(201) 288-4330
INKAS & RAINFOREST
Visiting Cuzco, Machu Picchu and the Amazon Rain Forest (Tambopata Wildlife Reserve)
INCLUDED:
Hotel accommodations for 7 nights including room taxes and service charges. (4 nights in Cuzco and one night in Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu, 2 nights at Sandoval Lodge). Daily breakfast. Transfers to/from airport, hotels and train station. City tour is in seat in car basis and the tour to Machu Picchu is private. Entrance fees, train tickets, Cuzco archaeological tax, bus tickets and English speaking tour guide. Tips to airport porters. Local airfare Lima-Cuzco-Puerto Maldonado-Lima via Lan Peru or similar. All meals while at Sandoval Lodge. NOT INCLUDED:
International airfare. ·Meals, unless specified in itinerary. Insurance -Cost for this program $129 to $200 per person -by Insure America. Tips to tour guide or bus driver. Any other service not mentioned in itinerary; Airport departure taxes -Lima and Cuzco $4.00 each and upon leaving Peru $30.00. USA departure tax/security/fuel surcharges of $88 (changes daily...please call your Travel Agent or Tara Tours for an update on this charges)
Call (201) 288-4330 for more information or to book today! Mention code 12723415
- Tour Operator
- Tara Tours
- Duration
- 9 Days
- Escorted
- Escorted - No
| Day | Destination | Description |
| Day 1 | Depart USA | U.S.A-LIMA : Depart USA for Lima, Peru. (Overnight flight). |
| Day 2 | Cuzco | LIMA-CUZCO : Arrive very early morning in Lima. After going through customs and immigration, you will be met and walked to the domestic flight section of Lima airport for flight to Cuzco. Upon arrival in Cuzco you will be taken to hotel selected (see options below). Balance of day to rest and get used to the high altitude. |
| Day 3 | Cuzco | CUZCO : In the afternoon enjoy a half day visit of the magical city of Cuzco as you drive through the main streets with their Inca walls. Visit the Qorikancha (Sun Temple) now referred to as Santo Domingo Church. The curved stonework of the temple is probably unequalled in the world. During the Inca period, the stones were covered with gold. The Cathedral, a real piece of art with hundreds of paintings. Then, visit the archaeological sites that surround Cusco: the Saqsayhuaman Fortress, an amazing site with huge stone constructions. The site has a great cosmic energy - that is why people think it was an astronomic observatory and an Inca oracle. Also visit Q'enqo, a place that was used for worship and ceremonial center and Tambomachay -the Inka Spa. Overnite at hotel selected. (B) |
| Day 4 | Machu Picchu | CUZCO-MACHU PICCHU : Full day excursion by bus & train to the most mysterious and energetic place of the Inka civilization. Early morning transfer to the rail station to board the train to Machu Picchu. The train journey to Machu Picchu is a highlight of any trip to the Andes. The scenery is simply spectacular, and the recently refurbished Vistadome Trains with their panoramic windows allow you to enjoy it in comfort. The 3 hour journey takes you through a changing landscape, passing by lush, green fields and colorful villages in the foothills of the Andes. On arrival in Machu Picchu your private guide will be waiting for you . You will be transfer by small buses to the entrance of the ruins to commence our touring. Machu Picchu rises to an altitude of 7,900 ft. above sea level between the Huayna Picchu (young peak) and Machu Picchu (old peak). It lies within the spectacular framework provided by the exuberant vegetation of nearby jungle and the rugged landscape. The ruins are situated on the eastern slope of Machu Picchu in two different areas: the agricultural and the urban. The latter includes the civil sector (dwellings, canalizations), and the sacred sector (temples, mausoleums, squares, royal houses). Although constructions show different levels of architecture, religious buildings exhibit a high degree of perfection. The construction was with general use of stone, and the roofs were built of tree trunks and thatched with ichu straw. The walls were made with an inward inclination for protection against earthquakes. Overnight in the village of Aguas Calientes, just at bottom of Machu Picchu. Lunch at the Sanctuary Machu Picchu today. (B,L) |
| Day 5 | Cuzco | MACHU PICCHU-CUZCO : Day at leisure to explore Machu Picchu on your own. You can go back to the Lost City and visit this magnificent archeological site at your own pace or do some trekking...or stay in Aguas Calientes and visit the local market or the thermal baths. Afternoon return to Cuzco by train with transfer to your hotel. (B) |
| Day 6 | Cuzco | CUZCO : At leisure. The city of Cuzco is like an open museum, wherever you go you will find ancient Inka streets, palaces, colonial mansions from the Spaniards conquistadores or just take advantage of great bargains such as sweaters, ponchos, alpaca rugs, gold and silver jewelry....plenty of things to do and see.... (B). |
| Day 7 | Amazon Rainforest | CUZCO-PUERTO MALDONADO-AMAZON RAINFOREST : Transfer to the airport. Arrive and transfer from Puerto Maldonado airport to the river port on the Madre de Dios River. A 25 minutes journey down the Madre de Dios River by motor canoe brings you to the end of the trail in to Sandoval Lake Lodge (see rates with Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica). From here the trail takes you on a 2-mile walk/or rickshaw ride through secondary forest, until we reach a small canal where we board canoes and are paddled 220 yards through a flooded forest of 100-foot tall Mauritia palms. As the canal opens onto the shimmering surface of the lake, we transfer to a catamaran and are leisurely paddled across half the lake to the lodge. After lunch and a brief rest to avoid the early afternoon heat, we once again board the catamaran and set off to explore the entire west end of the lake. Here, in the flooded palm forest we drift to the sounds of hundreds of Red-Bellied Macaws as they return to the palm forest for the night. We return to the lodge around nightfall for dinner. After dinner we will return to the canoes to look for the large and extremely rare Black Caimans. If it is a clear starlit night, we will also be able to float in the middle of the lake and marvel at the brillance of the sky. (B,L,D) |
| Day 8 | Amazon Rainforest | AMAZON RAINFOREST : A pre-dawn wake-up call will enable us to be on the lake for sunrise and a hopeful encounter with the family of Giant Otters which frequent the lake and are most active at this time of day. Most of the fish-eating water birds around the lake actively fish in the early morning as well, and this outing should provide excellent views, and photographs, of the prehistoric- looking Hoatzins. After returning for a late breakfast we set off into the cool understory of the tall virgin forest near the lake to see some towering wild Brazil Nut trees and a demonstration of how our hosts collect, open and commercialize this important natural product. After lunch and an hour or so to relax we once again board the catamaran to explore the eastern part of the lake, where we might see one or more of the five species of monkeys which live in the forest near the lake, such as the Brown Capuchin Monkey. ((B,L,D) |
| Day 9 | Return USA | AMAZON RAIN FOREST-P.MALDONADO-LIMA-USA : After a dawn breakfast we take a final, shorter paddle around the west end of the lake to try and glimpse the Giant Otters before returning to Puerto Maldonado to catch the flight to Lima. Arrive in Lima and connect with your international flight back to USA. (B) |
| Day 10 | Arrive USA | ARRIVE USA : See optional tours to Trujillo & Chiclayo "The Northen Kingdoms" or take a cruise on the Amazon River aboard the Amazon Discovery |
- Dates/Pricing
- Lodging
- 3 Stars Hotels : Cuzco=San Agustin : Aguas Calientes=Presidente : P.Maldonado=Sandoval Lodge
- 4 Stars Hotels : Cuzco= Dorado : Aguas Calientes=Mapi : P.Maldonado=Sandoval Lodge
- 5 star Hotels : Cuzco=JW Marriott : A.Calientes=Inkaterra : P.Maldonado=Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica
- Disclaimer
International air fare not included.
Sample air cost from Miami to Lima RT US$550-750 via American or Lan Airlines (see add-ons below from more than 100 USA cities)
SAMPLE AIRFARE FROM MIAMI: US$550-750 per person.
SAMPLE ADD-ONS VIA AMERICAN or LAN AIRLINES:
Add $350 from LAX, SFO, DEN, LAS; Add $250 from ATL, ORL, SJU, TPA & ZONE 1; Add $290 from DFW, HOU & ZONE 2; Add $330 from BDL, BOS, BWI, CHI, EWR, NYC, WAS, ZONE 3;. Add $390 from JAC, PDX, SEA and ZONE 4,5,6.
RATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME.
Zones:
Zone 1: FL; Zone 2: AR, LA, MS, NM, OK, TX; Zone 3: CT, GA, MA, MD, NC, NH, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT; Zone 4: AL, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, OH, SD, TN, WI; Zone 5: CA, ID, NV, UT; Zone 6: OR, WA
INSURANCE: Tara Tours Inc. strongly recommends that you purchased travel insurance. Insured America has designed a policy for Tara Tours clients. Cost for this program is $125-194 per person (see inclusions in our web site www.taratours.com -Insurance section).
DEPOSITS: US$300.00 at the time of booking.
FINAL PAYMENT: 60 days before departure.
CANCELLATIONS: At any time $100 per person. Prior to departure: 45 to 30 days $150 penalty fee; 29 days or less -No Refunds.
