Tambopata Reserve & the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu Program: 8 Days / 7 Nights

Day 1: Welcome to Lima. Upon your arrival you will be met by our representative at the international airport of Lima and then will be transferred to your hotel located at the residential zone of Miraflores. Overnight at the Hotel Grand Faraona. What is included on this day? Pick up from the airport in Lima and transfer to the hotel. Hotel Grand Faraona What is not included? Meals, extras & gratitudes.

Day 2: Flight from Lima to the Jungle. Puerto Maldonado – Tambopata Reserve. 05:45 hrs. You will be picked up from your hotel in Lima and then transferred to the airport to take the airplane to Puerto Maldonado, a city located in the lowlands of the Amazon jungle, a gate to the Tambopata National Reserve. The city of Puerto Maldonado, it situated at the confluence of the Madre de Dios River and is a blooming tropical frontier town. Its principal activities are Brazil nut collecting, gold mining, timber extraction, agriculture and eco-tourism. Tambopata Reserve is located on southeastern Peru, and is considered to be home to the world's greatest lowland concentration of birds and butterflies Upon your arrival, a representative from Mystery Peru will meet you at the airport of Puerto Maldonado. Our representative will be waiting at the arrival gate, holding a board on which your names will be written. Once you had met our representative, you will be conducted to our office located ten minutes away from the airport. While enjoying your first taste of the forest in our gardens we will ask you to pack only the necessary gear for your next few days, and leave the rest at our safe deposit. This helps us keep the boats and cargo light. After packing the necessary stuff, we will board our jungle truck and then will drive on a bumpy dirt road for about 20 kilometers till the local port located at the Native Community of Infierno. Here we will have some free time to stretch our legs and later on we will board a motorized canoe and start our journey to the lodge which is located almost 3 hours up river by boat. Boxed Lunch served on board. Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips. Dinner. Caiman Search. We will be out at the river’s edge at night, scanning the shores with headlamps and flashlights to catch the red gleams of reflection from caiman eyes. Overnight at Refugio Amazonas. What is included on this day? Pick up from your hotel in Lima and transfer to the airport. Flight tickets to the jungle. (Puerto Maldonado) Lunch & dinner at the lodge. Accommodation at the Refugio Amazonas Lodge. What is not included? Meals, extras & gratitude.

Day 3 : Jungle Tours Early breakfast. Oxbow Lake Visit. We will paddle around the lake on a canoe or a catamaran, looking for lakeside wildlife such as hoatzin, caiman and horned screamers, hoping to see the otters which are infrequently seen here. You will also be rewarded with overhead sightings of macaws. Lunch. Canopy Climbing. Replicating the daily work of macaw researchers, we will climb a 30 meter tree with a rope. From this vantage point we will have a macaw’s eye view of the forest. This demanding exercise is perfectly safe and requires no previous experience. Dinner Night walk. You will have the option of hiking out at night, when most of the mammals are active but difficult to see. Easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as bizarre as their natural histories. Overnight at Refugio Amazonas. What is included on this day? All meals. / Jungle tours. Accommodation at the Refugio Amazonas Lodge. What is not included? Extras & gratitude.

Day 4: Flight to the city of Cusco. Soon after breakfast, we will say good bye to our native friends from the lodge, and head down to the river to catch the boat to travel back to the civilization. You will have memorable views of the sunrise over the river, as we return to Puerto Maldonado. Look out for the early morning wildlife, which is particularly active at this time. Howler monkeys are frequently heard, as they mark their territories. Your guide will take care of you on arrival in Puerto Maldonado and will deal with all the necessities at the airport prior to your departure. Upon your arrival in Cusco you will be met by a representative from our agency, and then you will be transferred to your hotel in Cusco. Rest of the afternoon free. Overnight at the Hotel San Agustin Plaza ***. What is included on this day? Early breakfast buffet. Transportation back to Puerto Maldonado airport. Flight tickets from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco. Pick up from the airport in Cusco and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation at the Hotel San Agustin Plaza What is not included? Extras & gratitudes.

Day 5: Free Day in the city of Cusco. The day is free for you to explore the great Inca Capital of "Cusco". This gorgeous city lies at the head of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, at the heart of the Andes. In Inca times Cusco was a Holy City, a place of pilgrimage, a sacred place the Incas themselves believed was "The Navel of World", thus its real name "Qosqo". Nowadays Cusco is a fascinating mix of Inca and Colonial Spanish

architecture; colonial churches, monasteries, convents and Inca remains are found at every corner, many streets are lined with perfect Inca stonework's, which served as foundation for most Spanish constructions. Overnight at the Hotel San Agustin Plaza What is included on this day? Breakfast buffet. Transportation back to Puerto Maldonado airport. Flight tickets from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco. Pick up from the airport in Cusco and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation at the Hotel San Agustin Plaza What is not included? Extras & gratitude.

Day 6: Short Inca Trail to the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. Your group will be collected from the hotel in Cusco at 04:00hrs and then transferred to the train station of Poroy to board the train that will take us to the Km. 104 on the Cusco – Machu Picchu Railway (at this point we will start our trek). We will reach Km. 104 around 09:00hrs. On this point we get off the train and start our journey crossing the Willkamayu River (Urubamba River) using a spectacular bridge (cable and wood made). We start the trek visiting the famous Inca Sanctuary of Chachabamba, a beautiful palace with interesting Inca architecture with large rooms and walls. After having a proper introduction of Inca History, we will climb up a trail of roughly 8 km. (4 hours), and afterwards we will reach the archaeological site of Wiñaywayna (2700 m), second only to Machu Picchu in beauty. This fantastic site is a perfect example of Inca terrace farming, and it was probably an experimental laboratory for agricultural purposes in Inca times. The name Wiñaywayna comes from a name given to a beautiful orchid typical in the zone, and it means FOREVER YOUNG. We will have lunch near this site. Later on we will continue our trek, crossing the cloud forest through a narrow path till we reach the Inti Punko (Sun Gate). At this spot you will have a great view of the most beautiful Inca Citadel of Peru, “Machu Picchu”. This is indeed a special point where most of the hikers gather to get the best photo of this gorgeous sacred city. Afterwards we will descend towards Machu Picchu. Upon our arrival you we will have some free time to enjoy a spectacular panoramic view of Machu Picchu, and after some group photos we will get off the sanctuary. (Please note we will not do the guided tour on this day, but on the second). Finally will go down to Aguas Calientes, where we will spend the night. On this evening hikers might go to relax at the hot springs located at the upper section of Aguas Calientes or just chill out in the streets of this small village. Overnight at the Hotel Santuario. What is included on this day? Breakfast buffet at the hotel. Pick up from your hotel in Cusco and transfer to the train station. Expedition train tickets to the KM 104 (starting point of the trail). Entrance fees for the Inca Trail and the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. English speaking professional guide. Meals (01 B – 01 L - 01 D). First aid kit, including emergency oxygen bottle. Overnight at the Hotel Santuario   What is not included? Meals, extras & gratitude.

Day 7: Guided visit to the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. In order to enjoy a peaceful atmosphere in Machu Picchu, it is advisable to go there early in the morning; therefore we will leave at 05:30hrs. Our guide will take you to the local station to catch the bus that goes up to the ruins of Machu Picchu. The bus ride to the sanctuary of Machu Picchu lasts around 20 minutes and it follows a steep winding path, offering spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. Upon your arrival, our guide will show you the most important sectors of this great Inca City, such as the great Intiwatana (solar clock), the Sun Temple, the urban sector, the agricultural sector among others. Machu Picchu was long thought to be legendary. Then in 1911, the explorer Hiram Bingham stumbled upon it remains. Machu Picchu stands 2,430 m above sea-level, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.

The guided tour in Machu Picchu will last about 2 hours, and afterwards you will have free time to explore the ruins on your own, and if you wish, you might climb the Huayna Picchu Mountain, the huge mountain that appears on the background in every classic picture of Machu Picchu. It takes about one hour or so to get to the top, following very steep stairs, though is a little hard, at the top you will be rewarded with one of the most impressive views in your lifetime. Later on, we will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes, where you will have time for lunch and also to explore the many craft shops in Aguas Calientes. At Aguas Calientes, if you wish, you can go to relax in the thermal baths. The hot springs are located on the upper section of the village; visitors may ask their local guide how to get there. Finally, at around 15:00hrs, we take the train back to the city of Cusco, arriving there after nightfall. Overnight at the Hotel San Agustin Plaza ***. What is included on this day? Breakfast buffet at the hotel. 06:00 h. Pick up from the hostel by our local guide. Bus up/down to Machu Picchu. Entrance fee to the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu & English speaking guide. 15:00 h. Vistadome train tickets to the city of Cusco. 18:30 h. Pick up from the train station of Poroy and transfer to your hotel in Cusco. 19:00 h. Arrival in the city of Cusco. Drop off at your. Accommodation at the Hotel San Agustin Plaza What is not included? Meals, extras & gratitude.

Day 8: Flight to the city of Lima + Lima City Tour. 06:30 h. You will be picked up by our representative from your hotel in Cusco and the transferred to the airport to take the plane to Lima. Upon your arrival in Lima our guide will be waiting for you with a sign bearing your name. Once you had made contact with our guide, you will be escorted to our vehicle and then you will start your City Tour of Lima. We will head to the Lima Historical Center, the old side of the city and the capital of the Peruvian viceroyalty. Once we get there we will start a nice walking tour that will take us to see various attractions of the city. Among them stand out; The Paseo de la Republica (Promenade of the Republic), San Martin Square and the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), with their different buildings: Government Palace, Archibishop's Palace, the Basilica Cathedral and the Municipal Palace. We continue our tour at the Convent of San Francisco, which was built in

colonial times and still today keeps all the treasures from the Spanish era, including subterranean catacombs displaying human skulls and hundreds of bones. After visiting the center of Lima we will head to the modern zone of this great metropolis and will visit the district of San Isidro, stopping at its Olive Grove. Finally we will visit Miraflores with its nice shopping center named Larco Mar, which was built on a spectacular cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Finally you will be driven to the Lima international airport. What is included on this day? Breakfast buffet at the hotel. 06:15 h. Pick up from the hotel and transfer to the airport of Cusco. 08:45 h. Flight departure to the city of Lima. 10:00 h. Arrival in the city of Lima. Pick up from the airport. Lima Private City Tour. 13:30 h. free time for lunch. 15:30 h. Transfer to the airport. What is not included? Meals, extras & gratitude.