Itinerary:
Day 1: Fly to Lima. Here you will be met by your private guide and be driven to a nearby airport hotel.
Day 2: In the morning catch a domestic flight to Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to the Southern Amazon. You will be greeted at the airport and will board a motorised canoe with other guests. Rest and relax in your jungle lodge or enjoy one of the evening activities! I loved the nocturnal animals excursion!
Day 3: Enjoy a range of different activities with your eco-lodge guides. You might explore one of the trails through the jungle, go kayaking or go on medicinal plants walk. In the evening go on a boat tour looking for black caiman!
Day 4: Canoe around Lake Sandoval. I loved seeing giant river otters. In the afternoon walk along a canopy in the trees!
Day 5: Cusco
Head back to Puerto Maldonado to catch an onward flight to Cusco. Here you will me met by your guide and driven to your hotel. Take it easy, your body needs to get used to the high altitude.
Day 6: Cusco
Experience a half day guided tour of the historical centre of Cusco and nearby Inca ruins. It is a brilliant town offering a real fusion of Inca and Spanish colonial architecture.
Day 7: Sacred Valley
Start your full day tour of the Sacred Valley the beating heart of the Incas. Stop off at the market of Pisac and see the ruins and then head to the impressive agricultural terraces of Moray. The last stop will be the salt pans of Maras. Spend the evening in a hotel in the Sacred Valley.
Day 8: Start of the Inca Trail
Get picked up from your hotel and then listen to a briefing before you start. The first day the hike is relatively gentle.
Day 9: Inca Trail Hike Day 2
This is thought to be the hardest day, as most of it is spent ascending! The views are epic and you will cross lots of different landscapes. Climb Dead Woman’s Pass, the highest point on the trail. (4200m)
Day 10: Inca Trail Hike Day 3
Incredible views! Walk past several small Inca ruins, staircases, and tunnels. You also get a bit of much needed downhill walking too!
Day 11: Machu Picchu
Your last day on the Inca Trail. Wake (very early) and climb to the Sun Gate and head towards Machu Picchu. With your guide explore this incredible Inca wonder. Your entrance tickets last two days, so it’s worth going back the next morning too. Stay at El Mapi in Aguas Calientes (I stayed there after hiking the Salkantay trek-it was perfect!)
Day 12: Cusco
A free morning to explore Machu Picchu. I would recommend hiking up to Huayna Picchu, the mountain peak that looks over the citadel. This was my favourite experience…I loved the scrambling at the top and the epic views! In the afternoon meet your guide and transfer on your train back to Cusco. Spend the evening in Cusco.
Day 12: Catch a flight back to Lima
Day 13: Flight back to the UK.