Day 01: Arrive in Cusco / PM City tour.

Upon arrival at the Cusco airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the morning will be at your leisure. In the afternoon enjoy a half day tour of Cusco, visiting the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and the legendary Qoricancha, the most important religious center in the Inca time, a temple devoted to worshiping the Sun deity. Your tour includes also the visit to some nearby archaeological sites such as the impressive fortress of Sacsayhuaman; the religious site of Q’enqo; the ancient site of Puca Pucara and finally the water temple of Tambomachay. Include: Transport, professional tour guide, entrance fees to all sites visited, chosen hotel.

Day 02: Sacred Valley of the Incas – Aguas Calientes.

Today you will enjoy a full day tour to explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This fertile river valley was home to many important sites for the Incas, both strategic and religious. The first stop is the village of Pisaq, with its famous market. In the market comes alive with locals from nearby hillside villages in traditional dress selling local fruit and vegetables as well as handicrafts. There is free time to wander the colorful market stalls before to visit the spectacular Pisaq Ruins – a hilltop Inca citadel and fortress with impressive agricultural terracing. Afterwards, you will enjoy a delicious buffet lunch in a local restaurant in Urubamba. Following, you will visit Ollantaytambo, an Incan military, religious, administrative and agricultural center located at the top of a mountain. Unlike other small towns, this one has maintained its original Incan design, featuring stone buildings and narrow streets. In the late afternoon, you will board the train to Aguas Calientes. Upon arrival in the train station, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Include: Transport, professional tour guide, entrance fees to all sites visited, buffet lunch, train ticket Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes (Expedition or Voyager), chosen hotel.

Day 03: Machupicchu – Cusco.

This day early in the morning you will ride up a 30-minute bus to the secluded citadel, which is surrounded by a cloud forest inhabited by orchids and hummingbirds. In Machupicchu you will enjoy a guided visit to the greatest ruin in the world, the lost city of Machu Picchu. This is one of the architectural and engineering marvels of the ancient world, in a mountain setting of staggering immensity. The Spaniards never found it; the Incas left no records about it, so Machu Picchu remains a great enigma, a city lost for centuries in the cloud forest. Afterwards the guided tour, you will have free time for the many spectacular walks including following the path to the Inca bridge, the Sun Gate or even climb to Huaynapicchu mountain. In the late afternoon, you will board the train to return to Cusco. Upon arrival in the train station, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Important: The train considered in the program is tourist class: Expedition (Peru Rail) or Voyager (Inca Rail). If you prefer a first class train (vistadome), please make an inquiry for the additional cost.

Day 04: Maras – Moray / PM Bus Cusco – Puerto Maldonado.

In the morning you will be picked up from your hotel to start a half day tour, you will head out on the road that crosses the Sacred Valley of the Incas to reach the important Moray archeological site (3176m/10419ft), where enormous circular and Pre-Incan semi-circular agricultural terraces were constructed to be used as a botanical laboratory for experimenting on plant domestication and foreign crop acclimatization. The area is so large that at least 3000 plant varieties, including potatoes and corn, could have been grown. Next, Maras is located about 4 km from Moray, and is the site of pre-Inca salineras (salt ponds). Each terraced pond is polygonal in shape; salty water emerges from an underground spring, flows into the ponds, and evaporates with the sun. The Maras’ salt mines are still active today and maintained cooperatively by the Maras community. The white salt ponds contrast with the green hills and mountains that surround the mines and the views of the Sacred Valley from here are amazing. The tour will end in the early afternoon at your Cusco’s down town. In the evening you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the bus station for your trip to Puerto Maldonado.

Day 05: Arrive in Puerto Maldonado (Tambopata Begins)

Upon arrival at the Puerto Maldonado airport you will be met and transferred to our office. Luggage which you won’t need during your stay in the rainforest can be kept in our storage room to facilitate the transport. Embarkment at the port “Puerto de Capitanía” towards our Lodge: 40 minutes of navigation on the Madre de Dios river. Arrival at the facilities of the Lodge Corto Maltes Amazonía, where you will be received with a refreshment of natural fruit of the season. Your guide will give you the necessary information for your stay and hand over the keys to your bungalow and security safe, followed by the lunch and some time to rest until the first excursion. 3:30 pm: Departure for your first contact with the Rainforest. Your guide will show you tropical trees, medicinal plants and the exuberant nature of the 60-hectare-area of Corto Maltés Amazonía. A short stop at a viewpoint where toucans and other birds can be spotted. The duration of this hike is 2 to 3 hours. Back at the Lodge, you can relax at the pool or in the hammocks on the terrace of your bungalow, savor an exotic cocktail at the bar, enjoy a relaxing massage by our qualified staff, visit our shop for a handcrafted souvenir of the Rainforest or head to the riverside to view the breathtaking sunset. 7:00 pm: “Caiman Safari”. Before dinner, we will leave for a nocturnal boat trip to observe caimans and, with a bit of luck, other animals which populate the riverbank.

Day 06: Tambopata.

Wake up at 5:30 am for some coffee or tea before leaving for Lake Sandoval. Your guide will hand out a breakfast snack for the excursion. 6:00 am: After roughly 20 minutes of navigation on the river Madre de Dios, arrival at the landing stage of Lake Sandoval. During a 3 km hike through the exuberant vegetation, we will enter the territory of Tambopata National Reserve, where you will have the chance to admire giant trees, snakes, monkeys (squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys and capuchin monkeys) and various birds (notably the Hoatzin – also known as the stinkbird -, kingfishers and snakebirds). Once on Lake Sandoval, we will navigate in small rowing boats, searching for the giant otters. We will also have the possibility to spot caimans, piranhas and a variety of birds. We will then stop at a rest area, a typical construction for the region with hammocks, lavatories and a bar, where you can eat breakfast, rest and collect your strength for the way back to the landing stage and the continuation of the journey to Monkey Island. On Monkey Island, about 5 species of monkeys live in the wild. The animals are used to visitors and can come very close. Therefore, it is very important to always follow the instructions of your guide. 1:30 pm: Return to the Lodge for lunch. 3:30 pm: Visit of one of the two lookout towers of Corto Maltes Amazonía, with a height of 20 and 42 meters and designed for birdwatching and viewing of other types of animals living at this altitude. In addition, you will enjoy an incredible view of the sunset. (The guide will consult the guests on their preferences and adapt this excursion accordingly) You will then have some free time to enjoy the pool or a massage, get refreshed at the bar or visit our souvenir shop. 8:00 pm: Dinner

Day 07: Tambopata.

8:00 am: Breakfast 9:00 am: After a 20 minutes boat trip down the river, we arrive at the chacra, that is a local farm owned by a typical family of the agricultural region, where domestic plants are carefully cultivated, without the use of chemicals, and which are later offered at the main market in Puerto Maldonado. We will distinguish and even taste different tropical fruits of the season and other domestic products (cacao, banana, cocona, breadfruit, noni, manioc, lime, etc). Next we are received by a native family, who will show us some of their customs and demonstrate their main activities, that is fishing, hunting and handicraft, passed on by their ancestors from various indigenous tribes of the Rainforest. You will learn about some natural products and how they are used to manufacture tools, dwellings, clothing and ornaments, playing an important role in the family’s everyday life. They will also reveal some secrets of their medicinal plants, notably the Ayahuasca. The visit ends with an outdoor lunch, being a unique experience, both for the family and their guests. Return to Corto Maltes Amazonia – Recreation/Free time 8:00 pm: Dinner

Day 08: Puerto Maldonado – Lima.

Wake up at 5:30 am for some coffee or tea before leaving for a 20 minutes’ walk to the clay lick, where you will have the possibility to observe 3 to 5 types of parrots. The parrots come to the clay lick to ingest a particular kind of clay, to be found in certain areas of this region, and vital for the regulation of their metabolism.  A colorful and veritable delightful and exciting event. 8:00 am: Breakfast and free time After breakfast, transport to the city of Puerto Maldonado in our boats. One of our vehicles will receive you at the port. After a short stop at our office, we will drive to the local market where the population supplies itself with food and other products. During a short visit, you will be able to appreciate the different typical products of the area. Then you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lima.