Day 1  July 8  Wed

Travel to Peru
Lodging: Transfer to HOTEL BOLIVAR

Day 2-  July 9 Thur

Day 3 July 10 Friday

 At 7 am we will be boarding this famous train. The trip is an incredible ride from sea level up to 4758 meters above sea level!! We pass through amazing landscape and microclimates.

After Ticlio and Galera (the highest train stations) we start descending to the other side of the Andean mountains, passing by mining towns, finally arriving in Huancayo in the evening.  This is a very long day but the views are spectacular, you are able to walk around and the time will fly!!.

Day 4 July 11 Saturday

After breakfast we visit the beautiful local market at Chupaca and then we go to Ahuac and some Pre-Inca ruins with an amazing view of the Ñahuinpuquio Lake and the Huaytapallana snow mountains.  We will see traditional villages including Wari and its fascinating Pre Inca Temple, then Chongos the first town with a small church in the Mantaro valley and location of the Inquisition.  This day trip allows you to see areas rarely visited by tourists. 

Day 5 July 12 Sunday

The ‘longest’ market in Peru is full of colours and life on Sundays and you can find a variety of items coming from all the different villages around Huancayo. Passing through crafts and all kinds of items for a few hours might get us ready to savour one of the best foods in Peru - Pachamanca a version of the Hangi that is also a traditional Peruvian meal. We can take part in the preparation of this special meal.  In the evening we can visit a surprising little spot ... Parque de la Identidad, a nice Stone-Crafted Park. Here we enjoy the legends and traditions of the Mantaro Valley.

Day 6 July 13 Monday

For those who like early starts we can visit the nearby local market before the day tour.  This market is full of smells, colours and activity and it is a fascinating look at the daily lives of these friendly people.
We leave Huancayo at 9:00 a.m. and visit Cochas, a village famous for its Carved Gourds. We will visit the families who work these special crafts and will watch a demonstration of their work. Next stop is Hualhuas, a village of weavers, and we can see the different kinds of tapestries, blankets and sweaters. You will learn from the artisans about native cameloids, fibres and wools, as well as natural dyes and spinning techniques Leaving Hualhuas we will travel to San Jeronimo, where the silverwork is the specialty and we will see a skilful demonstration by Peruvian hands.  Lunch will be at Ingenio to enjoy some good trout. There are many varieties of delicious trout dishes and we are in the valley of the producers of the freshest trout lunch! Finally we visit the Ocopa Monastery, the starting point of the missions to the jungle by the Franciscan Monks, commencing in 1725. Here is your chance to understand how religion has influenced our culture, leaving a deep mark in our history.  We leave Ocopa, making our way back to Huancayo, ending our circuit at La Cabaña. This full day guided excursions will show you the real lives of the people of our Mantaro Valley,

Day 7  July 14 Tuesday

Bus Trip to Lima 
Lodging: Hotel Bolivar
Meals included: Breakfast / lunch                         

Leaving Huancayo early, we experience a pleasant journey by bus going back over the Andes. Now more acclimatized to the altitude the journey is easier and shorter. Arriving in Lima, we can rest and after dinner we will show you the best Pisco Sour in Lima city!

 Day 8 July 15 Wednesday

At 6:30 am we will be ready to take you to the airport where we leave for Puerto Maldonado, the nature capital of Peru. The 54-minute flight takes you from the sea level over the snow capped Andes mountains to the low jungle capturing an impressive view of rivers winding their ways through the dense green Amazon Forest ... just the flight is a must-see!!! This pristine rainforest hosts an ecosystem more beautiful and complex than any in the world. Arriving in Puerto Maldonado, we can leave our big luggage in a safe hotel and take just a change of clothes and necessities like mosquito repellent and sunscreen in a smaller overnight bag. We will board a boat, eat some snacks, and travel down the Madre de Dios River.  We will have a short walk in the jungle to hopefully see some jungle creatures.  Our lodge is on the shores of the river and we can take a short night walk to listen to this fascination night world.

Day 9 July  16 Thursday

We will have an early start today, a boat will take us across the river and we will enjoy a beautiful walk of about an hour to a lake where we can canoe and see the diversity of plants, birds and other exotic creatures. 

This is time when the jungle is waking up so we can expect some lovely surprises.  Our jungle lodge is on the shores of this lake, so we will go across the lake by canoe to the lodge…the canoes are big enough for the whole group so you can sit back and relax and let our guides show us the sights.  It is possible to see a wide variety of jungle birds, parrots, macaws, bats, caiman, monkeys, sloth and with luck the giant otters.  After breakfast we will take a jungle nature walk.  There is a wide assortment of wildlife from trees the size of small houses that are draped with vines, fruits and fauna, to miniature hummingbirds, insects, monkeys, squirrels, wild pigs and other mammals.  We have to be quiet and alert on our walk so that we don’t startle the many creatures that inhabit these forests.  There are also snakes and tarantulas, but no worries, they are more afraid of us than we are of them. After dinner, we go for an evening canoe. Canoeing by night under a bright moon surrounded by the noises and shadows of the jungle is a magical feeling!! 

Day 10 July 17 Friday

Day 11 July 18 Saturday

Sacred Valley, train to Aguas Calientes                                           Lodging: Hotel La Cabaña                                                                 Meals included: Breakfast / lunch

After Breakfast we take a bus to enjoy the early sunrise over the cyclopean stones of Sacsayhuaman then we continue up over the pass and enjoy the views of the Sacred Willca Mayu known also as Urubamba River that flows through the Sacred Valley.  We pass little villages until we reach Pisac with its colourful market and impressive archaeological remains from Inca times. Here we will stop for lunch and have some time to explore this little market. Then we continue to the town of Ollantaytambo which is the best surviving example of Inca planning with its narrow cobblestones streets inhabited since the 13th century. From here we take our train to Aguas Calientes and end this fascinating day at La Cabaña Hotel.

Day 12 July 19 Sunday

We get up very early (5:30am) to have breakfast at 6:00am before heading to Machu Picchu. We will be among the first to arrive and a local guide will show us around and explain in detail this special place. After the official explanation we can go for a little climb up to Huayna Picchu or venture to the Inca Bridge. At about 1pm we return to Aguas Calientes, where we have lunch before departing by train back to Ollantaytambo, then bus to Cusco.  This will be a pleasant and scenic journey through the Urubamba valley  

     Day 13     July  20 Monday

This is a free day but we can start you off with a lovely walk around the amazing stones of Sacsayhuaman. You can then have the rest of the day to enjoy Cusco and catch up on things.  There are museums to visit, crafts to see and beautiful cobbled streets to wander around.   

      Day 14      July 21 Tuesday

    Day 15  July 22 Wednesday

   Day 16   July 23 Thursday

After an early breakfast we leave at 7am with a special ride to the port. The boat trip will take us to visit the Uros on their floating islands and then to the Island of Taquile where we will spend the night. This is a very interesting experience as their unique way of life, crafts and weaving is fascinating.  We will leave our luggage at the Hotel in Puno and take an overnight bag as we will have to carry it a little way during our walk to the homes where we will stay.  You will need warm clothing, sunscreen and sunhats

 Day 17 July 24 Friday

   Day 18   July 25 Saturday

Bus to Chivay
Lodging:
Meals included: Breakfast / lunch

We will leave Puno early on a private bus and enjoy a long but fascinating journey to Chivay.  We will stop to visit the ruins of Sillustani and visit local people in their stone houses.  We will pass herds of llamas, alpacas and vicuñas, and maybe even spot some pick flamingos.  If we arrive early enough we can enjoy a walk to a nearby village and you can bathe in La Calera Hot Springs.
 

    Day 19   July 26 Sunday

After an early breakfast we leave by bus leaving for Cruz del Condor. This special spot is well known because the giant condors like to glide over the deep canyons so let’s cross our fingers!! Around this area we can also see the Andean rodents called vizcachas, and of course enjoy the beautiful terraced fields. Then we continue our trip through beautiful villages with their Colonial churches arriving in Arequipa at the end of the day 

Day 20 July 27 Monday

Day 21 July 28 Monday