WINTER BREAK 2011: PERU: 9 DAYS JAN 4 – JAN 12
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Duration: |
9 days |
Starts: |
Lima 04/01/2011 |
Finishes: |
Lima |
Trip code: |
TEX |
Country: |
Peru |
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ITINERARY
Day 1 Lima (4 JAN)
Welcome to Peru! On arrival in Lima, you will be transferred to your hotel. This afternoon we have a guided tour of the ancestral, colonial and modern part of Lima. In the evening we will have a group meeting to discuss the plan for the next days. After this we go to the Huaca Pucllana pre-inca site, where we will have a short guided tour of this extraordinary, illuminated ruins and have our welcome dinner.
Day 2 Cusco (5 JAN)
A short flight takes us high into the Andes to the Capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco (at 3600 meter elevation). The morning is free to acclimatize to the altitude. In the afternoon we have a guided tour of this beautiful city.
Day 3 Rafting (6 JAN)
Today we go on a rafting trip on the Urubamba river through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The excursion finishes in the little town of Ollantaytambo. We spend the night in this original still inhabited Inca town.
Day 4 Aguas Calientes (7 JAN)
In the morning we meet our mountain guides who will bring us to the starting point of the famous one-day Inca trail to Machu Picchu. We hike through the most beautiful cloud forest and mountain scenery and along Inca ruins up to the Sun gate, the place from where you can appreciate an amazing panoramic view of Machu Picchu. We hike down to Lost City of the Incas and visit the first half of the city with our guide. Then you have some free time to make pictures, before we take the bus down to the village of Aguas Calientes where we spend the night in a hotel and where you can relax in the open air hot springs.
Day 5 Machu Picchu-Cusco (8 JAN)
Today we get up early to take the first bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. We will be rewarded as we see the mist rise off the mountains revealing the forgotten city of the Incas, then you will have plenty of time on your own to enjoy the beauty of Machu Picchu. You can climb the Wayna Picchu hill from where you can observe Machu Picchu from a totally different angle. In the afternoon we take the train back to Cusco.
Day 6 Cusco (9 JAN)
Today we travel by bus over the altiplano region to Puno, the town on the shores of the Lake Titicaca. We check into our hotel and explore the town.
Day 7 Lake Titicaca-Puno (10 JAN)
Today we make a boat trip on the Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. We visit the floating reed islands of the Uros population and the beautiful island of Taquile, famous for its colorful clothes and weavings. On this island ancient traditions have stayed alive; our local guide will explain us all about these traditions and the culture. In the afternoon we navigate back to Puno.
Day 8 Juliaca -Lima (11 JAN)
A morning flight will take us back to the capital. We will have a great seafood lunch, enjoy the city and our last night out in the capital.
Day 9 Lima (12 JAN)
Departure
DISCLAMER
While it is our intention to adhere to the route described above, we reserve the right to make changes to the program itinerary without prior notice, due to changes in climate conditions, river water levels, bus or flight arrivals or departure times or any other reasons relevant to the best development of the trip. Such changes will only be done for the comfort, safety and well-being of the group. The dossier is a general guide to the tour and region and any mention of specific destinations or wildlife is by no means a guarantee that they will be visited or encountered.
