Cusco Excursion – City Tour

On this first day, we will pick you up at the airport or at the bus terminal. Your guide will wait for you to welcome you to Cusco and bring you to the Amaru Group Hostels. We recommend you to take an early flight, so you can take it easy in the morning and get used to the altitude (especially if you come from sea level).

The Cusco City Tour will give you the opportunity to discover the enigma of this marvellous city and the surrounding archaeological sites! We will pick you up at 1:15 pm from your hotel and bring you to the main Plaza de Armas at 1:30 pm, where you will meet you travel mates (in case of shared service). We start our adventurous tour by visiting the Main Cathedral of Cusco. Here you can observe the colonial architecture and the amazing paintings of the Cusqueña School (well known for its religious iconography painted by Cusqueños). Afterwards, we will take you to the Qoricancha (golden palace) and Santo Domingo Convent, which is a perfect example for the fusion of the Inca and Christian culture.

After your city tour, we will take the bus and drive to the impressive Inca Fortress of Saqsaywoman. You will be amazed by the rocks used for construction, some of them weigh more than 300 tons!
The tour continues discovering the underground temple of Quenqo (labyrinth) and its impressive rock carvings and tunnels. This religious temple is dedicated to the worship of mother earth. After a few minutes ride we will see another fortress called Puka Pucara (red fortress) which was used as a military control entrance gate to Cusco. Walking for a few minutes, we will arrive at Tambomachay (water temple), a temple which is dedicated to worship the water, fertility and longevity.
We return to Cusco around 06:00 or 07:00 pm. If you want, you can ask your tour guide to stop at one of the souvenir shops on your way back.

Accommodation: Amaru Group Hostels

Sacred Valley of the Incas – Train to Machu Picchu

The Sacred Valley tour starts at 08:00 am from Cusco. We pick you up from your hotel and bring you to our tourist bus, where you will meet your tour guide and your travel mates (shared service).

We leave Cusco around 08:30 am in direction of Pisaq, descending to the sacred river Urubamba. With a few stops at various lookout points along the way, we will arrive at Pisaq where you can enjoy checking out the traditional handicraft market with plenty of time for local souvenir shopping. Afterwards, we drive up the mountain where we will find Pisaqs ruins. Our tour guide will take you around the temples, terraces and tunnels of this complex, including the famous Intihuatana (sun clock), while constantly enjoying the majestic view of the sacred river. Then we drive along the river Urubamba, passing by a colourful little town where you can observe the descendants of the Quechua people wearing colorful ponchos.

We stop in the town Urubamba for lunch (we recommend a lunch buffet of Peruvian food). After a short rest we keep going until we reach Ollantaytambo, one of the last living Inca towns. You will be amazed by the impressive Temple of the Sun with its intricate stone worked details, the terraces which are constructed to sustain the mountain and finally the temple in shape of a llama. You will have a short time to explore this amazing complex with its beautiful water fountains by yourself.

After exploring the complex, your tour guide will guide you to the train station from where you will take the train at 04:36 pm in direction to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town). Enjoy the incredible 2-hour-journey through the panoramic windows of the train which will take you along the Sacred River of the Incas, descending from the high valley down to the cloud forest at 2000 meters. The landscape changes drastically in front of your eyes! You will be able to see the tropical mountain ending in a snow carpet and the small waterfalls shimering on the hills, forming small rivers that flow down to converge at the Sacred River. After these spectacular natural views, you will arrive at Aguas Calientes where the warm atmosphere welcomes you with typical jungle sounds.

A Green Peru Adventures Staff and your tour guide will be waiting for you at the gate of the train station in Aguas Calientes and bring you to your hostel. At 07:00 pm, you arrive at your hotel and the tour guide will come to give you a briefing for the next day.

Accommodation: Hatun Inti Classic

Machu Picchu

The day you were waiting for!

Wake up very early in the morning to have your breakfast (at 04:00 am) and then take the bus uphill to the famous Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. The first bus leaves at 05:30 am and takes a 25 minutes ride. Optional take the path which is winding up the mountain to reach Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu gate opens at 06:00, so arriving early you will be one of the first visitors of the day, avoiding the crowds. In case you don’t want to wake up early, please take the bus at 7 am. At 07:45 am your bilingual tour guide will take you around the vast ruins for about 2.5 hours, comprehensively explaining the historical significance of Machu Picchu and its importance in the Inca Empire.

Machu Picchu is the best known of all the Inca Archaeological sites, as it is recognised worldwide as one of the new seven wonders, even though it’s not mentioned in any handwritten Chronicle of the Spanish Conquerors. Experts believe that Machu Picchu has been constructed around the mid-15th century by Inca Pachacuteq and was rediscovered in 1911 by American historian Hiram Bingham.

The guided tour of this fascinating site will be an unforgettable experience, visiting the Main Square, the Royal Quarters, The Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Sun Tower, the Sacred Sun Dial (Intihuatana) and the Burial Grounds.
After the excursion, you can climb up the mountain Huayna Picchu from which you will have stunning views over the whole complex! However, there are only 400 entrance tickets per day. Therefore, please let us know in advance if you would like to do the hike when you do your tour reservation (extra cost of US$ 15.00). Due Huayna Picchu is very fast oversold, we are offering Machu Picchu Mountain as a second climbing option. The advantage of this hike is that it is less crowed, but not less beautiful. The cost of this climb is also US$ 15.00 per entrance.
After this, you will have some free time to wander around. Optional you can do some unguided walks to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, which is the traditional end of the Classic Inca Trail (1.30 hours hike both ways), or to the Inca Bridge (1 hour hike). Otherwise you can simply explore the ruins and enjoy the inspiring atmosphere and breathtaking views.

A frequent bus service takes visitors back to Aguas Calientes (included) at any time. If you prefer, take a walk down through the jungle – it will take you roughly 45 minutes.
You will arrive to Aguas Calientes for a late lunch or to enjoy a dip in the hot springs (not included). In the afternoon late afternoon at 07:00 pm, you take the train back to Ollantaytambo and then a tourist transport to Cusco. If you want to return to Cusco in the early afternoon, please let us know so we can book an early train at 2:30 pm or 4:12 pm (according to the service, it will have an extra cost of US$ 30.00).

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Amaru Group Hostels

Free Day in Cusco

This is a free day to explore the city of Cusco. You can walk around town, shop, visit museums, eat at local restaurants or just relax before taking the bus to Puerto Maldonado.
(NOTE: If you want to take a plane to Puerto Maldonado on the 4th day of the program, please note that this ticket is NOT included in the price of this tour. You may arrange your airplane tickets yourself, or ask Green Peru Adventures to arrange this ticket for you. Airplane tickets through LAN Peru or Star Peru vary in the price, depending mostly on when you book them. If you book the tickets in advance, we will arrange you the best price we can find! Anyway, we recommend you take the bus instead of an airplane. The bus will leave Cusco at 08:00 pm. If you decide to take an airplane instead, you will spend an extra night in Cusco at additional cost and fly the next morning at around 10:00 am).

Accommodation: Amaru Group Hostels

Arrival at Puerto Maldonado

After your arrival at the Puerto Maldonado airport or bus terminal, a professional guide will wait for you and we will go to our office to obtain the official waterway permits. 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.

After a 40 minutes boat ride we will arrive at the Corto Maltes Amazonia Lodge. After your welcome cocktail you can enjoy the delicious international dishes that the Lodge offers. After that, you will have some free time to get comfortable in your bungalow, overlooking either the river or the jungle or simply taking a refreshing dip in our pool.
At 03:30 pm, you will go on a short trek with your guide who will show you the tropical trees, medicinal plants and the abundance of nature in the 60 hectars of the Corto Maltes Amazonia Lodge. From our lookout point you can observe toucans, macaws and other species of birds before your return for sunset. The duration of this trek will be between 2 and 3 hours.

The rest of the afternoon you can relax in our pool or take a nap in the hammocks at the terrace of your bungalow. If you want to, you can also go on a nightly boat trip to go caiman spotting before dinner. At 08:00 pm, dinner is served. After dinner you can retire to our bar to have some tropical cocktails, relax in our reclining seats at the central terrace or take a bath in the pool underneath the shining Amazon sky.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Early in the morning, at 05:30 am, we will go on a 20-minutes-trek until we arrive at the parrot clay-lick. Here, a minimum of five different parrot species feed themselves on a special clay which is vital for their metabolism. It’s a truly marvelous, multicolored spectacle!
At 08:00 am, we will have a delicious breakfast and then have some free time to explore the splendid gardens of Corto Maltes Amazonia. There are dozens of varieties of exotic plants and flowering trees waiting for you to discover them!

Afterwards, around 10:30 am, we start navigating at the Madre de Dios River. This time it’s an expedition destined to the Monkey Island where we can find many different species of these interesting and entertaining animals, living in freedom. Following we do another boat ride of 30 minutes while we enter the territory of the Tambopata- Candamo National Reserve. We will trek around 5 km through the dense vegetation of the tropical rainforest and observe many giant trees, snakes, monkeys, birds and sometimes even the illusive jaguar!

The trek’s destination is heavenly Sandoval Lake. Its’ privileged setting is shared by numerous species of animals: birds (in particular Hoatzins, Kingfisher and Cormorants) and 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 2,5 meters, weighing about +200 kg. Traveling by canoe, the sunset in the lake will be a spectacular, unforgettable sight. On our return to the river we might be able to spot some nocturnal animals as well.

We will have dinner around 08:00 pm. If you still have energy left, you can share some moments of music and conversation in the bar whilst having a cocktail or enjoy the sounds of the rainforest surrounding you from your hammock. You can also recover with a massage by one of the qualified masseurs.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning of our third day, we will have a delicious breakfast at 08:00 am and then some free time to have a bath in the pool or maybe to buy some exclusive Amazon handicrafts and jewelry in our shop.
At 10:00 am, we will follow the course of the river for approximately 1,5 hours in order to visit a native community. Occasionally we can see monkeys, river turtles, caimans and various birds in the dense vegetation of the riverbanks. We will also see some medicinal plants like Sangre de Grado, Oje and Capirona.
The Project for the Rescue of Cultural Values supports the local native community of Palma Real. It is the biggest one with approximately 200 families of the Eseeja tribe. Two families, working with the project located at Gamitada island, will introduce us to the cultural values of their ancestors, their language, their customs, their garments and their dances. In an era where globalization rapidly changes traditional societies, this is a great opportunity to be in direct contact with this tribe of ancient warriors and hunters and to support them economically with the purchase of some of their handmade products.
We will be circumnavigating the Gamatida Island around 01:00 pm, occasionally seeing animals that escape from human presence. Afterwards, we will visit a Chakra (local term for farm). We will get to know a variety of tropical fruits and other local products (Cocoa, bananas, coffee cocona) and then have lunch, consisting of a typical Amazon dish. The Chacarero (farmer) will also let us taste some of the fruits that will later be taken to the city of Puerto Maldonado for consumption.
Upon our return to the lodge, you will surely enjoy a bath in our swimming pool – maybe even with a cocktail that might also serve as an aperitif for dinner.
Dinner will be served around 08:00 pm. Afterwards, you can retire to our bar to have some tropical cocktails, relax chatting in our reclined seats at the central terrace or have a bath in the pool underneath the shining Amazon sky.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day out of the Jungle

After breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to the staff and beautiful setting of Corto Maltes Amazonia Lodge. Your guide will accompany you on your way back to Puerto Maldonado. We will pass by our office to recollect any left baggage. Following that, we will visit the local market to show you some local agricultural, especially fruits of the Amazon. Afterwards our staff will accompany you to the airport, hoping that your stay was as pleasant for you as it was for us to show you this beautiful corner of Peru. Then you can fly back to Cusco or Lima or take your bus back to Cusco.

Meals: Breakfast