7d Machu Picchu and Amazon Tour

Full itinerary 7d Machu Picchu and Amazon Tour

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Day 1 – Arrive in Cusco and free day

Arrive in Cusco and transfer to your hotel in the historical center, at walking distance from Plaza de Armas. Today you have time to explore this impressive historic city and/ or to relax and enjoy a good coffee.
One night with breakfast in a 3* hotel in the center of Cusco.

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Day 2: Sacred Valley Tour in private service, incl.: Pisac – Salineras - Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes

This full day tour takes you to all the most famous and popular parts of the Sacred Valley. This is a fully guided tour with an English speaking guide who will provide detailed explanations of the surrounding towns and sights in the Sacred Valley.
You will be picked up from your hotel at approximately 7:30 am and drive in about 60 minutes to the archeological site of Pisac. Passing along the ruins and enjoying the great views over the valley your guide will explain you part of the impressive Inca history!
After visiting the archeological site of Pisac, you will have time to stroll around on the colorful market in the village of Pisac.
You will have approximately 30 minutes to visit the market, so make sure you bring some extra cash to get the perfect gift and then it is time to drive to the ancient old salt pans from Salineras. Already for thousands of years the pre-Inca Maras civilization creates small pools on the slopes of the valley to be able to extract the salt from the water that comes out of the mountain. After we’ve taken surrealistic pictures from this unique location, we drive back to Urubamba for lunch.
After lunch the journey continues along the valley to the town and ruins of Ollantaytambo. Founded by the Inca Ollanta on the banks of the Urubamba River, Ollantaytambo is a fort built into the mountain with Andean terraces and also a traditional town. At the top of the ruins we find the Sun Temple, constructed of large blocks that have remained intact for centuries in spite of the effects of time and weather.
From Ollantaytambo you will take the early evening train to Aguas Calientes (1h45 min.). After arriving in Aguas Calientes, now officially named Machu Picchu Pueblo, the receptionist will pick you up from the train station and bring you to your hotel. Overnight + breakfast in your Hotel in Aguas Calientes.

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Day 3: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – A.C. – Ollantaytambo - Cusco

In the morning you can take the bus to Machu Picchu (20 min.) as early as 5:30 am.
At a time to be confirmed you will meet your guide at the entrance of Machu Picchu followed by a two hour guided tour of the citadel. When the guided tour is finished you will have the rest of the morning, until 12pm to explore the impressive archeological site of Machu Picchu by yourself. Chech out our following article for more information about Machu Picchu.
If you have purchased a pass for Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain you will have the opportunity to climb one of these mountains (note: to be booked far in advance). This YouTube video about visiting Machu Picchu and climbing the Machu Picchu Mountain we made in July 2023.
When you return to Aguas Calientes, you will have to be at the train station 30 minutes before your return train departs towards Ollantaytambo. From there you travel in private transport back to your hotel in Cusco.
Overnight with breakfast in your hotel in Cusco.

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Day 4: Cusco – Puerto Maldonado – Tambopata – Inotawa Lodge

After breakfast a private transfer will bring you from your hotel to the airport in Cusco.
Your flight to Puerto Maldonado is exclusive in this tour, but if you want we can also arrange this. Or you can decide to go by overnight bus (10 hours).
After a 50 minutes flight you will arrive at the airport of Puerto Maldonado. Upon your arrival at the Padre Aldamiz airport in Puerto Maldonado, you will be greeted by an Inotawa guide. We will ride by car up to the Native Community of Infierno; along the way we will be able to see palm trees; ravines; local farms with traditional crops, like papaya and different citrics; pasturelands; etc. On arrival, we will board a boat at the port and begin our journey of 1 hour and 15 minutes across the Tambopata River, entering the buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve in the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. During the ride you will appreciate the rivers vegetation, formed by sugar canes, cecropias y ficus; and its wildlife of birds, such as oropendolas and their hanging nests, herons on the river banks, or macaws and toucans flying across the sky. If you are lucky you will also be able to see mammals like capibaras or reptiles, like white caimans and turtles, as they occasionally rest on the shores. During our trip on the river, we will enjoy a lunch, consisting of a vegetarian chaufa and rice) and assorted fruits, cookies and a bottle of water..

Upon arrrival at our Private Conservation Area (PCA) Inotawa and to our lodge, our guide will give us instructions for us to enjoy our stay the best way possible. We will take a brief tour of Inotawa’s installations and will be guided to our rooms. Once settled, you get free time to get comfortable, rest in your room, freshen up, spend time at the coffee bar or explore the surroundings of the lodge.
By the end of the afternoon we will follow our guide on a walk along the trails of the PCA, to observe the day into night shift in the Amazon Rainforest. At this time, daylight animals start to make their way back to their burrows, and the nigh time animals make theirs to the clay licks and feeding areas. We are likely to spot bird species like trogons, partridges and turkey hens. We will also come across trees like shihuahuacos, lupunas, ceibos, almendrillos, among others. Once night has fallen, insects and arthropods, like tarantulas, grasshoppers and stick-insects; as well as different species of frogs, will make their appearance, in what will turn into a real tropical concert. 19:30 h – Dinner and preparation for the next day.
After dinner, our guide will give us a briefing in relation to the activities that compromise Day 2 of our Amazon tour program.

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Day 5: Tambopata Reserve - Cocococha Lake - Bahuaja Lookout

5:00 Am – Snack (coffee, infusions, fruits, cookies)
5:30 A – Hike to lake Cocococha, boat ride and wildlife sighting. We will transfer to the Tambopata National Reserve control post, from where we will start an interesting 2 hour hike, in which we will go through different types of forest, that hold plant species that are extremely important for the biodiversity of Madre de Dios, such as siringa and chestnut trees, where howler and capuchin monkeys inhabit. The hike ends on the banks of lake Cocococha, where there is a bird watching hideout. There we will take a boat ride with the tour guide, from which we will observe the lake’s wildlife activity and have our breakfast with 2 sandwiches, 1 fruit, water.
The lake covers an area of 60 hectares, surrounded by palm trees, shallows and highlands, that altogether form a highly biodiverse ecosystem, which, due to little human intervention, remains an important habitat for the feeding and reproduction of various emblematic and endangered species of the Amazon, such as macaws, black caimans, giant otters and the rare Agami heron. Around 13:00 h we will have lunch.
16:30 h – Start of our excursion to the Bahuaja lookout. A 30 minutes hike from Inotawa will take us to the Bahuaja lookout, at the top of a 50 meter high red clay cliff. During the hike we will be able to observe different forest species, such as chestnut, tornillo and siringa trees. From the lookout, at the edge of the cliff, we will get a look at the mount from a different perspective. Sitting on covered benches we’ll be able to relax and observe the Tambopata river in all of its splendor.
19:30 h – Dinner and time to rexal and listen to the sounds of the jungle.

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Day 6: Lago Tres Chimbadas - Community farm - forest hike - caiman search

5:00 Am – Snack (coffee, infusions, fruits, cookies)
5:30 Am – Hike to lake Tres Chimbadas and boat ride. We will travel 15 minutes by boat and then engage on a 40 minutes hike that goes through the ecotourism concession of the Infierno Native Community, until we get to a characteristic Amazon water mirror: lake Tres Chimbadas. To get into the lake, we will pass through the control post of the Infierno community, as they are the ones in charge of the custody and maintenance of the lake, which is possible thanks to the income generated by ecotourism. We will have our breakfast on the shores of the Tres Chimbadas lake.
After breakfast we will aboord a boat, to make a round across the lake. Led by our guide, we will follow a route that will let us appreciate the lakes wildlife and vegetation, getting to observe: birds such as shanshos, needle ducks, herons, kingfishers; some reptiles and mammals. We will pay special attention to signs of the giant otter. A familly of several member has frequently been spotted in this lake. Lunch is around 13:00 h.
At 15:00 h we start our excursion to a community farm, where agriculture is still practiced in a traditional way. Here we will have the opportunity to discover various fruits from the Amazon, such as copoazú, arazá, pijuayo, yucca, banana, pineapple and cocoa; and spices such as spice tumeric and sacha culantro.
Additionally, we will make a short hike across some of Inotawa’s PCA trails, which camera traps, that capture wildlife activity. The pictures and videos they take are part of the Big Mammals Monitoring conservation project, that will be shown at night. Our route will take us to the Sapasisi mammal clay lick where we can observe animal footprints left by those that gather here to feed. We might find footprints from sajinos, picuros, deers, tapirs, etc.
18:30 h – Start of our evening boat ride excursion in search of caimans. At dusk we will take off on a boat ride through the Tambopata river, to enjoy the jungle sounds as they start to invade the night time. Also, we will be able to appreciate the stars and southern constellations, such as Scorpio, Sagittarius, the Southern Cross, among others.. There will be a searchlight in the boat, for it is fairly common to come across caimans, capibaras and chotacabras in the river and on the river banks and meanders.
19:30 h – Dinner.

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Day 7: La Torre clay lick - Inotawa Lodge -Tambopata - Puerto Maldonado

5:15 Am – At dawn we will take a 10 minute boat ride towards the La Torre clay lick. This is a 4 meter high, 20 meter long, clay cliff, which has veins of a kind of clay that is a necessary part of the diet of different birds species, like the guacamayos, parrots and parakeets, as well as of certain mammals, like deers, capybaras, squirrels and other species. It is a spectaculair loud and colorful experience to see all these birds and other species looking for nutrive minerals
8:00 am – Breakfast at Inotawa Lodge
After breakfast we will return to Puerto Maldonado and then head to the airport or city where you will be able to connect with your next destination..

Inclusive and recommended to bring with to Peru:

Inclusive:
– Private transfers from and to the airport in Cusco
– A tour in private service into the Sacred valley of Cusco, incl.: Visits to Pisac Ruines, Pisac Pueblo, Salineras, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, English speaking guide, transport, entrance fees of Pisac Ruins and Ruins of Ollantaytambo and Salineras (worth 80 soles)
– Tourist train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and back
– The entrance fee of Machu Picchu (worth 152 soles)
– Bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu and back (worth 25 US$)
– 3 Nights in 3* hotels incl. breakfast
– Private briefing in your hotel in Aguas Calientes about your Machu Picchu tour
– Private guided tour (2h30 min.) over the archeological site of Machu Picchu with Englishspeaking guide
– Private transport from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco
– 24h English speaking emergency contact
Inclusive in the 4d/ 3n Amazon Tour:
– Breakfast, lunch, dinner, infusions, coffee, tea, milk and seasonal fruits
– Transfer from airport to Puerto Maldonado
– Transport during the tour
– Overnight in, double, triple rooms, with private bathroom
– An English speaking guide for excursions to the nature reserves and the expeditions
– A local guide to visit the local communities

Exclusive:
– Flights/ bus to Puerto Maldonado
– 10 + 10 + 30 soles (around 20 US$) on local entrance fees, to be paid in the Amazon
– Everything not mentioned in the itinerary above
– Drinks, lunches and dinners that are not mentioned in the inclusive list
– An obligated travel insurance
– (international) banking costs
– Tips for guides and drivers during tours (if their services were good)

Optional:
To climb the Huayna Picchu (US$30) or Machu Picchu Mountain (US$30) to be booked far in advance!

Recommended to bring during this tour:
– Original passport + ISIC card (if you booked as a student)
– Good shoes
– Binoculars
– Camera (+ something to back-up pictures)
– Flashlight, or better a Head Light
– Day (back)pack
– Cap or Wide-Brimmed Hat
– 3 pair of light long trousers
– 2 pair of shorts
– 2 thin long sleeves shirts
– 5 T-shirts
– A warm jacket/ fleece for the cold in Cusco
– Bathing Suit
– Rain Coat/ Poncho
– Water Bottle
– Sunblock
– Sunglasses
– Insect Repellent (you can also buy in Cusco)
– Certificate of Yellow Fever Vaccine!
– Bills/ notes (soles) of small amounts
– Personal toiletries
– Sandals or alternative footwear for use at the lodge.