Incredible Machu Picchu & the Amazon - Small Group Tour

If you are not joining us for the Lima pre-tour, fly from you home to Lima. You'll be met at the airport and transferred to our hotel. Dinner is on your own.

Board flights to Cusco. Upon arrival, we will be met and taken to our hotel in Cusco. In the afternoon, we rest and adjust to the altitude or do some shopping. Our guide will help us choose great places for lunch* and dinner. (B) *lunch may be in Lima before flying to Cusco depending on flight times.

Our morning begins with breakfast at our hotel. We attend sacrament meeting together. After lunch on our own, we begin our Cusco City Tour: the Main Square, the Cathedral, the Church of Santo Domingo/Koricancha Temple as well as the surrounding archaeological sites of Sacsayhuaman, Q’engo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay. Overnight in Cusco (B)

After our breakfast, we check out of our hotel and begin a full-day tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas: The village of Pisac, its archaeological site and marketplace. Our trip takes us through the valley with awesome landscapes and Inca buildings and agricultural terraces until reaching the ancient Ollantaytambo village with its amazing archaeological site. From Ollantaytambo, we board the Inca Rail train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Village). We arrive early in the evening and check into the hotel. Our guides will recommend places for dinner. (B)

We begin our day very early with breakfast at the hotel and then head up to Machu Picchu where we enjoy a guided tour. We return to Aguas Calientes and have the rest of the day on our own to find lunch, shop or enjoying nature. There are some easy hiking trails nearby. Overnight in Aguas Calientes (B)

Today we board an early train back to Ollantaytambo. We take a half-day tour of Maras and Moray, terraced agricultural areas and a salt mine. We conclude our tour and head back to Cusco for our overnight stay. (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, we head to the airport and board a morning flight to Iquitos. We will be met at the airport and taken to our hotel in Iquitos. In the afternoon, we enjoy a walking city tour. This is the largest city in the world that does not have any roads leading to or from the city. It can only be accessed by air or boat. We are on our own for dinner but our guides will advise us on the best choices. (B)

Our morning begins with a buffet. We then transfer to the docks to board our boat for our 25-mile journey down the Amazon River. Our destination is Ceiba Tops, an all-inclusive resort and our home for the next 3 nights. From here we will explore this fascinating area of the world. After lunch, we take an afternoon hike in the beautiful primary rain forest reserve surrounding the lodge which includes many huge trees festooned with epiphytes (harmless plants which grow on the trees). After dinner, there may be local flute or guitar music or we can be entertained by the guides as they relate some of the many legends of the Amazon forest. (B, L, D)

In the morning, we head out on the river to try to spot dolphins and to visit a small village of Yagua Indians where our guide explains the local Yagua Indian culture and how it was affected by the arrival of Europeans and the passing of time. There will also be an opportunity to see some of the local crafts and for a demonstration of the blowgun which some of the Yagua elders still use for hunting. In the afternoon, we have a short walking excursion to the neighboring town of Indiana. Originally a Franciscan mission, Indiana has grown into a large river community with its own market, high school and small hospital (B, L, D)

Today we leave very early by boat to the narrow car bridge connecting the Amazon and Napo Rivers and then continue by boat to ExplorNapo Lodge for breakfast. The highlight of the day is the hike to and across the spectacular Canopy Walkway spanning over 500 meters (one-third of a mile). The walkway is connected by tree platforms and reaches a height of over 34 meters (115 feet) but, it is accessible without any type of climbing skill or equipment. After lunch, we visit the “ReNuPeRu” Ethnobotanical Garden where over 240 medicinal plants are cultivated by a local shaman who will explain the nature of Amazonian natural healing and the uses of some of the plants. We return to Ceiba Tops in time to enjoy the pool or hammocks before dinner. (B, L, D)

After breakfast, we have a choice of a walking or boating excursion to further enjoy the rain forest and Amazon River. We then take the boat back up the river to Iquitos and are transferred to the airport for our flights back to Lima. You will catch your flight home from the Lima airport. (B)