16-Nights Land of the Incas with Peruvian Amazon

Trafalgar

• 1 Welcome Reception (WR)
• 16 Breakfast (B)
• 8 Lunch (L)
• 4 Dinner (D)
• 1 Regional Dinner (RD)
• 1 Farewell Dinner (FD)

• Sacred Valley: Connect with Locals over a Be My Guest experience lunch, learn about the culture surrounding the production of Giant White Corn. Our hosts will demonstrate the differences between traditional farming techniques and the newer technologies used today.

• Lima: Dive into the rich history of Casona San Marcos, an ancient building in Lima now part of the property of a university. Learn to play the "cajón" (meaning "box" or drawer") box-shaped percussion instrument played by slapping the faces with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements. Continue your musical discovery trying the basic steps of "musica negra", a dance that originated in Chincha (near Paracas) that is popular during over the Christmas season. Over your lesson, try a snack from a "pregonero", a vendor who specializes in selling a typical snack through boisterous advertising in the city streets.
• Sacred Valley: We'll Dive into Culture and meet a Quechua Shaman who will perform a ceremony welcoming you to Peru.
• Sacred Valley: This evening, meet Local Specialist Peter Frost, a writer, photographer and independent scholar who has explored the Andes and Amazon for 47 years, locating and investigating the previously unknown Inca and pre-Inca site of Qoriwayrachina. He currently resides in Peru and works as an accompanying expert for National Geographic Expeditions.
• Lake Titicaca: Visit the home of Víctor Coila and his wife Mariluz, and their two daughters, Luz Mery and Carla Mercedes. Join the family to try quinoa bread, potatoes with cheese, and chaco - a sauce made with a kind of clay used in cooking and medicine.
• Paracas: Stop at the Regional Museum of Ica where we'll explore the centuries-old cultures of the Paracas and Nazca.
• Paracas: Visit Bodega El Catador to learn about and taste the finest pisco in the country.

• Nazca: Take to the skies on your Peru tour to see the iconic Nazca Lines, archaeological enigmas scratched in the ground 500 B.C. and A.D. 500. Gaze down in awe of these massive designs and patterns you can only view from above. Your private flight will show you many of the lines, complete with their names and a bit of history. From above, you’ll observe the different types: straight, geometric (such as triangles, rectangles, trapezoids, spirals, arrows, zigzags, and wavy lines), and pictorial (including a spider, hummingbird, cactus plant, monkey, whale, llama, duck, flower, tree, lizard, dog, and even a mysterious humanoid figure). Some of the animal geoglyphs are up to 1,200 feet long! You’ll also learn why the Nazca culture created these lines in the desert plains of the Rio Grande de Nazca River basin and how the Nazca people were able to carve out such massive designs.
• Lima: Join a local specialist for a gentle hike to explore jungle trails that snake between the roots of towering trees for an immersive introduction to the rich ecosystems of the rainforest. Here in the Amazon, you’ll find a staggering 540 bird species, 362 ant species (a world record you have to see to believe) and over 100 mammal species that have been registered within Inkaterra’s ecological reserve.
• Lima: Under the cloak of night, cruise the Madre de Dios River at night in search of wildlife that roams the riverbanks under darkness. Keep on the lookout for the likes of nightjars, owls, capybaras and caimans as you learn about the curious behavior and characteristics of this nocturnal world.
• Lima: Take in the highlights of Lima, the 'City of the Kings,' including a panoramic view of the ancient districts. Join a local specialist for a visit to the UNESCO-listed Historic Center. Learn how before it was destroyed by earthquakes in the mid-18th century, observing how the historic buildings display a collaboration between local craftspeople and others from the Old World. Then drive along the coastline as you learn more about the fascinating history of Peru's capital city.
• Machu Picchu: Learn how to prepare an authentic Ceviche and pour the perfect Pisco sour.
• Cusco: Visit the mystical Incan stronghold of Ollantaytambo with a Local Specialist. These famous ruins are a massive Inca fortress made of large stone terraces stretching out across a hillside. Walk among the stone platforms, the sun temple of six monoliths and the Princess Baths fountain the Baño de la Nusta at the base of the ruins flowing from carved stone into a pool. Over your exploration, learn how the old town is an Inca-era grid of cobblestoned streets and adobe buildings.
• Machu Picchu: Soak in every moment of your Machu Picchu tour in style as you descend to the Lost City in the clouds aboard the Vistadome train. Traveling the Inca Trail, you’ll traverse dramatic landscapes with a panoramic view of the soaring peaks, river, and ruins. Sit back and relax as you enjoy this multi-sensory journey complete with background music, an informative audio commentary highlighting interesting sites, and an included light snack.
• Machu Picchu: Take a shuttle to the top of the mountain where you’ll meet your local specialist for a guided hike of Machu Picchu. You’ll learn about Machu Picchu’s history and the use of each section of including ceremoni

  Featured Destinations

  Lake Titicaca (Peruvian Coast) Lake Titicaca (Peruvian Coast) Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake, is a world unto itself—a definite must-see. It's located 560 mi/900 km southeast of Lima, on the Peru/Bolivia border, at an altitude of 12,500 ft/3,812 m. One way to see Titicaca is on the 12-hour train ride from Cuzco to Puno through the Andes, a trip that reaches an elevation of more than 14,000 ft/4,265 m as you pass by farms, people's backyards, waterfalls and bleak but wondrous scenery—clear blue sky, deep blue water and dry, barren landscape. This is an expensive tourist train and runs three or four times a week; the local train, which was notorious for thievery, no longer operates. Tourist buses also cover this route, stopping at major sights en route. They are faster and have English-speaking guides. Peruvians and tourists on a time limit take normal buses between Cusco and Puno, usually a six-hour trip. Don't neglect the attractions on the Bolivian side of the lake. Stop overnight in Puno, an uninspiring town near the border that's one of the best places in Peru to buy Andean handicrafts—alpaca sweaters, rugs, ponchos and tapestries. (The town is also known for its colorful fiestas and folk dances.) Then continue by bus or car to Copacabana, just across the border, for Bolivian customs formalities and to tour the cathedral or take a day trip to the Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. With its small-village atmosphere and charm, this town is a nice overnight stay from which you can see more of the lake. From Puno, tours or public transport are available to Taquile Island (small Inca ruins and very nice woven goods), Sillustani on Lake Umayo (to see chullpas, the funerary towers of the ancient Colla people) and the Floating Islands (actually enormous floating reed mats that support the Uros people's villages of reed huts—you can buy reed souvenirs there).	Destination Guide
  Puerto Maldonado Puerto Maldonado Gold panning on the Tampobamba and Madre de Dios rivers, and the latex boom at the end of the past century, determined the foundation of the city of Puerto Maldonado., Today, Madre de Dios, the old Inca Antisuyo, is still what It has been -for centuries- for all adventure lovers: a virgin and frontier land full of mysteries. Near Puerto Maldonado, there are several attractions such as the Sandoval and Valencia lakes, next to the Bolivian border (by river, 4 hours from the city), These wonderful places give the tourist the opportunity to fish, be close to nature, and be in contact with native communities.	Destination Guide
  Paracas Bay Paracas Bay The Paracas Bay is best known for the area known as "The Galapagos of Peru" or the Ballestas Islands Wildlife Reserve. The sea bird colonies and marine mammals that inhabit these barren and desolate islands are some of the most spectacular in the world, including the Guanay, Red-legged and Neotropic Cormorants, the Peruvian and Blue-footed Boobies, the Peruvian Pelican, several species of tern and gulls, including the Inca Tern, and several species of petrel. There are also breeding grounds of South American fur seals and sea lion as well as a small colony of Humboldt penguins. Other interesting wildlife less frequently seen on trips to the Ballestas includes sea turtles and albatross. On the way to Ballestas, you will be able to see the candelabra in the coastal sand dunes - one of the many giant petroglyphs that dot the landscape.
  Cuzco Cuzco The Cuzco (Cusco) region of Peru combines Inca legacy with Spanish colonial architecture in an atmosphere at once provincial and sublime. The chaotic marketplaces where campesinos barter grain or potatoes for multi-colored fabric belie the mute spirituality of the Lost Cities, where Inca stonework conveys order and balance. Such diversity enhances this inspiring nine-day adventure. The blue sky radiates with an intensity achieved only at high altitudes (the city of Cuzco lies 11,150 feet above sea level), while the landscape offers its unique pattern of exacting agricultural grids and tangled jungle masses.	Destination Guide
  Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is a fortress city of the ancient Incas, in a high saddle between two peaks 50 miles NW of Cuzco, Peru. The extraordinary pre-Columbian ruin consists of five sq. miles of terraced stonework link by 3,000 steps; it was virtually intact when discovered by Hiram Bibghan in 1911.	Destination Guide
  Sacred Valley Sacred Valley The Urubamba valley is also named the Sacred Valley. It begins in the Urubamba's village and continues to Macchu Picchu.
  Lima Lima Lima, "the City of the Kings," became the effective capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, established 1560. Today, a visit to Lima may serve as a unique Peruvian experience that offers a glimpse into the Andean world, Spanish tradition and the country's modern aspect. Visit handsome old buildings and baroque churches that testify to the city's religious background and the Plaza de Armas, shared by the realms of the Catholic church, municipality and national government. The pre-Inca ruins of Pachacamac lie a short distance south of the city. Once a ceremonial site, Pachacamac has been the most important religious center of the Andean world since before the age of Christ. Stop and admire The Temple of the Sun and the Moon, Lima's outstanding museums, and Machu Picchu - a "Jewel in the Mist."	Destination Guide

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  Valid Date Ranges

  December 2024

  12/02/2024

  12/18/2024

  $6,472 per person

  Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

  All fares are quoted in US Dollars.