Classic & Lima & Puerto Maldonado & Puno

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Lima

Arrival to Lima airport. Our representative will meet you at the airport in Lima to take you to your hotel in Lima. * An extra day in Lima can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities and meals.

Day 2: City Tour & Museum Visit (B, L)

Many tours tend to forget about Lima on the way to Cusco. In our opinion, the history and anthropology of Lima, with Cultures that pre-date the Incas by thousands of years, provides an excellent starting point to better understand and appreciate the Inca cultures you will see in Cusco. In the City Tour, we will see the Spanish city Square, get a snapshot of the most important city sites, and visit a world-class museum to learn about pre-Inca cultures. Sites to be visited: Main Square, The Cathedral, Government Palace, City Hall, San Francisco Monastery (including catacombs), old streets with colonial houses, and a great driving tour through beautiful San Isidro and Miraflores. You will have a delicious typical Peruvian lunch at one of the best restaurants in Lima. After lunch, you will visit the Museum of Anthropology, or Museum Larco, where we will share the Peruvian culture from the many thousands of years of pre-Inca societies up to colonial Peru. * While in Lima, we highly recommend adding culinary activities such as cooking classes and tasting dinners in the best restaurants of Latin America, for more information check our Culinary site: taste-of-peru.com and ask our agents for more information. An extra day in Lima can be added upon request.

Day 3: Trip to Puerto Maldonado (L, D)

After breakfast at your hotel in Lima, you will be picked up and taken to the Lima airport for your flight to Puerto Maldonado. * You can always take this tour before Cusco. Please ask our agents to help you customize it!

After a short flight, we will pick you up from the airport to the lodge office, to store your extra luggage. From there, we will continue on our bus to the dock located in the native community “Infierno” from where we will board our canoe and start a one and a half hour journey to the lodge. During the trip, we will have lunch on board and you will have the opportunity to see caimans, turtles and capybaras.  Upon you arrival at the lodge, you will be are received with a friendly welcome drink, to make you feel at home.  After a brief chance to rest, we take a short night-hike to see nocturnal rainforest animals. Upon your return to the lodge, we will have dinner with our guide and some of the Resident Naturalists who are more than available to answer any questions you may have, or brief us about the Amazon rainforest and the Tambopata National Reserve. * An extra at the lodge can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities.

Day 4: Cocococha oxbow lake (B, L, D)

To see the giant otters, you will have to get up very early and walk with our guide approx. 5 ½ km to Cocococha oxbow lake.  On the way, you will have the opportunity to observe plants, exotic insects, colorful butterflies, birds, monkeys and, with a bit of luck, perhaps even see some of the large mammals. After arriving at the lake, we will hide in a strategic hiding place and will wait for the otters to appear to be observed. While waiting, we will take the chance to have refreshments. Afterwards, canoes will be available for us to go for a short ride around the lake, watching the wildlife on the shoreline. Back in the lodge, you will have lunch and have a free afternoon for relaxing or doing independent activities for those who wish to do them. Before the sun sets, you can hike to Sunset Point and watch the beautiful Amazon rainforest sunset. After the sunset, we will board the canoes once again, to look for, and watch caimans with torches. * An extra in the lodge can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities.

Day 5: Flight to Cusco & Free afternoon (B)

After breakfast at your lodge, you will have a chance to pack up, before you depart to the airport in Puerto Maldonado, where you will catch your flight to the capital city of the Incas: Cusco. Once you arrive in Cusco, you will be met by one of our representatives and taken directly to your hotel in Cusco, to allow yourself to acclimate to the altitude. The rest of the afternoon and evening will be left free and at your leisure. It’s best to take it easy this day to let your body adjust to the altitude. Some find enjoying a cup of hot coca tea a real help in adjusting to the high elevation and that is what the locals traditionally use coca for. Both lunch and dinner are on your own today as there are so many choices available at reasonable price either in or near your hotel. * An extra day in Cusco can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities and meals.

Day 6: Sacred Valley Tour (B, L)

After breakfast, we set out into the Urubamba Valley, also known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our first stop will be a visit to the Pisac market. The Pisac market has a wide variety of artisan arts & crafts and you will have the chance to see the many different products that the sacred valley produces. This is a great opportunity for you to do some unique shopping, and to purchase souvenirs for your family and friends. After the market, we head deeper into the Sacred Valley and visit the Inca town of Ollantaytambo, still inhabited by the locals in much the same way as it was during the time of the Incas. The lodging area is formed by complex structures known as “canchas” or apartments. The Inca built a temple on a terraced site above the town. The impressive, standing stones they erected, conjure up images of Atlantis. This is the site where Manco Inca and his warriors staged a temporary victory over the Spanish Conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizarro. During this victory, the Inca warriors flooded the fields, while raining down spears and arrows from above, making it difficult for the Spanish horses to maneuver, ultimately forcing a rare retreat on the part of the Conquistadors. We then return to Urubamba, where you will have a chance to break for lunch and recover energies to continue with our tour.

After lunch, we head out to the bustling market-town of Chinchero, our final visit today. The town of Chinchero is the the Birthplace of the Rainbow, situated at over 11,500 feet. Its extensive agricultural terraces made it, in Incan times, the bread-basket of Cusco city. The main sight to see at this location is a catholic church, with fine paintings from the Cusquenian School. Modern Chinchero has a very active community of women weavers who create textiles on backstrap looms using only natural dyes. The weavers make fine, high quality mantas, table runners, pillows, bags, belts, and scarves in soft natural colors. At the end of the day you will go back to Cusco. All of our suggested hotels are well situated, so that you can relax and enjoy more of both ancient and contemporary life this evening. * An overnight at the sacred valley can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities and meals.

Day 7: Machu Picchu Tour (B, S)

The day you have been waiting for! After breakfast, we catch the train to the town Aquas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. Continue by bus for the short ride up switch backs, to the Machu Picchu citadel overhead. We enter the ruins for a breathtaking view of the city in the sky. You will enjoy a full tour of the lost city and have lunch on your own after the tour. In the afternoon, we say farewell to Machu Picchu as we set out by train heading to the station at Poroy and then on to Cusco Hotel by car arriving at night. * An overnight in MachuPicchu can be added upon request. Also, we can add bus and entrance tickets for a second day at the citadel. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities.

Day 8: Free morning & Afternoon City Tour (B)

After breakfast at your hotel in Cusco, you will have the remainder of the morning to rest and relax.

After lunch you will set out on grand tour of Cusco, the former capital of the once vast Incan Empire. The city’s Spanish Colonial architecture both overlays and is interlaced with the earlier Incan architecture. We walk Cusco’s impressive Plaza de Armas and visit both the Spanish cathedral and Incan temple of the sun, Qoricancha. The Spanish conquistadores destroyed significant portions of the Inca civilization while leaving their mark on Cusco. Ornate cathedrals, adobe walls, carved balconies, hidden courtyards and cobblestone streets add to the historic richness of the ancient Incan capital.

Next we set out to visit the ruins above the city that were considered an essential part of the ancient capital. We start with one of the most impressive of them all, Sacsayhuaman. This is where Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, is held during the Summer Solstice. Some of the stones used to build the site weigh up to 70 tons yet are fitted so precisely–without the use of mortar–that one cannot slide even the thinnest object between them. Some believe that the site forms the head of puma or jaguar and that the huge triangulated walls form its teeth, or symbolize lightening. Tambomachay, the Temple of the Sacred Waters, is another site we will visit and is a marvel of hydraulic engineering. Its waters still flow today. At Q´enqo we’ll see the remains of a ceremonial site used for fertility rites and for celebrations of the solstice and equinox. * An extra day in Cusco can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities and meals.

Day 9: Bus to Puno (B, L)

After breakfast at your hotel in Cusco, you will be picked up, and taken from your hotel to the Bus station in Cusco, in order to commence your journey to Puno. Your bus from Cusco to Puno, will take you through many interesting stops:

Andahuaylillas: A beautiful and charming town. The unique Church of San Pedro de Andahuaylillas is the most popular tourist attraction for visitors. Built at the beginning of the 17th century, the church walls are decorated with beautiful murals that depict the roads to glory and to hell. Raqchi: This town is located following in route to Puno. The Raqchi town has a unique church that dates back to the Colonial period church. The local craftsmen produce beautiful pieces of clay pottery to sell during the town fair. Four kilometers past this town, you will arrive at the archaeological site of Raqchi, an Inca sanctuary built by Pachacutec after his victory over the Chancas Nation. This is a gigantic construction. The most outstanding features of the construction are two rows of round columns, unique in Inca architecture, and a large longitudinal wall that runs parallel to the buildings. In this site, there is also a small museum managed by local residents as part of the complex. La Raya: Is a community dedicated to sheep farming. There are hot springs in the area. This is the highest point on the route of Puno and the doorway to this Department. Pucara: This is a quaint village in the Vilcanota Valley. The potters of Pucara are famous for the small ceramic toritos or bulls they make. Traditionally, Cuzquenian people build their houses with the help of the community.  When the house is finish, the padrino (godfather) puts one of these toritos on top of each house.  You can see examples of this all over Cuzco.  The area is also well-know for the pre-Inca Pucara culture. Architectural ruins and stone monuments of this important culture period, the intermediate formative (between the 3rd and 8th centuries A.D), are situated close to the San Cayetano precipice. Lunch today will be at the town of Sucuani. At the conclusion of the bus tour, you will be met at the bus station by one of our representatives, where they will escort you to your hotel in Puno. * Optional train or flight to Puno could be arranged.

Day 10: Uros & Taquile Tour (B, L)

After breakfast, we will pick you up for your guided tour of Uros Island. The residents of Uros islands are Aymaras who have inherited the way of life of the long-gone Uros. Their livelihood is based on the benefits of a unique plant: the totora reed. They use it to build their homes, boats and even the floating islands they live on, periodically adding new layers of reeds. While in Uros you will be adapted to the customs by a local family, who has a unique experience of sharing their culture and customs. After lunch you’ll set out on a grand tour of Taquile Island. Its inhabitants speak only Quechua. Farmers, fishermen and weavers, they wear distinctive outfits. Heirs of the ancient, commune-like system called ayllu, the people of Taquile offer room and board to visitors in their own homes, ensuring an opportunity to share in their customs and way of life. Taquile has several hills and many archeological ruins. After the tour, you go back to Puno where dinner is on your own. There are many places in Puno you can explore this night. * An extra day or two in Puno can be added upon request. There are tours to Amantani, the unique Suasi Island and other places in Puno. Please ask our team.

Day 11: Flight back to Lima – Home (B)

Your journey to Peru winds to a close as we provide transfer to the airport in Cusco for the flight back to the coast. Flight time will depend on your flight time back home. ** While in Lima, we highly recommend adding culinary activities such as cooking classes and tasting dinners in the best restaurants of Latin America, for more information check our Culinary site: taste-of-peru.com and ask our agents for more information. You could add a day hotel in Lima if your flight is late at night.

VERY IMPORTANT: Please note that the activities described above are for the EXPLORER’S INN LODGE ONLY and DO NOT apply for the other 4 and 5 star lodges mentioned below. Each lodge has their own activities due to their location and own logistics (although very similar). In order to make this proposal simpler, we have included ONLY this description. However, we will be happy to provide the other descriptions upon request.

Not exactly what you want?

Remember, that Magical focuses on providing the best available options, and can work with you in fully customizing your tour to better fit your interests and budget without compromising the quality of your tour. Just contact us with your questions and preferences, and we can modify this tour based on your expectations and requests.

Important Notes:

About MachuPicchu Entrance Tickets

As the popularity of MachuPicchu has increased in the last few years, and in order to preserve the ancient paths of MachuPicchu, the Peruvian Cultural Institute (INC) has restricted the number of people that could enter MachuPicchu to 2,500 people per day. This means that, once the 2,500 tickets are sold out, no further entrance tickets will available. Also, please note that to avoid a secondary market for these tickets, all tickets are issued with the name of the passenger, his/her passport number, nationality and date of birth. Therefore, tickets are non refundable and non transferable.

About Huaynapichu Tickets

Entrance tickets to Huaynapichu are not longer free, entrance tickets are now US$12.00 per person. There are two scheduled visits per day, with a limit of 200 people per visit (Total of 400 per day). If you are interested in hiking the Huaynapichu, we will need you to let us know at the same time you book your trip since the Huaynapichu tickets need to be purchased in conjunction to the MachuPicchu tickets.

Price

This tour (*) is available from:

USD$1084.90 per person – Group with Private Transfers

For single supplement and prices in a private service, please contact us!

* Based on double occupancy, 4 people, Budget Accommodations

IMPORTANT: As price depends on each passenger choices, please contact us to send you an updated price based on your specific request. Please send us the following information and we will respond within 24 hours with your updated price.

• Number of people in your party
• Level of accommodation (3,4,5*). Please see options
• Choosing a Private or Group Tour?
• Train choice. Please see options
• Adding options: if you like to add day tours, extra days, meals, etc
• Need domestic or international flights?
• Have a special request (e.g.: special diet, wheelchair, children, senior, etc)

Example of the Lodges we work with

*We work with most of the lodges of the area. Please ask our representative if you do not see the one you are looking for.

Budget Lodge: Explorer’s Inn Lodge, Corto Maltes or similar

Moderate Lodge: Posada Amazonas / Refugio Amazonas or similar Please note that the price is based on the type of TOUR. Rooms are all the same. Here are the options of tours available: Standard Tour, Soft Adventure, Family Kids, Family Teens, Holistic + Ayahuasca

Deluxe Lodge: Inkaterra reserva Amazónica or similar. Please note that the price is based on the type of ROOM. Tours are all the same.

VERY IMPORTANT: If you are interested in 4,5 star options. Please contact us and we will send you the detailed itinerary of these adventures.

What’s Included?

• Round-trip Expedition train. Upgrade to other trains: Vistadome train, Hiram Bingham Train upon request.
• Bus to Machu Picchu roundtrip.
• Expert leadership / guides & support personnel for all listed tours
• Accommodations: 2 night in Lima, 2 night in Lodge, 4 nights in Cusco and 2 nights in Puno.
• Meals as noted (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, S = Snack). We can add any meals upon request
• Land excursions as noted including entrance fees (Lima Cathedral, San Francisco Catacombs, Lima Museum, Jungle Reservation, BTG, Cusco Cathedral, Qoricancha, MachuPicchu, Uros & Taquile Islands)
• Private transportation: Lima Airport/Lima Hotel, Lima Hotel/Lima Airport, Puerto Maldonado Airport/Lodge, Lodge/Puerto Maldonado Airport, Cusco Airport/Cusco Hotel, Cusco Hotel/Train Station, Train Station/Cusco Hotel, Cusco Hotel/Cusco Bus Station, Puno Bus Station/Puno Hotel, Puno Hotel/Juliaca Airport.

What’s Not Included?

• Airport taxes: Local ($5-6) and International ($31) departure tax of payable in local currency by each passenger at Lima International Airport upon departure (if applicable)
• International and domestic airfares, usually quoted separately
• Insurance of any kind: mandatory evacuation insurance; suggested cancellation insurance, interruption, baggage loss, damage and delay
• Visas. Please be advised that some citizens other than Canadians and US may need visa to travel to Peru. Please advise us of your nationlity to help you or check with the Peruvian Consulate
• Tipping & Gratuities (Guides $4 per person per day / Drivers $1 per person per day)
• Excess baggage charges
• Medical immunizations
• Items of a personal nature (clothing, sodas, liquor, snacks, laundry, etc.)

Domestic Tickets

From US $190 per person. This is an example price. Prices depend on airline date and time of booking