From the Inca to the Amazon

Day 1

Arrive in Lima [6] and catch an early morning connecting flight to Cusco [1]. In Cusco, take a taxi to Ollantaytambo [10], a living Inca village in the Sacred Valley [11], where you can rest and acclimatize.

Days 2–3

Tour the Sacred Valley, with stops at the Ollantaytambo Temple of the Sun [12] and the market [13] and ruins of Pisac [14]. On day three, explore the village of Chinchero [15] before hiking or mountain biking from the enigmatic circular Inca terraces at Moray [16] past the crystallized salt mines known as Salineras and back to Ollantaytambo.

Day 4

Take the early morning train to Machu Picchu [2] and spend the day touring the ruins and bird-watching in the cloud forest. Return on the afternoon train-and-bus combination to Cusco [1], where you will spend two nights.

Day 5

Experience Cusco’s unique combination of Inca ruins, colonial architecture and museums, markets, and cafés.

Day 6

If you choose to go to the Manu Biosphere Reserve [4], you will fly from Cusco into Boca Manu. Upon arrival, you will take a motorboat ride into the Manu Biosphere Reserve and settle into your jungle lodge or tented camp.

Day 7–9

Hire one of the many Manu agencies [17] and tour an oxbow lake on a platform boat equipped with a spotting scope. Manu’s oxbow lakes host a huge range of wildlife, including giant otters, 13 species of monkeys, and large mammals like tapirs. Hike through different areas of local rainforest with a guide who along the way points out wildlife that you would otherwise miss. Explore the jungle canopy by climbing up to a lookout tower 20 meters above the forest floor.

Days 10

Return to Boca Manu by boat. Catch the 35-minute flight from Boca Manu back to Cusco [1], flying over jungle, highlands, and glacier-capped mountains along the way. Catch a connecting flight into Lima [6] and arrive in the early afternoon. Head to central Lima to see the Catedral and Palacio del Gobierno [18], and have lunch at T’anta [19], all on the Plaza Mayor. Return to the airport for a night flight home.