Peru – The Andes and The Amazon

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).

Free day for excursions in the city surroundings with volcanoes and a beautiful countryside, opportunities for adventure or discovering Arequipa on your own. More than the people of Arequipa claim it´s the most beautiful city in Peru.

In the morning we will pick you up at the hotel for a two day 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.

After an early breakfast we head further into the Valley towards the deep ravine, Cruz del Condor, where the condors mostly are seen. The view from this place is amazing and you’ll also stop by several times during the journey to admire the Colca Canyon. The condors can have a wingspan of over three meters and in the morning they take advantage of the warm upwind from the gap to be able to sail out from the cliffs in search of food. After a walking tour along Colca Canyon, it is time to return to Chivay. On the way we stop in the picturesque villages of Pinchollo, Maca and Yanque, with beautiful colonial churches and at the viewpoints of Choquetico and Antahuilque, where you will experience beautiful views over terraces in the valley as well as Inca and pre-Inca graves. On return to Chivay, you will then travel by bus to Puno (approximately 6 hours with breaks for sight-seeing). We will meet you at the bus terminal for transfer to your hotel.

After breakfast you are picked up for your guided tour of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. On the first stop you will visit the floating reed islands of Uros. The inhabitants will show you how the islands are built and you may go for a short trip in one of their reed boats.

Then you go to Taquile, a truly beautiful island where the locals live as they have been doing during centuries with their small scale agriculture and animals. You walk around on the island with the guide and after lunch it is time to go back to Puno where you will arrive late afternoon and get transferred to your hotel.

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 over 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.

Full day excursion to Urubamba, the Sacred Valley of the Incas. You will visit the village of Pisac, which was established during the colonial era and is located at the foot of a terraced mountain, crowned with impressive Inca ruins, and also the market in Pisac on the main square, where Indians sell their products and crafts. After lunch in the valley you will visit Ollantaytambo, the only Inca village the Spaniards never managed to conquer, where you will explore the ruins above the town on a hill. Late in the afternoon, you will take a train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu. You are met by a guide at the station and escorted to your hotel.

This morning you will wake up by the highlight of your tour, the forgotten city of the Incas and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World – Machu Picchu. Your guide will pick you up at the hotel and you will catch an early bus up to Machu Picchu, to be able to enjoy the famous sunrise over the ruins. Then it’s time for your guided tour which takes about two hours. After the tour, you will have plenty of time to explore sight and take photos. A popular option for the adventurous is to climb the mountain Huayna Picchu (about 2 hours), from where you will have a spectacular view over Machu Picchu and the surroundings. In the afternoon you take the bus down from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes, and then the train back to Cusco. On arrival we will meet you for transfer to your hotel.

Free day to discover Cusco on your own according to your wishes and interests. Perhaps a horseback ride in the Sacred Valley, a course in a chocolate factory or just rest and relax around Cusco main square with cafes, restaurants and colorful street life.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Puerto Maldonado. Reception at Padre Almirez International airport. Here your professional guide will await you. He will accompany you during your whole stay. From there we will go to the lodge´s office to obtain the official waterway permits (you can also guard luggage you won’t need during your stay). Meanwhile, you can visit the town’s main square and also take some photos of the beautiful scenery overlooking the confluence of the rivers Madre de Dios and Tambopata from Grau square. Embarkation will be at Capitania port, the destination being the lodge. We will navigate approximately 40 minutes on the Madre de Dios River in a typical Amazonian boat.
Arrival at the Corto Maltes Amazonia Lodge. Here we will have a welcome cocktail. Afterwards, you will be handed over the keys to your bungalow and we will have lunch. The kitchen of the lodge stands out for the beautiful presentation and the exquisite tastes of the dishes prepared by the French chef.
After that, you will have some free time to get comfortable in your bungalow or take a refreshing dip in the pool.
3:30 pm: It gets time to have some first contact with the jungle. On this trek, you will see a large variety of tropical trees, medicinal plants, insects, butterflies, and other animals. Upon return, we will make a small stop at a lookout. Here you can observe toucans, macaws and other species of birds upon your return for sunset. (duration: between 2,5 and 3 hours) Returning to the lodge you can take a refreshing dip in the pool or have an exotic cocktail in the terrace bar. You could also watch the sunset in the relaxing, tranquility of palm and mango trees at the port.
7 pm: Before dinner we will go on a nightly boat trip, a little safari trying to spot the white caiman (caiman crocodilus) that lives in the river banks.
8 pm: After the delicious dinner, those who wish can have some small talk in the reclining seats or have some fun and make friends with other travelers in the bar. Another option is to take a bath in the pool (with bar) under the shining Amazon sky and marvel at the Cross of the South.

At 5:30 am we will go on a trek of about 20 min until we arrive at the parrot clay- lick. Here a minimum of five different species feeds on special clay, vital to their metabolism. It’s a truly marvelous, multicolored spectacle.
8 am Breakfast and free time to explore the splendid gardens of Corto Maltes Amazonia. The lodge has dozens of varieties of exotic plants and flowering trees.
10:30 am: Again we will navigate the Madre de Dios River. This time on an expedition destined to “Monkey Island” where some species of these interesting and entertaining animals live in freedom. Following that, another boat ride of 30 min and we will enter the territory of the Tambopata- Candamo National Reserve. We will trek 5km through the dense vegetation of the tropical rainforest. Giant trees, snakes, monkeys, birds and sometimes even the elusive jaguar can be observed here.
Our next destination is heavenly Sandoval Lake. Its privileged settings are shared by numerous species of animals: Birds (in particular Hoatzins, Kingfisher, and Cormorants), different species of monkeys (Squirrel monkeys, Howler monkeys, Capuchin monkeys). At the lake itself, we can enjoy the spectacle of Giant River Otters. Black Caimans and Piranhas (sometimes we can even observe anacondas in the areas covered by reed). This is also the habitat of the giant Arapaima, a fish of more than 2,5m, weighing in at +200kg. Traveling by canoe, the sunset in the lake is a spectacular unforgettable sight. On our return to the river, we might be able to spot some nocturnal animals.
8 pm: The body demands rest and food after an active day in the jungle. You will enjoy the exotic tastes of our meals, especially our desserts. If you still have energy left you can share moments of music and conversation in the bar whilst having a cocktail or enjoy the sounds of the rainforest surrounding you from your hammock. After a long day full of activity you will enjoy the comfort of your bungalow´s hammocks. You can also recover with a massage by a qualified masseur at the lodge.

After breakfast its time to say goodbye to the setting and staff of Corto Maltes Amazonia. Your guide will accompany you on your way back to the city. We will pass by our office again to recollect the baggage left. After that we will visit the local market to show you agricultural products of the region, especially fruits of the Amazon. Afterwards our personnel will accompany you to the airport for your flight to Lima, wishing that your stay was as pleasant for you as it was for us to show you this beautiful corner of Peru.