The best of Peru

Descripción del viaje

Alojamiento

Programa del viaje

• día 1

  Arrival in Lima. Transfer by bus to the hotel.

  

  Welcome to Peru! Lima, the largest city and the capital of Peru, is a must-visit during your trip to the country. In recent years, it has become a modern city with beautiful beaches, numerous seafood restaurants, many museums and, lastly, an exciting nightlife.

• día 2

  Transfer, flight to Cusco, arrival in Cusco, city tour

  

  When you arrive at the airport, our driver will be waiting for you to take you to your hotel. After an exhausting flight, you will probably need time to relax at the hotel. In the afternoon, you will explore the impressive city of Cusco. The history of the Inca Empire began here. The imperial city of the Incas was a complex urban center, with different religious and administrative functions. Many years later, the Spanish conquistadors destroyed the ancient culture and sent its treasures to Spain. In the historic center of Cusco, we will see Spanish buildings, indigenous ruins, temples and buildings finely constructed by the Incas. The main attractions are: the «Temple of the Sun», the main square «Plaza de Armas», the «San Pedro» market and the «Potato Museum». Let your mind wander and feel the energy of the past in this magical city. Then, we will continue to the nearby ruins: Kenko, where you will see its underground galleries and its semicircular amphitheater; Tambomachay, a complex of walls connected by staircases, which has water fountains that feed a pool through channels in which, apparently, the Inca bathed! It is believed that he also worshipped water a lot. Puca Pucara, the red fortress located on a hill, perhaps served to defend Tambomachay and the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. It is an imposing example of Inca military architecture: this fortress was built using large granite slabs to protect the city from enemy attacks or invading forces. Meals included: breakfast

• día 3

  Sacred Valley

  

  With its incredible nature, its breathtaking views, its ancient ruins and its various adventure activities, the Sacred Valley has a lot to offer. The valley was chosen by the Incas because of its geographical and climatic conditions. It was the best place in Peru to grow all kinds of vegetables and plants. However, the Sacred Valley was not part of the Inca Empire, but was a personal property of the Emperor. Here, you will have the opportunity to visit the magnificent “Pisac Market”. There you will find a wide variety of locally produced handicrafts. Later, we will go visit the small village of “Ollantaytambo”. Enjoy a good coffee or a delicious meal in one of the local cafés and restaurants. In addition, you will find one of the most beautiful stones in Peru. Meals included: breakfast and lunch

• día 4

  Rainbow Mountain, Cusco

  

  Vinicunca Mountain, also known as Rainbow Mountain, is one of the most recent destinations for trekking, nature, and landscape enthusiasts. Vinicunca is a mountain located in the province of Quispicanchis, in Cusco, Peru, near one of the highest snow-capped peaks in the country, Apu Ausangate. At over 5000 meters above sea level, the surrounding landscape offers a bright blue sky and almost no human, plant, or animal presence. The colors of the rainbow create a pleasant contrast with the other mountains and the afternoon sky. When the sun rises and the clouds are carried away by the wind, the colors of Vinicunca Mountain change, becoming lighter and lighter or darker, making the view even more spectacular. After being transferred from your hotel in Cusco by car (3 hours of travel) and having a traditional breakfast, you and your travel companions will begin the journey to Rainbow Mountain. You will be able to go at your own pace in order to enjoy every minute of the trek. About three hours later, you will turn right at the last hill, holding your breath, to be dazzled by the 7-colored mountain, Vinicunca. You will have time to relax and take as many photos as you wish. Meals included: breakfast and lunch

• día 5

  Day 5 to 9, Salkantay trek, Cusco

  

  The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu is an alternative to the Inca Trail and is considered by most to be the best alternative route (and maybe even better!). This magnificent trail is perfect for adventurers who want to personally immerse themselves in ecosystems that change from day to day. You will walk through magical and grandiose landscapes, from a snowy mountain paradise to a tropical forest where you will find a wide variety of animals, medicinal plants, and flower varieties. Witness, with your own eyes, a living but ancient culture, in remote villages barely visited by foreigners! The Vilcabamba mountain range is an impressive chain of mountains that stretches for 260 km. The snow-capped Salkantay mountain rises to 6271 m in altitude. It is an exceptional peak, located less than 80 km northwest of the city of Cusco, in south-central Peru. Due to its proximity to the city, it is easily accessible by car and has been climbed by professional mountaineers since 1952. To do the Salkantay Trek, you must have a reasonable level of fitness, but age should not be an obstacle. The most important thing is to be well acclimatized to the altitude. The highest altitude reached during the trek is 4 650 m. Two days of acclimatization before the trek are ideal for visiting the city of Cusco, its nearby Inca ruins, and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. -- DAY 1: CUSCO | MOLLEPATA – CHALLACANCHA – SORAYPAMPA (HUMANTAY LAGOON) Walking distance: 12 km Starting altitude: 3350 m Highest altitude: 4600 m Campsite altitude: 3920 m Difficulty: Moderate Meals: lunch and dinner (as well as snacks and tea time) Accommodation: Transparent glass bubble allowing you to observe the sky Adventure: Moderate to high (especially the trek to Humantay lagoon!) Highlights of the day: Walk from Challacancha to Soraypampa with very few tourists. Enjoy the afternoon to visit Humantay lagoon. This lake is absolutely fantastic, nestled at the foot of the Apu Humantay mountain. Take your first photos of the enigmatic Apu Salkantay. Spend the night in our glass-covered Sky Camp and admire the stars from your bed, in our exclusive campsite! We start the day by picking you up at your hotel at 05:00. We will drive for about 4 hours, passing through Anta and Mollepata, then arriving at Challacancha. Through the bus windows, you can clearly see the white, snow-capped mountains of the Apus Salkantay and Humantay, two colossal Inca gods. You will also see spectacular landscapes of high peaks and low valleys, in a colorful and contrasting panorama, in every direction your gaze falls. After the first two hours of travel, we will make a brief stop in Mollepata to use the toilets, visit souvenir shops, and have an optional breakfast. We will then continue to Challacancha, the starting point of our trek. We will meet our support team, who will organize all the equipment and pack mules. Around 09:30, we will start the walk to Soraypampa (3850 m), the first campsite of our trip. The first section of the trail takes us above deep valleys, along the side of a mountain. In places, you can still see an ancient aqueduct that still supplies the farmers of the lower valleys. We will walk 7 km in 3 hours to Soraypampa, where we will have lunch at the Salkantay base camp. After lunch and a short rest, we will walk to the unforgettable Humantay lagoon (4200 m). This is a 5 km round trip, which we will do in 3 hours total. This place is one of the most beautiful sites in the entire Andes mountain range, with blue-green water that reflects the glaciers of the Apu Humantay mountain. It looks like a dream or a fairy tale! Back at our campsite, the valley floor at sunset creates a most peaceful scene, with an energy that can only be felt, without being able to describe it. Since Soraypampa (our campsite) is located in the middle of glacial valleys, the sky is so clear at night that you can truly appreciate the stars, the constellations, and even the comets that cross the darkness, without being disturbed by the hustle and bustle or the lights of the city. Take a moment tonight to re-center yourself and reflect on the profound things in life, in the silence and tranquility of Soraypampa!

• día 6

  Trek, day 2: Soraypampa, Salkantay Pass, Wayracpunku, Chaullay

  

  Walking distance – 22 km Starting altitude – 3800 m Camp altitude – 2750 m Highest altitude : 4650 m Difficulty : difficult Meals : Breakfast, lunch and dinner (in addition to snacks and tea time) Accommodation : Camping in wooden cabins CHOZAS (Andean cabins) Adventure : Absolutely, 100%! The raw and impressive beauty of this day’s hike, as well as its challenging nature, will reinforce any desire for adventure that you may have tried to cure! Highlights of the day : Walk along the winding Salkantay trail with the highest mountain peak in front of your eyes all morning! Take on the challenge as we climb steep slopes, admiring the valley in the distance down to the base of Apu Salkantay! At midday, you will be standing in the middle of the Andes mountain range! In the afternoon, we will enter the incredible cloud forest and rainforest around Chaullay. It’s your hardest day, but also the most rewarding! After an early wake-up at 5:30 and a quick but energizing breakfast, we will begin the hike to the highest point of the trail : the Salkantay Pass (4650 m). The distance is 7 km of difficult ascent in 3 hours, between the base of the rocky valley and the magnificent Salkantay mountain (6271 m). When we reach the top of the pass, we will enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding valleys and the towering snow-capped peaks of the Salkantay, Humantay, Tucarhuay and Pumasillo mountains. Salkantay mountain is the second highest mountain in the Cusco region and one of the Inca gods called « Apu ». After this highlight of the trek, there is a 5 km descent to the lunch site. The descent is along a snake-shaped gravel path that leads to the lunch camp, Huayracmachay. To rest during the descent, there is an absolutely magnificent perspective of the valley! In the afternoon, after our meal, we will enter the upper part of the Amazon jungle, also called « the cloud forest ». It is a 10 km hike that can be done in 3 hours along a wide trail in the thick and magical rainforest. During this part of the trek, you will notice a major change in the landscape and the energy of the land as we move from the Andes to the Amazon. This hike is truly beautiful ; the hills are decorated with wildlife and native plants. The forests are warm and tropical most of the year, with temperate climates. At the end of this exceptional hike, we will arrive at the village of Chaullay (2900 m) for a well-deserved reward and rest after our long day of trekking. We will arrive at our base camp in the jungle, then we will continue our way to the magnificent Machu Picchu

• día 7

  Trek, day 3: Chaullay, Collpapampa, La Playa, Lucmabamba

  

  Walking distance – 18 km Starting altitude – 2750 m Campsite altitude – 2400 m Difficulty: Easy Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner (as well as snacks and tea time) Accommodation: New domes in the jungle Adventure: Absolutely! You will be in the heart of the tropical forest you have always dreamed of! Highlight of the day: Today, we leave early from our campsite to enjoy a serene and deserted trail. We will enjoy the scenery and wildlife, including the roar of the river below in the valley for much of the day. Walking through the lush jungle, you will find countless wild fruits, such as banana, avocado, passion fruit and grenadilla. There are also waterfalls and streams where you can cool your feet and swim! After lunch in the small village of La Playa, we will take a short walk to the Lucmabamba base camp and visit organic plantations of coffee, oranges and avocados. At 06:00, we will begin our hike to the small village of La Playa through the Santa Teresa valley. You will be able to take in this new lush landscape during our 6 hours of walking today! During the hike, we will see rivers, waterfalls, wild orchids and plantations of coffee, bananas and avocados. You can taste the famous passion fruit and grenadilla along the way! We will see a village called Colpapampa, also known as “the gateway to the cloud forest”, where you can observe waterfalls, birds, hot springs, fruit trees, as well as fauna and flora. If we are lucky, we may even see the magnificent bird called “the Cock-of-the-rock”, the national bird of Peru! After a hearty lunch in La Playa, we will walk about 1 hour to our base camp, called Lucmabamba (2400 m). We will go explore the tropical forest for a while and visit an organic coffee farm. If you are a coffee lover, this will be particularly wonderful for you: you can taste a coffee freshly prepared by the locals! Otherwise, you can still enjoy the captivating aroma of freshly roasted and ground coffee that floats in the air. Coffee is the main agricultural activity of the local population here, in the jungle, and they grow many hectares of coffee for export to the United States, Asia and Europe. Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia, but it was only when the Spaniards invaded Cusco that it was introduced to this region. We will also explore, this afternoon, an orange plantation and an avocado plantation.

• día 8

  Trek day 4, Lucmabamba, Llactapata, Hydroelectric Plant, Aguas Calientes

  

  Walking distance – 18 km Starting altitude – 2450 m Campsite altitude – 2000 m (Aguas Calientes hotel) Difficulty: moderate to difficult Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner (as well as snacks and tea time) Accommodation: comfortable hotel Adventure: moderate to high! How could it not be an adventure to climb the steps to visit the Inca village? Highlight of the day: today, something special is happening: we are hiking part of the famous Inca Trail! On this trail, we will reach the impressive archaeological site of Llactapata, right in front of its big brother, Machu Picchu. You will meet some of the indigenous inhabitants who live their daily lives in the region. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to pick several fruits, while enjoying one of the most beautiful views over the Urubamba Valley. Don’t forget to turn around to see Apu Salkantay in the distance again, before letting yourself be overcome by the emotion of catching your first glimpse of the glorious Machu Picchu. As on the previous mornings, the trek leader will wake you early with a good cup of coca tea served in bed. You will be ready for the day’s activities while enjoying your last breakfast, prepared by the talented trekking chef. We will start walking early, and you will have the opportunity to enjoy a small section of the famous Inca Trail. After a 2-hour ascent, with a breathtaking view over the Santa Teresa Valley, we will arrive at the Inca site of Llactapata, right in front of Machu Picchu. This will be the first archaeological site from which we will see the mysterious lost city of the Incas. It is a very special place to enjoy together and spend time learning a little more about the roots and history of this country. From this point, we will be able to see not only the ruins of Machu Picchu, but also Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain. We will explore this Inca site with the guide, who will continue to tell the story of the Incas, who used and revered this land. Of course, you will have enough time to take as many photos as you wish, to capture these memories and share them with your loved ones. After the ruins of Llactapata, we will continue our trek with a 2-hour walk. On this section of the trail, you will still be able to see Machu Picchu until we arrive at the Hidroeléctrica station for lunch. One of the most impressive sights in this region is the 300-meter-high natural waterfall, which produces electricity for the entire Cusco region. After lunch, we will arrive at Intiwatana, a famous ancient rock used as a sundial in Inca times. According to history, Intiwatana worked with the famous sundial stone at the Machu Picchu site. People used these two stones to measure and read the winter solstice, which marked the beginning of the new agricultural season for the Incas. After crossing this fascinating Inca site, we will arrive at the railway tracks that lead to the village of Aguas Calientes. Here, you will have two options: 1) if you are exhausted, you can take the train to Aguas Calientes ($31.00 extra). 2) if you still feel like walking, you can walk from Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes in about 3 hours, along the railway track. Next to the rails, there is a nice path that we will take through the warm paradise of the cloud forest. It is the same path taken by the American professor Hiram Bingham, who rediscovered Machu Picchu after centuries of oblivion for the outside world. Note: during the rainy season, the hike on the Llactapata trail is not 100% guaranteed for safety reasons. When heavy rains are frequent, this trail becomes very dangerous.

• día 9

  Trek day 5, the most important day, Machu Picchu

  

  Activity summary: Visit to Machu Picchu with optional hike Activity level: Easy visit, intense hike Activity duration: 2 to 5 hours of exploration and optional hike of 2 to 3 hours; Machu Picchu is at 7 972 m altitude Highlights of the day: Your excitement for our meeting at Machu Picchu will grow, as we will set out early in the morning through the forest to reach the site before most of the other tourists, even the Inca Trail hikers! You will have plenty of time to explore this magnificent wonder of the world while admiring the sunrise from this unique vantage point. Your group will discover this mystical place during a two-hour guided tour through the ruins. Then, you can choose to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (if you have booked tickets in advance) or hike to the Sun Gate (no additional tickets required). Today we reach the long-awaited finale of our trek, one of the 7 new wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Machu Picchu! We will get up early, after a restful night in our hotel, to beat the crowds at the top of Machu Picchu and enjoy its serenity in the soft morning light. The Machu Picchu entry checkpoint is open from 06:00 to 17:00. We will go up to Machu Picchu (the bus ride is optional for $12.00) and enter the hidden royal citadel of the Incas. Here, we will have a 2-hour guided tour through this incredible ancient city to visit the temples, terraces, palaces, priests' houses, the sundial, the industrial sector, and the agricultural fields. Let yourself be amazed by the technical skill of the Incas, who were so far ahead of their time and part of which remains a mystery today! Without modern tools, nor steel nor iron, the builders of this city showed great ingenuity in organizing this community in a sustainable and aesthetic way on the side of a mountain, even bringing water through irrigation channels. When the Peruvian guide showed this site to Hiram Bingham, it was almost unrecognizable, covered in dense vegetation and in an advanced state of deterioration. Since then, it has been cleaned and restored, and it is now protected and appreciated by the whole world! After this visit, you are free to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (be sure to book in advance to get tickets!). Each mountain takes about 3 hours to go up and down. Another low-impact option, for which you do not need an additional ticket, is the hike to the Sun Gate, the main entrance of the Inca Trail (this takes about 2 to 2.5 hours round trip). Another option is to hike to see the Inca Bridge. You can stay and enjoy this magical city for more than 7 hours before going down to Aguas Calientes to take the 16:22 train to Ollantaytambo. A private bus will pick up your group and drop you off at your hotel in Cusco around 20:00. Rest your feet and your body now, but we assure you that your heart will keep flying for weeks and years to come!

• día 10

  Flight Cusco-Lima, visit of the capital, shared service.

  

  At the scheduled time, you will be transferred to the Cusco airport and will take your flight to Lima. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel and then you will begin your tour of the city of Lima. ANCESTRAL LIMA: We begin our tour with a panoramic view of the "Pucllana Pyramid", a magnificent ceremonial and archaeological center built in the 4th century BC and considered a "sacred town" by the Incas. The Viceroyalty of Peru was the most important of the Spanish Empire and Lima was its capital. COLONIAL LIMA: We visit the historic center of Lima, where you will appreciate more than fifty colonial monuments and buildings, such as the Paseo de la República, Plaza San Martín, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace, the Cathedral, the Basilica and the Municipal Council Palace, among others. We will visit the CENTRAL RESERVE BANK MUSEUM*, where we will admire the "Treasures of Peru" collection, a beautiful selection of gold objects, ceramics and textiles from different pre-Columbian cultures. We will visit the monumental SAN FRANCISCO convent, which displays the largest collection of religious art in America. Our highlight will be the visit to the underground vaults, known as the "Catacombs". CONTEMPORARY LIMA: We will visit the traditional residential neighborhoods of Lima and Larcomar. Meals included: breakfast

• día 11

  Arrival and transfer to Ica, Paracas Nature Reserve, Nazca

  

  Early in the morning, you will take the tourist bus and head to the city of Paracas, where you will take a shared tour to the Paracas reserve. The national park “Paracas” is located south of Lima. It represents the coastal marine ecosystem of Peru, home to millions of birds as well as different species of flora and fauna. The park is ideal for ornithologists, as well as for nature lovers who like to walk. Meals included: breakfast.

• día 12

  Nazca, Lima

  

  Distinctive straight lines, geometric figures, and drawings of animals and plants characterize the city of Nazca. Located between Huacachina and Arequipa, the city is a perfect stop to learn more about pre-Inca culture. Like the Paracas, the Nazca were famous for their work with textiles, but even more famous for the creation of geoglyphs, drawings, and massive lines. As you walk through the landscape, you might identify distinctive shapes such as a hummingbird, a spider, or a monkey. It is still not known why the lines exist, but it is assumed that they may have been used for astrological or ceremonial purposes. To get a better view of the lines, you can walk to the observation tower. From there, you will have a beautiful view of three of the symbols. After this visit, you will take the tourist bus again to Lima. Meals included: breakfast

• día 13

  Airport transfer – International flight

  

  At a coordinated time, you must take the bus transfer to the airport for your flight from Lima. Meals included: breakfast We hope you enjoyed your stay in Peru. Thank you for choosing Gulliver Expeditions. *** END OF SERVICES ***