1-Week Itinerary

Morning: Your international flight arrives Lima Airport, where you will be greeted by your personal host and privately transferred to your hotel.

Morning at leisure.

12:00pm: Enjoy a recommended lunch at Amor Amar.

1:00pm: Private tour of the historical center of Lima with your personal guide, including the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Palace, City Hall, the Cloister of San Francisco, as well as San Isidro and the antique/bohemian neighborhood of Barranco.

4:00pm: Visit the Larco Museum with your personal guide. Located in an 18th century vice-royal mansion built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid, the Larco Museum provides an excellent overview of 3000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history, including fine gold and silver collections from ancient Peru and the famous erotic archaeological collection.

Evening: Recommended dinner at your hotel. (Note: This is for a Sunday arrival, when many restaurants are closed. For arrivals on other days, we would suggest Cala or Astrid y Gaston)

Dress code: Casual
Recommended clothing: Pants, short-sleeved shirts, light jacket

Morning: Private transfer to the airport for your flight to Puerto Maldonado via Cusco. (note: plane will stop in Cusco but no change of plane is required).

Noon: Arrive in Puerto Maldonado. You will be greeted by your host and privately transferred to a river port on the Madre de Dios River. You will then embark with your personal guide on a motorized canoe to the Reserva Amazonica. Arrive at the lodge and enjoy a delicious lunch.

Late Afternoon: Exploration of the surrounding rainforest with your personal, specialized naturalist guide. While traveling on the river and walking in the jungle you are likely to encounter, among other species, Black Caimans, Red-Bellied Macaws, and at least one of the five species of monkeys which live in the forest near the lake (such as the Brown Capuchin Monkey).

Evening: Dinner at the lodge followed by an evening hike in the jungle. Take a two-hour walk into the Amazonian eco-system with your personal guide, following the trails within the ecological reserve. You will discover the nocturnal life of the jungle, including the horned frog, the sloth and bamboo rats, and hear the different sounds as the rainforest transforms into an entirely different realm. Note: Night hike is optional.

Accommodations: Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Dress code: Casual
Recommended clothing: Long-sleeved shirts, light trousers and hiking shoes for jungle excursions

Morning: Exploration of Tambopata National Reserve with your personal expert guide. You will travel 45 minutes by motorized canoe and then hike through the jungle to Lake Sandoval. Enjoy hiking through the jungle and canoeing on Lake Sandoval, a natural sanctuary for a wide range of unique species like Black Caiman, Giant Otters, Brown Capuchin Monkey and numerous fish-eating birds. Enjoy hiking through the jungle, canoeing on the lake, and other explorations.

Late Afternoon: Relax at your lodge or enjoy “canopying” – walking from tree to tree on hanging bridges high in the jungle to observe the flora and fauna of the treetops. Enjoy views that would be unimaginable from below, while on the lookout for giant strangler fig trees, orchids, toucans, woodpeckers, trogons and – with luck – monkeys or sloths.

Evening: Dinner at your lodge followed by a private, guided boat tour on the river where you will witness the change from a diurnal to a nocturnal environment: the animals and birds of the daytime are replaced by species specially adapted to the night. As you enjoy their splendor, you’ll receive explanations of their habits while searching for nightjars, owls, capybaras, and caiman (which are spotted by the reflection of the guide’s flashlight in their eyes). Note: Night boat tour is optional

Dress code: Casual
Recommended clothing: Long-sleeved shirts, light trousers and hiking shoes for jungle excursions

Morning: Private transfer by motorized canoe along the Madre de Dios River to Puerto Maldonado.

Private transfer to the airport.

Early Afternoon: Flight arrives in Cusco. You’ll be greeted by your personal host and privately transferred to your hotel. Enjoy a recommended lunch on the patio of the Monasterio, followed by a private guided tour of the main attractions of Cusco (Plaza de Armas, Cathedral, Koricancha), and of the Museum of Religious Art (the Archbishop’s Palace).

Bordering Cusco’s main plaza (the Plaza de Armas) and built on the site of the palace of the Inca Viracocha, the Cathedral possesses some 400 canvases of the distinguished Escuela Cusqueña (Cusco school) and amazing woodcarvings with a clear display of Andean influence. Koricancha is considered the Temple of the Sun and was used by the Incas as a vast astronomical observatory and calendrical device. The Museum of Religious Art contains an impressive collection of works depicting the conquest, held in the former Archbishop’s Palace with its intricate Moorish-style elements.

Evening: Transfer to a colonial mansion on the outskirts of Cusco for a private dinner, followed by a private concert of Andean music. This is a privately owned property located on the top of a hill with spectacular views over Cusco. Simon Bolivar (liberator of South America) is alleged to have stayed there. You will enjoy a gourmet dinner specially prepared for your party by a local chef. After dinner, a group of young musicians from the University of Cusco, garbed in traditional Peruvian attire, will demonstrate a variety of wind, percussion and string instruments typical of the region.

Accommodations: Monasterio

Day dress code: Casual
Evening dress code: Smart casual
Recommended clothing: Short-sleeved / long-sleeved shirts, light jacket, pants

Morning: Visit the traditional Central Market of Cusco, where you will get a sense of the daily rhythm of the Cusquenian way of life while browsing through its dazzling products and fresh local produce. You will also be able to buy some traditional handicrafts. This rich tapestry of modern and yet highly traditional Cusco shouldn´t be missed.

Mid-Morning: Private transfer to the Sacred Valley. Visit the market in the town of Pisac and its nearby ruins with your personal guide.

Terraces carved into the mountainside high above the community of Pisac characterize the ruins. There is also a pre-Colombian “cemetery” at the site, as human remains have been found in small caves carved into the adjacent cliff face. Visit the market in Pisac, offering a variety of local handicrafts for you to browse at your leisure.

Early Afternoon: Have lunch at the Hacienda Huayoccari, a working farm, where you will be able to enjoy delicious homemade Peruvian dishes along with a spectacular view of the Sacred Valley. Following, lunch, meet with Roger Valencia, a specialist of Peru's history, who will give your family an informative talk on Peru’s past, including the archeological background of Machu Picchu and the emergence and expansion of the Inca civilization.

Afternoon: Return by private transfer to Cusco, with the option to visit the Sacsayhuaman ruins, just outside of Cusco overlooking the city, on the way back. This was the site of one of the fiercest battles between the Spanish conquerors and the army led by Manco Inca. It contains three tiers of zigzagging walls built with individual stones weighing up to 300 tons. After the conquest, many of the original stones were used by the Spaniards for construction in Cusco. Despite this, it remains one of the most impressive sites in the Cusco area.

Evening: Recommended dinner at the Map Café, one of the finest restaurants in Cusco, located in the patio of the colonial Casa Cabrera, home to the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art.

Upon returning to the hotel, your host or hostess will provide you a duffel bag to pack for your time in Machu Picchu.

Dress code: Casual
Recommended clothing: Active wear, short-sleeved / long-sleeved shirts, light jacket, pants

Morning: Board the luxurious Hiram Bingham train for your journey to Machu Picchu. Named after the explorer who first uncovered the Inca ruins in 1911, the Hiram Bingham train travels between Cusco and Aguas Calientes, near Machu Picchu. Sit back and enjoy the spectacular landscapes of the majestic Andes, lush green fields and quaint villages. Brunch is served in the dining car.

Note: There is an 11 lb. luggage limit per person on the trains. Limited spaces are available aboard the Hiram Bingham – tickets should be purchased well in advance. In the event that space fills up, we will make arrangements aboard the Peru Rail Vistadome Train and compensate you for the price difference.

Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, a private shuttle will take you to the ruins.

Afternoon: Guided tour of the Machu Picchu ruins with your personal guide. Machu Picchu has been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and is perhaps the most awe-inspiring archaeological site in the Americas. It was built by the Inca Pachacutec in the 15th Century and is perched between two peaks, offering incredible views of the Urubamba river valley and the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Evening: Enjoy a delicious dinner at your lodge.

Accommodations: Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge

Dress code: Casual
Recommended clothing: Active wear, short-sleeved / long-sleeved shirts, light jacket, pants

Early Morning: Enjoy the mystical experience of Machu Picchu at sunrise, as you watch mist clear from the ruins.

Spend the rest of the morning at leisure, exploring the ruins and discovering the different hiking trails such as Huayna Picchu (the smaller of the two peaks surrounding the site). A winding uphill trek takes you to the top of Huayna Picchu, where you will be rewarded with a dazzling overhead view of the ruins. (2-3 hours round trip)

Afternoon: Further explore the ruins or relax at your lodge.

Evening: Enjoy dinner at your lodge.

Dress code: Casual
Recommended clothing: Active wear, short-sleeved / long-sleeved shirts, light jacket, pants, hiking shoes

Morning: Private transfer by shuttle to Aguas Calientes, where you will take the morning train to Ollantaytambo, then private transfer to Cusco.

Mid-day: Enjoy a recommended lunch at Chi Cha on Plaza de Regocijo.

Early afternoon: Private transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima.

Early evening: Flight arrives in Lima. Greeting by your personal host and private transfer to your hotel, where you can enjoy a recommended dinner.

Evening: Private transfer to the airport for your international flight home.

Dress code: Casual
Recommended clothing: Short-sleeved / long-sleeved shirts, light jacket, pants