Cusco and Tambopata

Cusco & Tambopata

Name of the Tour: Cusco and Tambopata

Description: An amazing trip to the Andean mountains and the Amazon rainforest of Peru. In this trip you will discover the lovely city of Cusco, and hike a new trail to Machu Picchu. Then you will explore the Tambopata National Park, one of the most interesting and unexplored areas of the Peruvian jungle. Two completely different worlds in just one trip.

Destinations: Cusco, NEW Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and Tambopata.

Duration: 14 days

Day	Activities	Accommodation
01	Arrival to Lima: We will pick you up from the airport upon arrival and take you to the hotel in Lima.	Lima
02	Flight to Cusco: In the morning we will take you to the airport in Lima for your flight to Cusco (1 hour). Once in Cusco we will take you to the hotel there. You will have time to rest and drink a "coca tea" to get used to the altitude. Cusco City Tour: 1st day After settle in the hotel, you will visit the high points of Cusco City as the Cathedral (great example of the colonial architecture of the 17th century); San Blas church with the best wooden carved pulpit (a magnificent piece of art of the 17th century); and the Archbishopric's Palace with a collection of paintings of the 17th century.	Cusco
03	City Tour Cusco: 2nd day You will visit the Inca remains in Cusco. The tour will start in Sacsayhuaman, in this site are massive walls made of huge stones that fit perfectly, a impressive example of their architecture. From there you will ride on a horse for 3 hours to visit 2 other archaeological sites: Qenqo (a temple where the Incas mummified their dead) and Tambomachay (a temple where the Inca king went to take ceremonial baths to purify himself and the whole empire).	Cusco
04	Excursion to the Incas Sacred Valley We will take you to Pisac, the first town in the Urubamba Valley. There you will do a short hike (without backpacks) of 3 hours to visit the Inca temple on the top of a mountain and the Inca cemetery on a cliff. Then, we will take you back to Pisac to lunch and some shopping in its famous handicraft market. Afterwards, we will take you to Ollantaytambo town, after a nice ride along the valley. In Ollantaytambo you will visit a huge Inca temple. Finally, you will return to Cusco city in the evening.	Cusco
05	NEW Inca Trail: 1st day (16 Kms / 10 miles) Early in the morning (4 AM) a private bus will pick you up to take you to the beginning of the trail. On the way it will be stops to take pictures of the amazing sceneries, including a wonderful view of the Salkantay snow-capped mountain. Once in Soraypampa (3,850 meters / 12,705 feet), you will eat breakfast and afterwards you will get ready to start the hike. The first part takes 4 hours to the Salkantay pass, the highest point on the trail (4,600 meters / 15,180 feet). On this part you will stop for a quick lunch next to a nice lagoon. From the pass you will hike down for 4 more hours to Rayan-niyoc campsite at 2,890 meters (9,537 feet). There you will have a nice dinner and a good sleep.	Campsite
06	NEW Inca Trail: 2nd day (15 Kms / 9.3 miles) After a good breakfast, you will continue hiking down for 3 hours and an half to Winaypoco. You will leave behind the rocky mountains to enter to the cloud-forest. White-water rivers and lush vegetation will surround you. After lunch you will continue with your hike for another 4 hours until Playa campsite (2,350 mts / 7,755 ft). Along the trail you will see coffee and banana plantations, and waterfalls.	Campsite
07	NEW Inca Trail: 3rd day (12 Kms / 7.4 miles) In the morning you will hike up for 3 hours and an half until Llactapata (2,700 mts / 8,910 ft), this part is an original Inca trail leading to the Llactapata Inca site. From there you will see Machu Picchu at lunch. Then you will hike down for another two hours to the bottom of the Urubamba valley (1,870 mts / 6,171 ft). After lunch, you will take a train to Aguas Calientes town, there a hot shower and a comfortable bed will wait for you in a nice hotel.	Aguas Calientes
08	Machu Picchu tour: Early in the morning (5:30 AM) you will take a bus (25 minutes) to Machu Picchu. You will be one of the first tourists in the place. You will have a guided tour for 2 hours and then you will have free time to discover and explore the site by yourself before the crowds of tourists arrive. In the afternoon, you will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes town to take the train back to Cusco at 4 PM. You will arrive in Cusco at 8:30 PM.	Cusco
09	Free day in Cusco: You can rest today and get ready for your next adventure. In the meantime you can do some shopping and explore Cusco city on your own. Rafting in the Urubamba river: (OPTIONAL) At 9 am you will go to the Urubamba river to raft for 2 hours and an half. The river is very good, adventurous but safe (up to class 3+). You will be back in Cusco city in the afternoon (5 PM) after a nice picnic lunch.	Cusco
10	Flight to Puerto Maldonado: We will take you to the airport in Cusco for your flight to Puerto Maldonado (50 minutes). Upon arrival you will be taken to the "Reserva Amazonica" Lodge. Excursion to Tambopata: 1st day A 45 minutes boat ride will take you from Puerto Maldonado to the Lodge. After lunch, you will have a guided tour through the trails system of the Lodge. Afterwards you will explore the shores of the "Madre de Dios" River to observe the activity in the jungle at night. After dinner, you will have a lecture about the Amazon rainforest.	Lodge
11	Excursion to Tambopata: 2nd day You will visit the "Rolin" Island where you’ll have the chance to watch different species of monkeys. There is a conservation project to protect endangered primates and reintroduce them into their natural habitat. After lunch you will explore the Canopy system of the lodge. This network of observation towers and hanging bridges will let you explore the rainforest at tree level, high above the ground, letting you watch birds and other animals. After dinner you will have another lecture about the jungle.	Lodge
12	Excursion to Tambopata: 3rd day After breakfast you will head Lake Sandoval. A 30 minutes boat ride and then a 1 hour walk will take you to the lake. There you will learn a lot about the rainforest and the importance of its preservation. Next, a two hour walk through the rainforest will take you to the "Concepcion" Farm, there you will learn the importance of the “collpas” (clay licks). Also, you will visit a botanical garden with more than 200 medicinal plants. On the way back to the lodge you will explore many lagoons and rivers.	Lodge
13	Excursion to Tambopata: 4th day In the morning you will take the boat down the “Madre de Dios” River towards the Bolivian border where you will reach the Palma Real Community. You will visit the "BONI" or "Child Forest" Project enjoying the guidance of children who will teach you about their environment. Once back in the lodge, you will have the afternoon free to enjoy the lodge’s facilities. You can relax and enjoy a massage or have a nap on your hammock. In the night you will have a typical dinner.	Lodge
14	Excursion to Tambopata: 5th day After breakfast you will take the boat for the last time to return to Puerto Maldonado. On the way to the airport you will stop at the butterfly farm for a visit. There are preserved many species of native butterflies. Flight to Lima: It is a 2 hours and a half flight with a stop in Cusco.	(not included)

OPTIONS: If you want to hike the Classic Inca Trail instead of the New Inca trail, let us know to check the availability. Also, you can shorten the Excursion to Tambopata in 1 or 2 days.

INCLUDES:

	Accommodation for 07 nights at nice hotels in Lima (1 night), Cusco (5 nights) and Aguas Calientes (1 night). More information on the hotels
	Campsites along the New Inca Trail (2 nights).
	Accommodation in the "Reserva Amazonica Tambopata" Lodge (4 nights).
	Camping equipment (except sleeping bags and backpacks).
	Mules to carry your backpack on the New Inca trail.
	Three meals per day during the New Inca Trail (3 days) and the stay in the "Reserva Amazonica Tambopata" (5 days).
	Breakfasts at hotels.
	Flight Cusco - Puerto Maldonado (airports taxes not included).
	All transfers to airports and hotels listed in the itinerary.
	All transports to visit the places included in the tour.
	Entrance fees to the places included in the itinerary.
	A Peruvian tour leader (English speaker) who will accompany you during the trip in Cusco, and guided tours in English during your stay in Tambopata.

PRICE: 1,510 US dollars per person. Convert to other currencies
The price you will pay for the tour could be lower than the one above. It depends on how big the group is, as it is showed below. One month before your trip we will confirm to you the final price based on the number of people that will be in the group you will join.

Number of people in the group	Price US dollars
3 - 4 people	1,510
5 - 6 people	1,340
7 and more	1,270

EXTRAS: not included

	Single Supplement (single rooms): 170 US dollars.
	Flight LIMA-CUSCO: 100 US dollars (airport's tax is not included).
	Flight PUERTO MALDONADO-LIMA: 130 US dollars (airport's tax is not included).
	Rafting in the Urubamba river: 30 US dollars (it includes the complete equipment and box lunch).
	Extra night in Lima: Single room US$25 / Double room US$30 (breakfast included)

PAYMENT:
To confirm your booking you have to pre-pay 700 US dollars, that you can pay with a check direct to INDIANA EXPEDITION. The rest can be paid upon arrival in cash (US dollars).

For payments with Credit Cards (Visa, Mastercard or American Express) we use a secure online service. You can pay the 700 dollars deposit or the total with credit cards. All payments using a credit card are subject to a 8% fee.

Please, read our "Terms and Conditions" that apply to all our tours.

DATES: If your dates don't match with our schedules, contact us by the form in this link, we can customize a tour for you.

April 2006: from April 7th to April 20th from April 21st to May 4th	September 2006: from September 8th to September 21st from September 22nd to October 5th
May 2006: from May 5th to May 18th from May 19th to June 1st	October 2006: from October 6th to October 19th from October 20th to November 2nd
June 2006: from June 2nd to June 15th from June 16th to June 29th from June 30th to July 13th	November 2006: from November 3rd to November 16th from November 17th to November 30th
July 2006: from July 14th to July 27th from July 28th to August 10th	December 2006: from December 1st to December 14th
August 2006: from August 11th to August 24th from August 25th to September 7th

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