THE TAMBOPATA RESERVE WITH WASAI LODGES AND MACHU PICCHU

Day 01 LIMA

Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. Afternoon visit to Colonial and Modern Lima. Guided tour through the historic center of the city. Admire the beauty of San Martin and Major squares, the Cathedral, the Government Palace and visit the Convent of San Francisco and its catacombs, a religious building from the end of the XVI century. Drive through the residential districts of San Isidro and Miraflores.

Day 02 LIMA – PUERTO MALDONADO – WASAI TAMBOPATA LODGE

Note: This 4 days-3 nights program can be also provided at the “Posada Amazonas Lodge” or “Reserva Amazonica Lodge”. You can choose one of the lodges of your preference, depending of availability.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon rainforest. Reception at the airport and transfer to the Wasai Maldonado Lodge, where you will receive a welcoming tropical fruit beverage. You will embark for a four-hour motorboat trip up the Tambopata River to Wasai Tambopata Lodge and Research Center (box lunch en route). During the trip, we will be able to observe the local farms, while groups of birds pass over the boat. Opportunity to see families of capybaras, the largest rodents in the world.

Reception and accommodation at the lodge. After a short rest, we will have a brief introductory walk in the forest nearby to learn basic principles of ecology and some wildlife natural history. Return to the lodge for dinner. After dinner, we will make our first visit to the forest to observe the nocturnal life of insects, frogs of various colors and an occasional encounter with nocturnal mammals. We will enjoy the diverse sounds of the jungle which will accompany our first night in Amazonia.
(Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner).

Day 03 WASAI TAMBOPATA LODGE

Wake early (4:30 am) and travel up the Tambopata River for an hour to the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. You will see a magical sunrise, and it is a great opportunity to see animals such as capybaras, tapirs, jaguars, and deer in the surrounding virgin forest. We will observe (from a safe distance) one of the greatest spectacles of the rainforest: Hundreds of parrots, parakeets and macaws of various species, enjoying their diet of mineral salts on a river bank. We will have a hot drink and a snack while watching birds, and go for a short walk to look for animals such as monkeys.

We will return to the lodge to have a late breakfast and rest. After lunch, we will enter the verdant jungle on a special trail to observe wildlife. We will then enter the territory of peccaries, deer and others, with the possibility to hear or see their tracks, or discovering a troop of monkeys traveling through the forest in search of food. Time permitting, we will be able to enjoy a relaxing swim. After dinner, we can make another trip through the jungle, search for caimans or relax in our lodge surrounded by exotic nocturnal sounds. (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner).

Day 04 WASAI TAMBOPATA LODGE – WASAI MALDONADO

After breakfast, we will make a boat trip to the Wasai Maldonado Lodge in Puerto Maldonado, where we will relax in our bungalows and enjoy a tasty lunch. Then we will leave and travel for 20 minutes on the Madre de Dios River to the access trail to Lake Sandoval, a beautiful rainforest lake. We will hike three kilometers to the banks of the lake. There we will board a canoe to paddle around the lake, enjoying the beauty of the landscape and observing the wildlife, such as kingfishers, herons, hoatzins (unique pre-historic looking birds) and monkeys.

If we are lucky, we may see the family of giant otters which live at the lake. We will have the opportunity to swim in the lake.Then it is time to begin our return hike to the Madre de Dios River to return to Puerto Maldonado. There we will stay in the modern and comfortable bungalows of Wasai Maldonado Lodge. After dinner, we will be able to rest or go around the city on foot or on bicycle. We can enjoy the pool and its cascade surrounded by verdant vegetation. Rest of the night, you are free to enjoy the night life of this welcoming city. (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner).

Day 05 WASAI MALDONADO – CUSCO

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Cusco. Reception and transfer to your hotel. Balance of the morning at leisure to adjust to the high altitude (11,000 feet). Afternoon city tour and nearby ruins. Visit Main Square, the Cathedral and its religious Art Museum, the Church of Santo Domingo or Koricancha. Includes visits to the Sacsayhuaman and Puca Pucara fortresses, the temple and amphitheater of Kenko and the water shrine of Tambomachay. (Breakfast).

Day 06 CUSCO – MACHU PICCHU

Transfer to the station for a morning train ride to the unparalleled, Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas”. Machu Picchu was a flourishing ceremonial and agricultural site, probably the gateway to the jungle marches of the Inca Empire. The central buildings were erected with the polished stonework of the Cusco Imperial style, though the site was probably occupied well before the Incas started their expansion, Machu Picchu was associated with the earth cult revolving around the Coca leaf, a privilege restricted to the Inca Royal family and priests. Guided tour. You will have time to enjoy a light lunch or snack and return to your hotel at your leisure. In the evening, we will enjoy a wonderful dinner at the hotel or in Machu Picchu Pueblo. Overnight at one of the hotels in the area.
(Breakfast – Dinner).

Day 07 MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO

Morning at leisure. You may choose to return to Machu Picchu, hike Huayna Picchu or relax in the village of Aguas Calientes and its hot springs. Mid afternoon departure by train to Cusco. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel. (Breakfast).

Note: Entrance tickets to Machu Picchu on this day are not included. Please advise if you go back to the ruins or hike the Huayna Picchu at time of booking (subject to availability)

Day 08 CUSCO – LIMA

Transfer to the airport in time to take the flight to Lima. Transfer to your hotel. Guided shopping tour taking you to the famous handicraft markets. (Breakfast).

Day 09 LIMA – HOME

Transfer to the airport for your international departure flight or continue on the extension of your choice. (Breakfast).

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