ruins. You will start with a guided tour of the ruins for 2 hours, in which you will learn all about the origins of this archeological wonder with some free time to explore on your own. Your return train through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Cusco will depart in the afternoon and arrive in the evening. hotel in Cusco
Early in the morning, you will be transported by bus to Machu Picchu citadel, our bilingual guide will take you throughout the vast ruins for about 2 hours. After this, you have some free time to wander around by yourself Machu Picchu is the best known of the Inca ruins, as it is recognized worldwide yet it is not mentioned in any of the writings of the Spanish Conquistadors. It believed to have been constructed around the mid-15th century and was “rediscovered” by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. The guided tour of this fascinating place is an inspiring experience. Visit the Main Square, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Towers, the Sacred Sun Dial, and Burial Grounds. After the excursion you can walk to Inti Punko, the “SUN GATE” to take the famous picture. Then you drive down by bus to the town of Aqua Calientes where we take the afternoon train back direction Cusco
Day 7 + 8 Cusco
Cusco is located in the southeast of Peru at 3,400m above sea level famously known as the gateway to Machu Picchu, one of the 7 wonders of the world, previously the capital of the Incan Empire. Get to know the city of Cusco, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site and possessor of a style all its own. The tour begins at the Koricancha Temple, an old Incan palace and main center for the worship of the sun god, Inti. Once the Spanish conquered Peru, the Dominican order built a lovely church over top of this temple’s foundations: the church of Santo Domingo, which still there today. Your next destination is the Main Square to visit the Colonial Cathedral, home to finely carved wooden art pieces and impressive altars, and then the adventure continues at the Sacsayhuaman Fortress built of enormous stone blocks expertly shaped by the Incas. It is strategically located at the top of a hill overlooking the city of Cuzco. What a view of the city! Visit three archaeological sites: Qenko, Puca-Pucara, and Tambomachay, important religious and administrative centers for the Incas. In the evening there are many excellent restaurants to choose from in Cusco, just consult our restaurant list. Accommodations in Cuzco.
Day 9 bus Cusco – Puno
You can take the bus with stops at La Raya Pass, the Incan archeological site of Raqchi, renowned for its massive temple built for God Viracocha. Next on the itinerary is a stop at the village of Andahuayllas, where you will see an actual architectural masterpiece: its main church, built in the 17th century, which is finely painted interior walls will astound you. Accommodations in Puno. The bus is guided and stops included lunch.
Day 10 + 11 Titicaca
Day 1 Today you will visit the incredible Lake Titicaca, situated some 3800m above sea level and covering an area of over 8000 square kilometers. You will begin your tour by visiting the fascinating Uros Islands, home to the descendants of the pre-Inca Urus people, who continue to live on the floating islands, which are constructed by Totoro reeds that grow around the lake. It is said that, when seen from the sky, the lake looks like a Puma hunting a rabbit. Uros is comprised of about 40 islands, but the total number varies. Then we will go to Amantaní Island. You will sleep on the island with a local family, basic but a nice adventure! They will treat you like their own children, in the evening you sing and dance with the whole village in local clothes. This option provides a great opportunity to interact with the warm and hospitable islanders and to learn about their daily lives. We leave in Puno our big luggage and travel with a day pack.
Day 2
After breakfast, we will leave our local family and go to Taquile Island, another beautiful destination. The island still bears vestiges of a pre-Incan past. There are Aymara Indians. The intricate and brightly colored textiles produced here reflect the inhabitants’ Andean beliefs, myths, and ways of life. After a short but steep climb to the main village, you will enjoy lunch and spend the afternoon exploring the island and finding out about its people. The islanders are known for the beautiful textiles and garments that they produce, and interestingly, the knitting of these garments is done exclusively by men. Afterward, you will take a boat back to the Puno hotel.
Day 12 going back home or Colca canyon
This morning we have a transfer to Juliaca. From there you take the flight to Lima to continue international home
OR
We take the bus to Chivay in the Colca Canyon. We meet alpacas and Lamas. The bus ride is at high altitude and takes 7 hours. We cross the pass at 4900 Meter. From here we can see amazing vulcanos and snowy mountaintops. As you climb further up onto the Altiplano, you will begin to spot wild vicunas, llamas, and alpacas as well as some interesting birdlife on the lakes. After reaching the highest point at about 4900m, you will descend a little to the town of Chivay. The Colca Canyon is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, although its incline is much more gradual. Here we stop for lunch. After we bring our luggage to the hotel, in the afternoon we will go to the nearby hot springs: La Calera. It’s a 1-night hotel in the small village of Chivay
Day 13 Condors – Arequipa
After early breakfast, we leave to the condor cross to see this amazing bird “The Condor. It’s still nature, so we can’t promise you anything. The Canyon is worth a visit also without the condor. If you see one, just take it as extra! It is the best place for a breathtaking view of the canyon with the Colca River flowing 1,200 meters below. We visit the hanging tombs at Choquetico before continuing to the towns of Maca, Achoma, and Yanque with its lovely white church. We return to Chivay for lunch, before driving further with our private bus to Arequipa. Hotel in Arequipa
Day 14 Arequipa
Arequipa, located at 2325 m altitude. The white city with his amazing Misty volcano. Here we can relax, after our night bus. We will have free time to visit this beautiful city, visit the star of Arequipa “The Mummy JUANITA “or the” Santa Catalina monastery”, or do the excursion reality tour. In the evening you can try in one of the many restaurants the local “CUY” or marmot or the great alpaca steak,
Arequipa is Peru’s second-largest city with a population of over 800,000 people and arguably the most beautiful city in Peru. Situated about 2,335 meters above sea level in the shadows of the stunning ice capped Misti Volcano (5,822 meters).
You can do an optional city tour. We will show you all its charms of the main streets and colonial buildings, where you will visit The Main Square, The Cathedral from outside, La Compañia a Jesuit’s church and religious cloisters, Santa Catalina convent – which is a city within the city – built on the XVI century and closed to the public for almost 400 years until 1970, and it’s still home of a few nuns. The tour continues to the Church and Square of San Francisco and the local market. The highlight of Arequipa is the 16th century Santa Catalina Convent. This beautiful complex of plazas and buildings is remarkably intact and remained closed to the outside world until 1970. You will also need to visit the star of Arequipa “The Mummy Juanita “. In the evening you may choose to dine at one of Arequipa’s many fine restaurants. Try the amazing alpaca steak! You also can go on excursion rafting on the Rio Chili. 1-night hotel in Arequipa
Day 15: Arequipa
Transfer to the airport to take a local flight to Lima and continue to home.
End of the tour
General
People who like to do the very famous INCATRAIL, for 2 or 4 days (look at this website for the program) have to make reservations for this, together with the reservation of this tour. This Inca trail is so popular that it needs more than 60 days reservation in advance
