Peru

Machu Picchu, Cusco, Amazon Rainforest Tour

9 days | 8 nights
Private tour
From 2490USD per person
Sorry, there are no prices defined for this date. Please contact us by clicking on "Free quote"

Close

Tour Description

This Peru itinerary is for adventurous travelers who want to extend their visit to Peru to the fascinating Amazon rainforest, east of the ancient Inca empire.

The Amazon basin covers 40% of the South American continent across 8 countries and it is one of the most biodiverse places on earth thanks to the 4,225-mile long Amazon river, the longest river in the world.

Staying 2 full days and nights at the EcoAmazonia Lodge, on the Madre de Dios river, is the best way to learn about the abundant wildlife of the Amazon rainforest.

In this pristine environment, the number of species is a sign of nature's wealth: 40,000 plants, 3,000 fishes, 1,300 birds, 430 mammals, and 2.5 million different insects.

If the Amazon rainforest were a country, it would be the 9th largest in the world, about the size of the 48 lower States. More than 60% of Peruvian territory is covered by the Amazon rainforest and it is an iconic part of the country that is often neglected by visitors. This itinerary offers you the opportunity to really dive into the many aspects of Peru.

From Lima, the country's colonial capital to the archaeological wealth left behind by the Inca Empire, the largest Pre-Columbian civilization in America. Succumb to the charms of the old Inca capital, Cusco, the nearby mystic Sacred Valley, and the lost city of Machu Picchu on the edge of the rainforest to finally make your way to the depths of the Amazon jungle. 

Destinations

Peru

Trip at a glance

Visits

LIMA: City Tour

SACRED VALLEY: Pisac Ruins and Market, Ollantaytambo Fortress

MACHU PICCHU

CUSCO: City-Tour, Ruins

AMAZON RAINFOREST & RIVER (Puerto Maldonado): Tambopata National Reserve

Trip details

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival in Lima

Arrival at Jorge Chávez, Lima international airport. 

Welcome by our local English-speaking staff. 

Transfer to your hotel located in the residential and shopping district of Miraflores, overlooking the Pacific ocean (1 hour). 

Evening

Free evening. 

Overnight at your hotel in Lima. 

Day 2 Lima City tour, flight to Cusco, transfer to the Sacred Valley

Morning

City tour by car around Miraflores upmarket district, famous for its 'Malecon' (the strand) and Larcomar, the huge iconic shopping center overlooking the ocean. 

Drive along the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site before heading to Lima's historical center (30 min). 

The city founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, still features many invaluable colonial buildings along the main square (the Plaza Mayor) and the nearby streets. 

Discover Lima's Cathedral, the Government Palace and the San Francisco Convent among many other impressive colonial buildings. 

Afternoon

In the afternoon, transfer to Lima airport (40 min to 1 hour) for your flight to Cusco (1 hour 15 min). 

Arrival in Cusco (11,152 ft - 3400 m) where you will be welcome by your local driver and guide. Transfer to your hotel in the Sacred Valley (1 hour 30min). 

Evening

Free evening.

Overnight at your hotel in the Sacred Valley. 

MEALS
  • Breakfast at the hotel

Day 3 Sacred Valley: Pisac Ruins and Market, Ollantaytambo Fortress

Morning

In the morning, drive from your hotel to the village of Pisac (1 hour) famous for its Sunday market where many indigenous Quechua communities meet to sell and trade their goods. 

The rest of the week, the whole place is bustling with a large handicraft and souvenir market. You will have time to search for jewellery, ponchos, hats, traditional music instruments, ceramics, alpaca products and many other typical Andean crafts  (1 hour 30 min). 

Visit Pisaqa, Intihuatana, Q’allaqasa, and Kinchiracay. (1 hour 30 min). All 4 places are part of an Inca site on the nearby hill at an altitude of 10,980 feet (3345 m). 

The hill was shaped during Inca times by carving ingenious terraces that are still used for agriculture to this day. 

With military, religious, and agricultural structures, the site was an important and busy place for the Inca empire. 

Afternoon

In the afternoon, transfer to Ollantaytambo, a fortified city built during the reign of Pachacutec, the most powerful Inca emperor. 

Explore this quaint settlement with an interesting orthogonal layout (30 min). 

Climb the Temple Hill known as the fortress to learn about the purpose of those inca constructions (1 hour 30 min). 

Transfer to Ollantaytambo train station (5 min). 

Board the comfortable train that will take you to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu (1 hour 30 min). 

Arrival in Aguas Calientes by late afternoon, walk to your hotel for check-in (5 min). 

Evening

Free evening. 

Overnight at your hotel in Aguas Calientes. 

MEALS
  • Breakfast at the hotel

Day 4 Machu Picchu tour

Your passport is required to enter the Machu Picchu site. You have the option to get a 'Machu Picchu' stamp in your passport if you wish. 

Morning

Today might be THE day you have been expecting from the moment you landed on Peruvian soil as you will finally enter the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu. 

Your private guide will meet you and walk you to the bus station (5 min) to hop on a bus to the entrance of the archaeological site. 

Afternoon

Enjoy the impressive 20-minute drive up the hill to the Machu Picchu site at 7,972 feet (2430 m). The abandoned stronghold was rediscovered in 1911 by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham, Macchu Picchu is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Learn about every secret this ancient Inca citadel holds and grab every opportunity to take amazing photographs (3 to 4 hours). 

Take the bus back to Aguas Calientes (20 min) and board the train back to Ollantaytambo (1 hour 30 min). 

Transfer to your hotel in Cusco (1 hour 30 min). 

Evening

Free evening. 

Overnight at your hotel in Cusco. 

MEALS
  • Breakfast at the hotel

Day 5 Half-day Cusco City and Archaeological tour, free afternoon

Morning

In the morning, you will meet your guide for a city tour of Cusco including the visit of the Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral and the Korikancha, the original Temple of the Sun. 

Drive to the hills of Cusco to explore the archaeological sites of Sacsayhuamán, Q’enqo, PukaPukara and Tambomachay. 

Transfer back to your hotel or to the city centre (20 min). 

Afternoon

Afternoon at leisure to explore the Spanish colonial city known to the Inca as the 'belly button of the world'. 

Stroll around numerous plazas, shops selling incredible art and crafts or visit the great Pre-Columbian Museum MAP (not included). 

Evening

Free evening to discover Cusco's vibrant nightlife. We recommend the lively pisco bar La Republica del Pisco. 

Overnight at your hotel in Cusco. 

MEALS
  • Breakfast at the hotel

Day 6 Flight to Puerto Maldonado, half-day Amazon Rainforest excursion

Morning

Transfer from your hotel to Cusco airport (15 min) for your flight to Puerto Maldonado (50 min). 

Meet and greet with your guide, transfer downtown for a city-tour of Puerto Maldonado. 

Visit the interoceanic bridge, the meeting point between the Madre de dios and Tambopata rivers, stop at the Plaza de Armas, the Plaza Miguel Grau, the Obelisk and the town's market. 

Transfer to Puerto Capitanía (20 min) to board a motorized riverboat. 

Sail down the Madre de Dios river through the lush and fascinating environment of the Amazon rainforest (2 hours). On your journey keep your camera ready for the fleeting ronsocos, caimans, turtles, herons, cormorants and more of the abundant local fauna. 

Arrival at the EcoAmazonia Lodge where you will be welcome with a fresh drink. 

Afternoon

After lunch, your naturalist tour guide will take you through an interpretive trail to the Caimán Cocha, a small lagoon where black caimans and other smaller caiman species abound. 

Spectacular sunset on the Amazon. 

Evening

Free evening at the lodge. 

Overnight at the lodge in the Amazon Rainforest. 

MEALS
  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Lunch at EcoAmazonia lodge
  • Dinner at EcoAmazonialodge

Day 7 Full-day Amazon Rainforest excursion

Morning

After breakfast you will set off to explore the depths of the Amazon forest. Hiking on well-maintained tracks, you will cross several bridges over many gorges and smaller streams. 

Throughout the day you will discover the abundant fauna and flora that inhabit the flooded forest. 

Stop at the majestic Apu Victor lake with its crystal clear waters, surrounded by marshes and giant trees. 

Head up to the observation deck, with its breathtaking view over the lake. From there you can watch the active canopy of the rainforest with its parrots, macaws, toucans, camungos, shanshos and herons as well as the caimans and turtles in the lake below. The giant otter, one of the most cutest critters of the rainforest, might also make a shy appearance. 

After a few hours in this dizzing natural environment, you will head back to the Lodge for lunch. 

Afternoon

In the afternoon, visit Monkey Island, a unique river island, 5 minutes up the Madre de Dios River from your Lodge. 

Amidst extraordinary landscapes and exuberant vegetation, meet the various species of monkeys in their natural habitat. Maquisapas, capuchins, small lion monkeys, frailes, cotos along with other Amazonian mammals like the coati and the sloth and of course a great variety of birds. 

Finish the day by watching another colourful sunset before heading back to the lodge. 

Evening

Free evening at the lodge. 

Overnight at your lodge in the Amazon Rainforest. 

MEALS
  • Breakfast at EcoAmazonia lodge
  • Lunch at EcoAmazonia lodge
  • Dinner at EcoAmazonialodge

Day 8 FULL DAY AMAZON RAINFOREST EXCURSION

Morning

After breakfast, you will start hiking in the virgin forest, together with your local guide. On the way, you will cross temporary watercourses called tributaries running through very well-kept bridges while you will be able to witness a large range of wild flora and fauna. You will also get to identify a great variety of ornamental plants with unparalleled beauty.

En route to the Lost Cocha, you will see diverse species of medicinal plants and fruit trees that support the animal populations in the Amazon forest.

If you are lucky, you will get to see bigger mammals, like the jaguar or Peruvian jaguar, the Brazilian tapir and the white-lipped peccary; rodents like the giant otter, the capybara, the spotted paca, and the armadillo; primates like the coto or howler monkey and the squirrel monkey; reptiles like the iguana and the bothrops atrox; amphibians like the toad, and birds like the guan, the partridge, the golden parakeet, and the scarlet macaw.

Once arrived at Lost Cocha, you will walk up to a big observation platform. From this lookout, you will see the enormous surface that this magic place covers and where you can observe two types of swamps: thick and mixed.

Return to the lodge for a tasty lunch. 

Afternoon

In the afternoon, you have free time to take pictures around the lodge, and you will have the possibility to visit the botanical garden and observe medicinal plants and fruit trees.

Evening

Free evening and overnight at the lodge in the Amazon Rainforest. 

MEALS
  • Breakfast at the lodge
  • Lunch at the lodge
  • Dinner at the lodge

Day 9 Flight to Lima, departure

Morning

Transfer by motor boat to Puerto Capitanía (2 hours), then transfer by bus to Puerto Maldonado airport (20 min). 

Direct flight to Lima. 

Afternoon

Arrival at Lima airport to pick-up your luggage. 

Check-in assistance for your international flight. 

Departure. 

MEALS
  • Breakfast at EcoAmazonia lodge

Customer reviews

Services

What's included

Flights

  • Lima to Cusco
  • Cusco to Puerto Maldonado
  • Puerto Maldonado to Lima

Accommodation

Nights
5 nights in 3 premium hotels + 3 bungalows nights at EcoAmazonia Lodge

Meals

Bed & Breakfast plan
8 breakfasts + 3 lunches + 3 dinners
Full board plan
8 breakfasts + 8 lunches + 8 dinners

Transportation

Train
Train trip to Machu Picchu in comfortable economy class: Ollantaytambo/Aguas Calientes/Ollantaytambo
Bus
Shuttle Round trip Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes on day 4
Car
Private car and driver on day 1, 2, 3, 5, shared bus transfers on day 6, 7, 8
Cruise
Shared motor boat for all transfers and excursions in the Amazon Rainforest on day 6, 7, 8

Orientation

Guide
Private local English-speaking guide everyday except in the Amazon Rainforest (shared English-speaking naturalist guide)

Entrance Fees

All entrance fees to mentioned sites

What's not included

  • International Flights
  • Travel Insurance
  • Extra Meals
  • Drinks
  • Tips

Prices


Important notes

People with heart conditions are strongly advised to seek medical advice before booking. 

This tour includes many visits at sites above 10,000 ft (3000 m). To avoid altitude sickness, we strongly advise against any strong physical effort or any alcohol consumption in high-altitude places. 

Send inquiry VIEW OTHER TOURS
Save
Cookies user preferences
We use cookies to ensure you to get the best experience on our website. If you decline the use of cookies, this website may not function as expected.
Accept all
Decline all
Marketing
Set of techniques which have for object the commercial strategy and in particular the market study.
Active Campaign
Accept
Decline
Google
Accept
Decline
Facebook
Accept
Decline
Analytics
Tools used to analyze the data to measure the effectiveness of a website and to understand how it works.
Google Analytics
Accept
Decline
Travel Updates
Active campaign
Accept
Decline
Functional
Tools used to give you more features when navigating on the website, this can include social sharing.
AddThis
Accept
Decline