Peru Ultimate Adventure

You are met by our staff at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Miraflores, where we will give you information about Peru and your tour and also answer any question you may have. Miraflores is a safe area by the coast where the best hotels and restaurants are situated.

Transfer to the airport for a flight to Arequipa (The white city), maybe the most beautiful city in Peru, where we will meet you at the airport for a transfer to your hotel. Rest and relax in the morning to get used to the altitude. In the afternoon we pick you up for a city tour of Arequipa where you will visit the Chilina valley and the old San Lorenzo district. You will get a nice view of the city and you will visit the Main Square and the Cathedral as well as the extraordinary Santa Catalina Monastery which is built of volcanic lava and dated back to the 16th century. You will end the day with a visit to Juanita, the best preserved mummy in the whole Americas, which was found in 1995 during an expedition high up in the mountains.
(In Arequipa you may also enjoy yourself with river rafting, mountain biking, trekking, and other adventure activities. Let us know if you want to add a day or two).

In the morning we will pick you up at the hotel for a two days Colca Canyon tour. You travel towards the hot springs of Yura, passing the volcano Chachani and then further up to the natural reserve of Pampa de Cañahuas, where you will see groups of llamas and alpacas. In the wetlands of Tocra you can see lots of various migratory birds, including flamingos. We pass the crater of an extinct volcano (Cuchura), and make a stop at the highest point of the trip, Patapampa, (4,910 m), where you will have spectacular views of the Andean mountains. Then starts the descent to the Colca Valley where you will arrive in Chivay, the main-village in the Valley. You are accommodated in your hotel and are then having a free afternoon to discover the Colca Valley district and maybe visit the hot springs for a nice bath. In the evening you may enjoy a delicious dinner in a restaurant with folkloric show and local dances.

An early breakfast at 06.00. You will start with a 1 hour and 30 min hike to Tapay (altitude: 2900m). This colonial village is known for its Quechua-speaking population and it has a beautiful view over the Canyon.
Continuing the hike, we make a 2 hour descent to the villages of Coshñirhua (2350 m) and Malata (2350 m), and then another hour of hiking to arrive at the oasis of Sangalle (2000 m) where you will have lunch.
The oasis of Sangalle is a great place to relax and appreciate nature. The owners of the oasis have built small houses of bamboo where you will be spending the night. Our guide will explain the various native fruits growing in the oasis, such as the lucuma, the pacay, and the chirimoya. You will also have the opportunity to taste them.

An early wake up at 04:30 for the 1200m ascend up to Cabanaconde in order to catch the sunrise over Colca Canyon. You have breakfast in Cabanaconde and then you go to Condor´s cross to admire the great condors flying right over your head. Then you go to the town of Chivay to relax in the thermal hot springs (38 ºC). You will have a box lunch to enjoy during your time in the hot springs. Then you go by bus to Puno, a six hours journey with touristic stops. On arrival you will be taken to your hotel.

You are picked up by the hotel at about 06.40am for a short trip to the Esteves Island, where you will get a brief kayaking lesson, life-vests and equipment. Thereafter you you will make a kayaking tour to the floating islands of Uros, and during the trip you will see a great variation of birds, flora, fauna and stone formations.
The Uros islands are built by reed that grows in the Lake Titicaca and have been there for hundreds of years since the Uros people began to live on reed islands to avoid conflicts with other people living around the lake. You will meet the Uros people, who live their lives on these islands in a similar way that their ancestors have done for many generations. You will talk to the people and see and learn about their living conditions and history. The Uros people uses red boats for transportation, you may make a tour in one of these yourself.
You then continue with a motor-boat out on the Lake Titicaca to the Amantani Island. On arrival you will be served lunch by your host family in the house where you also are going to spend the night. After lunch you will make a walk on the island and visit the temple Pachatata. Then you return to “your” family for dinner and a folkloristic show with traditional music and dance. The night you will spend in the house of your host family.

After breakfast you will say good-bye to your host family and go for a tour with motor-boat to the beautiful Taquile Island. An island where the people live the same way they have done for generations and kept their traditions. One of their traditions is handicrafts made with great skills that you can admire and buy during a walk on the island. You will have lunch with the people on the island and after that go for a sight-seeing and will return to your hotel in Puno late afternoon, about 15.30pm.

Early transfer to the bus station for your tour with a comfortable tourist bus to Cusco. You travel across the Andean highlands in a very beautiful landscape, and make several stops on the way to visit museums, ancient Inca ruins, markets and small villages. A stop for lunch is also made at La Raya, 4310 m above sea level. The journey takes about 9 hours, but it never becomes tedious thanks to all interesting stops along the way. Late in the afternoon you arrive in Cusco, the Inca Empire’s old capital. We meet you at the bus terminal for transfer to your hotel.

Enjoy a morning to sleep a little longer or explore Cusco on your own. After lunch you will be picked up for a guided tour in Cusco and its surroundings, with visits to the four famous Inca ruins which lies in the outskirts of Cusco; the water temple of Tambo Machay, the Puca Pucara fortress, the oracle place Quengo and the impressive fortress and temple of Sacsayhuamán. Three enormous boulders, each one weighs 120 tons, are making three perfect zig-zag walls and the view of Cusco from this place is wonderful. You will finish the day with a walking tour in the centre of Cusco with visits to the Cathedral, the Main Square and the Sun Temple of Korikancha.

Today you will do a full day excursion to Urubamba, the Sacred Valley of the Incas. You visit the village of Pisac that was founded during colonial times and is located at the foot of some impressive Inca ruins. Visit the Pisac market on the Main Square where the Indians sell their products and handicrafts. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays are the busiest days, but the market is always open. After lunch, visit Ollantaytambo, the only Inca village that the Spaniards never conquered, and explore the ruins located above the village. Visit the traditional town of Chinchero on the way back to Cusco.

This tour combines two different sessions on the Urubamba River with different levels of difficulty. We pick you up around 9am and transfer you to the Adventure Center. There you start the ride for approximate 2 hours as a preparation. After that you eat lunch at Hachicata and later you start the rafting to Calca (about 1 hour). After that you prepare to enter the part of the river called Huaràn, the most difficult part (II, III, and IV class). After that we transfer you back to Cusco, where you arrive about 5.30pm.

We pick you up at your hotel and depart by private vehicle to just outside Chinchero where the mountain bike ride starts. The total distance is 22 miles on back roads and trails. The trail starts with back roads for around an hour, climbing several hills and witnessing scenes of rural Andean life, before arriving at the Inca site of Moray. This is a fabulous amphitheater of terracing that was used as an agricultural experimental site by the Incas, taking advantage of the microclimates produced by the varying altitude to breed new type of crops.
After this you leave the back roads and join a two track road that later becomes a walking trail. This route is mostly flat and downhill, but with one steep and fairly technical downhill and a short but steep uphill. There are support vehicles for those who prefer that for this part.
After about 45 minutes you reach the village of Maras where it´s time for a picnic lunch. Then it is mostly downhill to the salt pans of Maras. This is an unforgettable site; the people from Maras have diverted a salt-laden spring coming out of the hillside, evaporating the water to collect salt like their ancestors have done for centuries. From this point you have a final technical bike ride downhill into the Sacred Valley town of Urubamba. As before, you have the option to take the support van along a different route if you prefer that. Arrival to Urubamba and transfer to your hotel in Cusco.

A free day on your own in Cusco to use according to your own interests and wishes; maybe some shopping, enjoying the tasty and exotic food of the Andes, admiring the colorful life on ”Plaza de Armas” and resting before the Inca Trail which starts tomorrow.

You are picked up at your hotel in Cusco and driven on a scenic two-hour route through the Sacred Valley until you reach Ollantaytambo. In Ollantaytambo you will be prepared with equipment, food, and porters for the trek. A good idea is to bring coca leaves for altitude sickness relieving tea and wooden walking sticks to help you on the trek (trekking poles with metal tips are not permitted). Once set you will continue on to Piskacucho by bus (altitude: 2700m).
After crossing the Piskacucho bridge over the Urubamba River the trek starts. You now have a 12 km hike ahead of you before the day is over. You start with walking on flat terrain along the river until you take a break at the community of Miskay (altitude: 2800m). The path then continues a bit steeper towards a high plateau. From here you will have a spectacular view of the Inca Ruins of Patallacta (altitude: 2750). The trek then goes on for two more hours before you reach the site where you will have lunch. After lunch it is only 2 hours left before you reach the campsite of Wayllabamba (altitude: 3000m). The highlights of this path are the view of the Vilcanota ridge on the other side of the Urubamba River and the snow-capped Mount Veronica

The second day of the Inca Trail is the toughest one. After an early wake up and breakfast you will ascend for 9 km, surrounded by lush vegetation and crispy streams. It is important that you take your time by taking many shorter breaks to not exhaust yourself. You will take a longer break at the Llulluchapampa village and after this it is time to hike the highest and most famous mountain pass, the Abra Warmihuaña or “Dead Woman´s Pass” (altitude: 4200m). This hike takes around 2 hours and the last part before reaching the top is quite tough because of the altitude so it is even more important to take breaks. At the top of the Dead Woman´s Pass you can relax for a while and take some photos before you continue. Then you will descend on a winding 2,5 km path of steps that crosses a natural valley, the habitat of much wildlife. You will have lunch along the way and continue to the campsite at the Pacamayo Valley (altitude 3600m). There you will rest and relax and have a nice dinner.

Today you will trek 15 km along an impressive and archeologically rich path. First you will ascend to the Runkurakay Pass (altitude 3970m). Halfway through the pass you will encounter the ruins of Runkurakay, an Inca watch-house. On the following pass you will have great views of the mountain ranges of Vilcabamba and Pumasillo. You then continue on to the spectacular ruins of Sayacmarca (altitude: 3624). After this you will trek through the cloud-forest to the last climb that will lead you to the third pass, the Abra de Phuyupatamarca (altitude: 3700m). Then the trail goes mostly downhill to the archeological site of Phuyuoatamarca. This ruin is called the “Town above the Clouds” and is surrounded by Inca terraces consisting of sophisticated irrigation and fountain systems. By sunset you will reach the ruins of Wiñaywayna, or “Forever Young”. This is believed to have been a center where water was woreshipped, flower enthusiasts will be pleased to see the pink orchids in addition to learning about the ruin. Very close by is the camp site where you can find hot showers and a restaurant. Tonight you will say goodbye to the cook and the porters who will leave early the next morning on the train back to Cusco.

You will wake up at 4:00am and have breakfast at 4:30am in order to start the trek at 5:00am and reach the Inti Punko, or the “Sun Gate”, by 6:00am. The trek will take you through a narrow trail of cloud forest. As you reach the Sun Gate, just before sunrise, the fog will lift and Machu Picchu will be lit with sunlight. The view is truly magical and awe-inspiring. You will then descend to the citadel to start a two hours guided tour during which you will learn everything about Machu Picchu. After the tour you will have plenty of free time. Some people choose to climb the lush peak of Hyana Picchu. From here you will have a great view over the ruins and the surroundings. It is a tough climb though, especially after 4 days of trekking, so extreme caution must be taken. In the afternoon you take the bus down to Aguas Calientes to your hostel.

Today you have the opportunity to return to Machu Picchu, or just relax in the Hot Springs of Aguas Calientes. In the afternoon you will take the train back to Cusco. We pick you up at the train station and transfer you to the hotel.

You will have some time on your own to spend in Cusco until we pick you up at the hotel for transfer to the airport in time for your flight to Lima. Depending on when you leave Cusco and your international flight leaves from Lima, you will either wait at the airport for your flight or spend a few hours in the city before departure.