8-Day Machu Picchu Expedition & Puerto Maldonado Adventure

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After breakfast, you'll transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Cusco, set at an altitude of 3,400 metres in the Peruvian Andes, was once the capital of the Inca Empire. It is known for its Spanish colonial architecture and Incan remains. Narrow, cobble-stoned streets lined by Inca walls stretch out from the main plaza in every direction and many of the colonial buildings were built on top of Incan foundations.

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Today, your Peru itinerary will include a full day exploring the Sacred Valley of the Incas with a private guide. You'll visit Moray, an impressive Inca ruin of giant terraces in a circular shape and the salt ponds of Maras, which have been exploited from the Inca period to the present. After lunch at a local restaurant, you'll continue the journey along the River Urubamba to Ollantaytambo, a town that still preserves its old Inca design. From here, you'll continue to Machu Picchu by train.

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After breakfast, you'll be met by your private guide and head to the bus station to go up to Machu Picchu. You will be astonished at your first view of the Inca citadel, a stunning display of ancient architecture with incredible surroundings. After a guided tour of the ruins and monuments and exploring Machu Picchu, you'll take the bus down and return to Ollantaytambo in the comfort of a train. You'll then transfer from Ollantaytambo train station back to Cusco where you'll stay overnight.

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This morning, you'll take a flight to Puerto Maldonado and enjoy your first taste of the forest when entering the native community of Infierno. A boat ride will take you into the community's primary forest and private reserve and a short walk leads you to the 30-metre scaffolding canopy tower with spectacular views. The vast expanse of the forest is full of toucans, parrots and macaws seen flying against the horizon. After dinner, there's a presentation on the Inferno ecotourism project.

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This morning, you will take a short boat ride and a 45-minute hike to Tres Chimbadas lake. Here, you will search on a catamaran for the resident family of nine giant river otters and other lakeside wildlife such as caiman, hoatzin and horned screamers. A short boat ride after lunch leads you to a trail of medicinal forest plants to the Centro Ñape Clinic. After dinner, you will have the option of hiking out at night, when most of the mammals and frogs are active.

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After breakfast, you'll enjoy a short walk to a lookout at the parrot clay lick. Dozens of parrots and parakeets descend to ingest the clay on this riverbank. During a two-hour hike to the giant ceiba tree, you will learn about the history of the rainforest. After lunch, you'll take a boat ride to a community farm. The owner grows a diverse variety of popular and unknown Amazon crops. In this garden, just about every plant and tree serve a purpose.