Cynthia's Favorite

I like to travel light and be pampered. This itinerary is a light, relaxed and leisurely visit of Peru, just enjoying the landscape, the people, old and contemporary Peru. This itinerary will take you at a leisurely pace along three highlights of Peru: Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu, and the Amazon. Stay at one of the two most delightful boutique properties in Cusco, and further enrich your Peruvian experience by visiting a highland community in the Cusco area, calledPatakancha. Finish your journey with a short Amazon River expedition that will show you the wonders of the wealth of flora and fauna that make the Amazon Basin so precious.

Good time to travel: Year round.

Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Day 1

Arrival in Lima from your international flight. You will be met by our English-speaking representative and transferred to the Country Club Lima Hotel.
Overnight at the Country Club Lima Hotel.

(Alternatively Casa Inka)

Day 2

Today you will enjoy a full-day escort by one of Aracari’s friends getting to know old and new Lima. Generally our “friends” have a prolific family background, are fluent in English, are professionals educated abroad who enjoy meeting travellers to show them their city. You tell us what you would like to see in Lima, and we will match you with the appropriate friend. A typical day with a friend could involve touring the old colonial city center, browsing around shops, markets, art galleries or folk art collections, stopping by for coffee and lunch at locally frequented spots and perhaps even going to a museum or exhibition. It's entirely up to you.
Overnight at the Country Club Lima Hotel.

(Alternatively Casa Inka)

Day 3

Transfer to the airport to take your 1-hour morning flight to Cuzco (3,400m/11,220 ft). On arrival into Cuzco, you will be transferred to the Urubamba Valley (1 hour drive), which lies at lower altitude and makes acclimatization easier. The Urubamba river valley is dotted with villages, markets and archaeological sites. On the way to your hotel you will visit the wonderful ruins of Pisac and its famous market. Lunch at a local restaurant. Spend the remainder of the afternoon at leisure at Sol y Luna.
Overnight at Sol y Luna.

(Alternatively Albergue de Ollantaytambo)

Day 4

Spend a full day visiting a traditional Quechua community and interacting with the locals you are helping to support. Aracari Travel is intimately involved with the Community of Patakancha, located in the hills above Ollantaytambo, near Cuzco. We employ the men from the community as porters, cooks and support staff for our trekking expeditions. The best way of understanding how the locals live is by visiting them in their home environment. A day in Patakancha will enrich your journey in countless ways.
Overnight at Sol y Luna.

(Alternatively Albergue de Ollantaytambo)

Day 5

Take the Hiram Bingham luxury train to Aguas Calientes, the station that serves Machu Picchu. Train ride is approximately 3 hours through wonderful cloud forest scenery. You will be served brunch on board, and enjoy a very luxurious journey. Upon arrival in Machu Picchu, you will have a guided visit of the ruins together with other train passengers. Machu Picchu, also known as "The Lost City of the Incas" is one of the world's most celebrated archaeological sites and rightly so. Its location is spectacular and the mountain scenery surrounding it is magnificent. The site itself is also spectacular, with some of the finest and more complex Inca architecture known. After visiting the site with your guide, you will have the luxury of staying in the Citadel in relative solitude, since you are spending in the nearby Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. Enjoy the lovely grounds of the hotel including a beautiful orchid garden.
Overnight Machu Picchu Pueblo.

(Alternatively El Mapi)

Day 6

Enjoy Machu Picchu almost all to yourself, as you will be able to access the site as soon as it opens. Watch the morning unfold when Machu Picchu is pure magic. Take the noon Vistadome train from Machu Picchu to Cuzco; journey time is approximately 3.45 hours. At the train station you will be collected and driven to your hotel. Spend the afternoon strolling through Cuzco at your own pace, passing by shops, museums or whatever takes your fancy.

Overnight at La Casona or Casa Cartagena.

(Alternatively Casa San Blas)

Day 7

Get to know markets, neighborhoods, and the best of this historical city with a terrific Aracari companion. You will enjoy a full day of unstructured visits that could include browsing around shops, going to a museum, or stopping for coffee and lunch at locally frequented spots. This day in Cuzco will be personalized to your specific taste.
Overnight at La Casona or Casa Cartagena.

(Alternatively Casa San Blas)

Day 8

Transfer to the airport to take a morning flight to Iquitos. Upon your arrival to the Iquitos airport you will be collected and driven in a private vehicle to the pier, from where motorboats will be waiting to take you to Islacocha, a private floating embarkation lounge and dock. Check-in for the Delfin cruise, a classic Amazon expedition riverboat, and your home for the next three nights. Enjoy a cool tropical drink on the Observation Deck before sailing away on an Amazon expedition voyage. Enjoy a gourmet dinner onboard the Delfin as you drift away into your Amazonian adventure.
Overnight onboard the Delfin River Boat.

Day 9

Spend the day exploring the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve and its amazing biodiversity. You may encounter wild Amazonian fauna such as tanagers, toucans, macaws, parrots, egrets, hoatzins, herons, the rare harpy eagle, hummingbirds, brilliant blue morphos and other butterflies. Also larger animals such as the red howler, tamarin, capuchin and squirrel monkeys, three-toed sloths, giant river otters, manatees and turtles. This primeval forest also boasts abundant flora, including a variety of orchids, untold species of plants and unique trees, such as the giant ceiba. Also remember that the stargazing opportunities onboard are outstanding as you can see stars of the northern and southern constellations!
Overnight onboard the Delfin River Boat.

Day 10

This morning you’ll visit a dolphin feeding spot, where you may swim with these endearing gray and pink creatures. Or if you prefer to go fishing, you’ll go to where the legendary piranha is the catch of the day. Meet the native inhabitants of the rainforest by visiting a couple of villages along the Ucayali river and its tributaries, where you will have the chance to interact with the locals, learn about their millenary culture and traditions, bargain with them for their original hand-crafted goods, and perhaps try to understand the wisdom and spirituality of the Amazonian people.
Overnight onboard the Delfin River Boat.

Day 11

Today you will cruise along the shoreline where you’ll occasionally view small native villages, which are the last human outposts of the upper Amazon rainforest. You may visit one of them to learn more about the native inhabitants’ wisdom and spirituality. You may also do some fishing, where the legendary piranha is the catch of the day. After lunch, you bid farewell to the Delfin. You will then be transferred by speedboat back to Iquitos, where you will enjoy a guided tour of this bustling frontier city. This is located four degrees south of the Equator and 3,700kms/2,300mls from the river’s mouth in the Atlantic Ocean, making it the world’s furthest inland seaport. Before proceeding to the airport, you will visit the San Juan Amazonian handicraft market. Catch a late afternoon flight to Lima connect to your evening international flight home.