Inca & Amazon Adventure Family Holiday

Set amidst hills in the altiplano, the Imperial City of the Incas, Cuzco

(3,400) was the geographic, cultural and political centre of a vast empire

which, at its peak, stretched from present-day Quito in Ecuador to Santiago

in Chile. After the Spanish conquistadores invaded the city they started

building on top of the Incan structures, resulting in unique architecture, a

fusion of the Incan and Spanish colonial styles. There will be a walking

orientation tour this afternoon. It is recommended to take it easy upon

arrival into Cuzco and to drink plenty of water to allow your body time to

acclimatise to the altitude (3,400m). There will be a welcome briefing in the

hotel lobby this evening.

The next two days have been left free for exploring Cuzco, one of South

America's most beautiful cities. The Plaza de Armas is a fantastic spot for

people watching, and Qorikancha - Sun Temple, located in the Santo Domingo

Church and monastery are worth a visit. The Mercado San Pedro is the place to

try some local produce and there are many handicraft markets to shop for

souvenirs such as alpaca jumpers and scarves.



Outside the town are more Inca ruins, notably the fortress of Sacsayhuaman

where the Inca armies made their last stand against the Conquistadores. Cuzco

is also the gateway to the Sacred Valley of the Incas and should you wish to

visit the sites, your leader can help organise an excursion, including Pisac

Market (optional).



If you fancy something more active then there is an array of other optional

activities available from Cuzco. These include a cookery lesson,

paddle-boarding on Lake Piuray, mountain biking in the Sacred Valley between

Maras and Moray, or a combination of via ferrata and zip-lining in the Sacred

Valley. For some activities, a minimum number of participants is required.



On your last evening in Cuzco, there will be a full trek briefing.  You

will also need to pack and weigh your duffel bag ready for the Inca Trail the

following day (the weight limit is 7kg per person for your duffel bag) -

remember to keep your passport somewhere accessible.

The Classic Inca Trail is a tangential branch part of a 45,000km road network

linking the whole empire to Cuzco. It was built in the 15th Century to reach

Machu Picchu but was abandoned soon after the Spanish conquest. American

adventurer Hiram Bingham travelled along the trail when he came across Machu

Picchu in 1911. The trail opened to the public in 1970.



We leave Cuzco early and drive for roughly two hours to Ollantaytambo, our

last chance to buy any items needed for the trek. From here we veer off the

road and follow a track beside the river (45 minutes) to the start of the

Inca Trail at Piscacucho, commonly known as Km82. After greeting our trekking

crew, we show our passports at the checkpoint and begin the Inca Trail trek.

The trail runs alongside the Vilcanota River beneath the impressive

snow-capped Nevado Veronica, passing through cactus gardens and fields of

corn until we reach the enormous Inca ruins of Llactapata, where we continue

up a side valley to camp near the hamlet of Huayllabamba.



*Walk Profile: approx. 11km / 6‐7hrs walking*

This is the longest and most strenuous day of the trek. A long climb takes us

first through an area of cloud forest to the meadows of Llulluchapampa, then

over the Warmihuañusca (Dead Woman's) Pass – at 4215m the highest point

on the trek. After quite a long, steep descent we camp in the scenic valley

of the Pacamayo River (3600m).



*Walk Profile: approx. 10km / 6‐7hrs walking*

We start the day with an easier climb which takes us past the ruins of

Runquracay and over the Runquracay Pass (3930m). From now on the Inca Trail

becomes a clearly defined path made of flat boulders. As we leave behind the

ruins of Sayajmarca, we suddenly enter rainforest; at one point the trail

passes through an Inca tunnel. We spend the night at a spectacular campsite

on the ridge above the Inca site of Phuyupatamarca (3680m) to benefit from

the views of sunset and sunrise.



*Walk Profile: approx. 12km / 5-6hrs walking*

From the ridge, we embark on the infamous Inca steps: a two kilometre stone

staircase taking us rapidly downhill amid a panorama of overwhelming

immensity, with the peaks of the Vilcabamba range above, and the river

thousands of metres below. After visiting the attractive ruins of Wiñay

Wayna, we have an undulating walk through cloud forest high above the river

to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate. From here we get our first full sight of Machu

Picchu itself, with Huayna Picchu rising behind.



Traditionally busy with groups of trekkers clamouring for photos, we plan our

arrival at Inti Punku later in the day so we can enjoy unobstructed views of

the magnificent ruins. Passing around the edge of the ruins, we exit the site

and descend to Aguas Calientes for a well-earned rest, a shower and a

comfortable bed for the night. Our trekking permits allow us one entry into

the site, which we use for our tour tomorrow.



There is usually time for an optional visit to the hot springs in Aguas

Calientes, however, in recent years they have become over-crowded and the

water quality can suffer as a result. We will be reunited with those who have

been on the Lares Trek or One Day Inca Trail Option at the hotel this

afternoon.



*Walk Profile: approx. 9km / 6-7hrs walking*

In order to beat the day-trippers arriving from Cuzco and reach the ruins as

early as possible, a very early start is required to queue for Machu Picchu;

only government-registered buses can make the 30-minute drive up the winding

road to the site entrance and during high season (May-October) queues can be

hours long. 



Machu Picchu is one of the architectural and engineering marvels of the

ancient world and what makes it all the more dramatic is its mountain

backdrop of staggering immensity. The Spaniards never found it; the Incas

left no records of it, and so Machu Picchu remained a great enigma, a city

lost for centuries in the jungle until it was rediscovered in 1911 by the

American historian Hiram Bingham. 



New regulations for visiting Machu Picchu are now fully enforced; of the

three possible visiting slots, Exodus will purchase the morning slot from

06:00 until 12:00 (unless unavailable), you will be limited to a maximum of

four hours within the site and must be accompanied by a guide. There will

also be three set routes to follow around Machu Picchu; Exodus selects the

most comprehensive route. 



We catch an afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo (1hr 30 mins) and continue

by private bus to Cuzco (2hrs 30 mins).

Today has been left free to relax after the trek or explore Cuzco further.

Again, your leader can help to arrange optional excursions and activities for

you - please see the Optional Activities section of the Trip Notes for more

details.

We leave Cuzco early today as we take a short flight to Puerto Maldonado

(please note that due to poor flight availability, on some departures this

flight will connect through Lima and be considerably longer), a small town in

the rainforest. On arrival, we transfer to the dock for a boat trip to our

lodge in the Tambopata Reserve (approx. 45mins by boat). On the way, we may

see river turtles and a wide variety of birdlife.



The order of activities in the rainforest may change depending on the weather

and other factors. However, there will be a briefing upon arrival at the

lodge followed by the chance to learn about the traditional use of bow and

arrows – and even get a chance to try your hand at it!



After dinner, we will go by boat in search of alligators in the river, using

torches to look for the red reflections of their eyes on the riverbank, as

well as looking for other nocturnal animals.

The next two days are spent exploring the forest, rivers and lakes

surrounding the lodge, on foot and by boat. Although a lot of the wildlife

tends to hide in the dense foliage, we should expect to see a wide variety of

birds, including herons and egrets, jacanas, macaws and the almost

prehistoric-looking hoatzin, as well as several species of monkey, reptiles

and insects, and with luck the giant otters which live in the rivers of the

Amazon basin.



We will visit Tres Chimbadas Lake where we hope to see a great variety of

wild fauna such as monkeys, macaws, black alligators, flying parrots and if

we are lucky, one of the families of the River otter in the area. We will

also visit a Parrot clay lick where every morning at dawn, different types of

parrots and parrots and other species of birds meet. We will go on a night

walk in search of insects, amphibians, tarantulas, bats, nocturnal birds and

large nocturnal mammals.

A dawn start is required for the boat transfer back to Puerto Maldonado,

giving memorable views of the sunrise over the river. Look out for the early

morning wildlife, which is particularly active at this time. Howler monkeys

are frequently heard as they stake out their territories. The adventure ends

at Puerto Maldonado airport.  We’ll say goodbye to our leader at Puerto

Maldonado airport and take a short flight to Lima.  A local representative

will transfer us to our included hotel where we will spend the night.  

Our adventure ends after breakfast this morning in Lima.