Day 2 Thursday – Lima / Iquitos
Breakfast at your hotel. In the afternoon City Tour of Lima and Larco Museum - This half day tour visits both the colonial and modern sections of this "City of Kings." Colonial sites include the lovely Plaza de Armas with its cathedral and palace, and the exquisite Torre Tagle Palace modern day seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In modern Lima, drive along the exclusive residential areas of Miraflores and San Isidro. Continue to the Larco Museum, founded in 1926, it showcases remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview on 3000 years of development of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Located in a unique vice-royal mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid, is surrounded by beautiful gardens. Features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and the famous erotic archaeological collection, one of the most visited Peruvian tourist attractions. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Iquitos. Upon arrival at the airport a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you in registering. (B)

Day 3 Friday – Iquitos / Explorama Lodge
Breakfast at your hotel. Bbrief city orientation and transfer to the Explorama dock. Fifty mile journey down the Amazon River to Yanamono Stream where Explorama Lodge is located. Afternoon hike along the "Lake Trail" through lowland rainforest which is seasonally flooded. During the high water season, this excursion is done by open boat! Night walk or open boat ride to enjoy the sounds of the rainforest and stars of the Southern sky. Overnight Explorama Lodge. (B,L,D)

Day 4 Saturday – Explorama Lodge
Breakfast at your hotel. Morning walk along the "Bushmaster Trail", where scientific studies by the Missouri Botanical Gardens have found the world's highest biodiversity of trees per square hectare. Your guide will point out many plants used in medicine today and many that we may use in the future. Afternoon open boat trip along the Amazon in search of either of the two species of freshwater dolphin found in the river and a chance for an afternoon swim.Overnight Explorama Lodge. (B,L,D)

Day 5 Sunday – Explorama Lodge / Iquitos / Lima
Breakfast at your hotel. Morning walk along a local river trail with stops along the way to visit the "ribereños" or river people, visit a river school, see the local sugar cane rum "factory" or visit our resident American medical doctor in her clinic sponsored by the Rotary Club. Transfer back to Iquitos for your departure flight to Lima. Upon arrival at the airport a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you in registering. (B)

Day 6 Monday – Lima
Breakfast at your hotel. Early departure for your drive along the Pan-American Highway with its views across the beautiful pacific beaches which will take you back to a different era. Travel to the pre-Inca ruins of Pachacamac and its Temple of the Sun and the Palace of the Virgins! (B)

Day 7 Tuesday – Lima / Arequipa
Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Arequipa. Upon arrival at the airport a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you in registering. Arequipa City Tour and Santa Catalina Convent - Your half day sightseeing of this beautiful city, placed on the World Cultural Heritage list by UNESCO, features Mixed Baroque churches and mansions from the Colonial Period like the Monastery of Santa Catalina, called "a city within a city", a Spanish city in miniature with stone streets, beautiful patios, and plaza. It is a masterpiece of colonial architecture, and houses some of the finest examples of Spanish American religious art. Since 1970 visitors have been able to stroll through the streets and cloisters that during colonial times were the refuge of female nobility who had decided to shut themselves away from the world and dedicate entirely to prayer. (B)

Day 8 Wednesday – Arequipa / Colca Canyon
Breakfast at your hotel. Early departure towards the highlands passing through Yura-Pampa Cañahuas and La Pulpera with good possibility of observing groups of wild vicuñas and fighting cattle. Stop en route to see petrogliphs in the Caves of Mollepunco and in the town of Callali to see natural hill formations with the appearance of enchanted castles. Continue to La Calera to enjoy the thermal baths under the stars. (B,L,D)

Day 9 Thursday – Colca Canyon / Puno
Breakfast at your hotel. To maximize your probability of seeing condors we depart very early towards the "Cross of the Condor" at about an altitude of 15,000 feet, which grants visitors spectacular views of condors wheeling across the Colca Canyon, the world's deepest. Drive a little further in to the canyon to see some pre-Inca ruins, pre-Inca burial grounds, to watch the way of life in this remote land and to admire the impressive irrigation system and the fertile mountains terraced for farming of the Colca valley. The afternoon ride to Puno features unique natural scenery of the Peruvian Highlands. (B,L)

Day 10 Friday – Puno
Breakfast at your hotel. Visit to the Uros Indian and Taquile Island at Lake Titikaka - This full day excursion will take you to the highest navigable lake in the world, to visit the floating islands of the Uros Indians, considered themselves Lords of the Lake, and they were convinced they had black blood because they did not feel the cold of the lake and the winter. Continuing to Taquile where a native community of about 400 families still lives with the traditions of the XIV century that respect the principals of an Incan way life. Taquile is a very important site on Lake Titikaka for its a archeological remains, the sacred and ceremonial sites, the festive activities, their rituals and for the daily life of the inhabitants which is dedicated to farming, textile production and fishing. (B,L)

Day 11 Saturday – Puno / Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Bus journey through the Peruvian Andes from Puno - Today one of South America's most extraordinary overland trips takes you by bus to Cusco passing through striking highland scenery and picturesque Andean villages. Upon your arrival in Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and help you to register. (B,L)

Day 12 Sunday – Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Tour of Cusco and its Ruins - This afternoon's tour of the oldest continuously inhabited city in the western hemisphere includes important landmarks of enchanting Cusco and also the nearby ruins of Kenko, Puca-pucara, Tambomachay as well as the Sacsayhuaman fortress. Once the center of the Inca civilization, modern Cusco is a delightful combination of Inca and colonial architecture. During the tour, you will visit Cusco's Cathedral, Santo Domingo Church and the Plaza de Armas. (B)

Day 13 Monday – Cusco / Sacred Valley
Breakfast at your hotel. Full Day Excursion to Moray, Maras and Quechuas (Daily) – Pass through unspoiled and picturesque Andean communities on your way to the Incan agricultural experimental center of Moray, famous for its sunken amphitheater, made up of four circular terraces, which appear to fade away into the earth like an artificial crater. The site was apparently an Inca agricultural research station filled with fertile earth and watered by complex irrigation systems, designed for experimenting with crops at various altitudes (some of which run down to depths of 100 meters).
Continue to the impressive Maras salt pools formed by water emerging from a lake inside a mountain in the Urubamba Valley. An amazing view of evaporating ponds for the extraction of salt. Learn about ancestral techniques, which are still used, in agricultural, irrigation and salt-recollection tasks, as well as in Andean festivals and rites. After lunch, visit an authentic Quechua Village to feel the way of life of the Inca's ancestors. The Inca himself was a noble Quechua. They live off the land and are always wearing their colorful ponchos, see Quechua children scamper about while woman are weaving their family's clothes. A meaningful experience! (B,L).

Day 14 Tuesday – Sacred Valley
Breakfast at your hotel. Full Day Excursion to the Pisac Indian Market and the Ollantaytambo Fortress (Daily) -Morning departure for a drive through the fertile countryside to the colonial village of Pisac. During your visit to the bustling marketplace you will have the opportunity to bargain with the natives for many different types of Peruvian handicrafts and jewelry. After lunch the tour continues to the village of Ollantaytambo for a visit to its impressive Inca fortress.(BL)

Day 15 Wednesday – Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu
Breakfast at your hotel. Excursion to Machu Picchu with overnight stay - Early wake up for a train ride through the sacred valley of Urubamba to the "Lost City of the Incas," Machu Picchu. Perched 8,200 feet above the valley, it was hidden by mountains and semi-tropical jungles for 400 years until discovered by Hiram Bingham of Yale University in 1911. Archaeologists believe that the Inca "Virgins of the Sun" took refuge from the Spanish Conquistadors here. Guided tour of the ruins and lunch are included. (B,L).

Day 16 Thursday – Machu Picchu / Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Free morning to enjoy one of the most incredible sights on earth, the ruins of Machu Picchu. Take as much time as you need to study the mysterious ruins, hike Huayna Picchu, stroll to the Inca Bridge or walk toward the Inca Trail to find the legendary Sun Gate. Afternoon shuttle bus to the train station for your return trip to Cusco. Upon arrival transfer from rail station to hotel. (B)

Day 17 Friday – Cusco
Breakfast at your hotel. Free day in Cusco for independent activities - Wandering through this lovely city, exploring the astonishing narrow streets of this tile roof colonial town will be your unforgettable experience. Great buys are the traditional Peruvian handicrafts, alpaca-wool sweaters and rugs, ponchos, pottery, gold and silver jewelry, leather goods, etc. Because there is such a variety of products, we strongly suggest that when you like any particular item, you should buy it - you may not find the same item in other store. (B)

Day 18 Saturday – Cusco / Lima / Home
Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer from hotel to the airport for your flight to Lima and then take your connecting flight to home. (B)

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Departures: Weekly. Itineraries are flexible.
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