Family Adventure
Duration - 13 days.
Great trip for families with children from 11-12 years, nice combination of culture and adventure and your children will not get bored!
Day 1 - ARRRIVAL IN PERU
You will be awaited by AVENTURAS DE ORO in the arrival lounge of the airport in Lima. We take you to your accommodation in the safe district of Miraflores. (overnight stay Miraflores)
Day 2 - FROM LIMA TO CUSCO
Transfer airport and fascinating flight over the Andes to Cusco. Pick up an transfer to hotel. Free day for first explorations of the city of Cusco and acclimatisation. (overnight stay Cusco) (B)
Day 3 - SACRED VALLEY ADVENTURE: RAFT TRIP
Today an active raft trip over the higher and clear part of the Urubamba River. A white water sensation. After a spectacular afternoon back to Cusco. (overnight stay Cusco) (B)
Day 4 - SACRED VALLEY ADVENTURE: CULTURE AND NATURE
We take you on an nice journey via the enormous Inca temple of Saqsayhuaman to the fertile Sacred Valley of the Incas outside Cusco. You wander through enormous, stroll over an Indian market and enjoy the country side. (overnight stay Sacred Valley) (B)
Day 5 - SACRED VALLEY ADVENTURE: BIKE
After breakfast we head to Chincheros. Here we prepare our bikes and we go the Huaypo Lake and the Inca circular terraces of Moray. We bike down the village of Maras and to the nearby photogenic salt mines of Salinas. A very rewarding trip. (overnight stay Sacred Valley) (B)
Day 6 - INCA TRAIL (2 days)
Today we start the short version of the world famous Inca Trail. By train we to the starting point of this trail and get off the train at K104. Our hike continues gently upward for approximately four hours until we reach the beautifully situated Inca complex of Winay Wayna, where we stop for to take lunch (lunch box). Sub-tropical flora and fauna surrounds us as we continue 2 hours to the Sun Gate, from where we see Machu Picchu. We walk down past the majestic ruins and go down to Aguas Calientes by bus to spend a relaxing night in a hostal. (overnight stay Aguas Calientes) (B,L)
Day 7 - INCA TRAIL BACK TO CUSCO
After an early morning rise and breakfast, we take the short bus ride up to the Machu Picchu complex, where we will tour the amazing architecture and mysterious temples left by the Incas. Our professional, English-speaking guide will help us understand the sophisticated ideas and technology of this highly-advanced culture. Once the official tour is completed, we will have plenty of time to explore the Sanctuary on our own before returning to Cusco by train in the afternoon. (overnight stay Cusco) (B)
Day 8 - MANU
We leave Cusco early in the morning in our transport to the cultural zone of Manu. It's a long ride but very rewarding as we pass colonial villages and visit the interesting Pre- Inca tombs of Ninamarca. From the cold pass of Acjanacu (4,445 m.a.s.l.) we drive in a few hours to a nice 1,600m.a.s.l. (by bike). Now we are in the Cloud Forest with a thick cloak of clouds that provides perpetual humidity and makes an ideal habitat for epiphytic plants such as bromeliads. This area is also home of the Cock of the Rock, Spectacled Bear, Orchids, Tree Ferns (one of the oldest living plants), mosses and lichens. (overnight stay in our open air lodge “San Pedro”)
Day 9 - MANU
We wake up very early to observe the Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola peruviana), Peru’s national bird. At about 5:00am as many as several dozen come together for an exhibition of a ritual mating dance. The males display their crest, showing off and posturing for the females. After breakfast we continue (optional) by bike down the narrow road between waterfalls and canyons toward Pilcopata town for 2 hours approximately and from here we can (optional) raft down Alto Madre de Dios River. At the lodge we go for a short walk around the lodge. (overnight stay lodge) (B, L, D)
Day 10 - MANU
The lodge is located in a transition zone between high and low jungle (600 m.a.s.l. to 1,150 m.a.s.l, 1,200 to 3,450 feet) encompassing different habitats. This altitude range explains the high diversity of wildlife found around this lodge, so immediately after breakfast, we will start walking near the riverbanks. During the hike our guide will talk about insects, medicinal plants, trees, reptiles, mammals, etc. Early afternoon we will start a short boat trip to visit a small lake near to the Alto Madre de Dios River, here we are going to have the chance to see the Hoatzin bird, white caimans, many birds species, insects, etc. We can traverse from tree to tree and platform to platform using pulleys on horizontal traverse cables, as they sail through the treetops of the tropical rainforest canopy, and over the trails far below. Short night walk. This will be our last night in the wonderful amazon jungle. (overnight stay lodge) (B, L, D)
Day 11 - MANU
This day we will get up very early to board our boat to see a Parrot Lick “Collpa”, which is a wall of clay in the riverbanks, where many species of parrots such as the blue headed parrot, white-eyed parakeet, feed for mineral and salt supplements to their diet of seeds and fruits. After this we will take the boat to Atalaya where the bus takes us out of Manu, arriving Cusco late in the afternoon. (overnight stay Cusco) (B)
Day 12 - CUSCO
Free day in Cusco. To relax or to buy some last souvenirs. (overnight Cusco) (B)
Day 13 - BACK TO LIMA
Today you fly back to Lima. You will be awaited by Aventuras de oro in the arrival lounge of the airport. Transfer to the harbour and in a speedboat or yacht we sail to a big island home to over 4,000 sea lions that swim, play and sleep on the rocks. You can even experience swimming with them and you will have another story to tell! We will see a variety of sea-bird species and if we are lucky we can even see a penguin colony. After this excursion we take you to the airport for your international connection. (B)
Optional: You can add some extra days to visit other areas like Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon, Nort Peru etc.
(B)= Breakfast (L)= Lunch (D)= Diner
Aventuras de oro reserves the rights to change the order of the trip or to offer other trips/accommodation due to circumstances she does not have control. Aventuras de oro reserves the rights to offer another route than the 2-day Inca Trail
INCLUSIVE:
Accommodation on based on a double bedded room with bathroom incl. breakfast, 2 internal flights, all transport and excursions with professional guides and entrance fees Islands, meals as indicated.
NOT INCLUSIVE:
International flight, (inter)national airport taxes (30 USD and 6 USD pp. per flight), personal expenses, tips, meals that are not indicated
OBSERVATIONS:
Hostels and hotels publicize their breakfast hours (usually 7-10am) and check out time. In some cases you leave earlier than 7am from hotel (e.g. Inca trail) and you might not be able to have breakfast.
