Journeys: Machu Picchu and the Amazon

Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included.


Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your Expedition Leader will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.Accommodation - Hotel Antigua Miraflores

Fly to Puerto Maldonado and continue by motorized canoe to our comfortable lodge, situated near the Tambopata National Reserve in the Amazon rainforest. Spot local bird species along the lush shores of the Tambopata River en route to the lodge, and set off on an evening walk with a naturalist guide before dinner, keeping an eye out for some of the rainforest's nocturnal creatures.
After a brief stop in town to store large luggage, drive to the pier and travel by covered motorized boat to the jungle lodge.

En route, spot bird species typical of the local river and forest edge. The Tambopata Rainforest area holds the world record for the most bird sightings in one area.

Local community members make up the majority of lodge staff, including multilingual naturalist guides. Take the opportunity to learn about the area's rich flora and fauna and locals' extensive use of medicinal plants and other forest plant resources through traditional techniques for building, fishing, and hunting.

Enjoy a welcome drink and orientation. Before dinner, head out for a night walk around the lodge grounds.

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Transport - Head by private vehicle to the lodge's office in Puerto Maldonado to store large luggage. From there, travel about 1 hr to reach the boat landing.Activity - Get the lowdown on local flora and fauna, and grab a flashlight to discover what’s living around lodge grounds. Receive help from the talented, expert naturalist guide to locate heaps of hidden creatures! Keep an eye out for snakes, tarantulas, owls, and poison dart frogs, just to name a few.Accommodation - Tambopata Lodge

Spend the day exploring the thriving ecosystems of the rainforest with our lodge's naturalist guides. Scan the treetops for toucans, howler monkeys, and sloths, and glide along oxbow lakes on canoes for a chance to glimpse river otters, turtles, and, if we're lucky, anacondas. After dinner, embark on a river tour by motorized canoe on the lookout for caimans, the smaller cousins of alligators, which are often found hiding near the muddy banks.
Head out early to catch the jungle at its wildest (and coolest). Walk slowly through the forest searching for wildlife before heading out on an oxbow lake by canoe.

Search for anaconda, the elusive giant river otter, or black caiman. Even if you don't spot these shy creatures, there are plenty of birds, interesting plants, and other animals about.

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Enjoy visits to oxbow lakes to learn about the jungle and its inhabitants. Be introduced to the area’s rich flora and fauna by expert naturalist guides, who can teach extensive uses for medicinal and other forest plant resources through traditional techniques. Be prepared to go early morning or evening to avoid the heat of midday. Enjoy a leisurely pace – the trip requires some walking, but nothing too strenuous. Free_time - Spend time around the lodge or go further afield. Free time is yours to explore any way you want!Activity - Head out after dark by motorized canoe to search for caimans on the river banks. Enjoy a lesson on caimans from the expert guide. Take advantage of the keen eyes of the expert naturalist guides – they are truly spectacular at spotting these elusive smaller cousins of alligators hiding on the muddy banks.Accommodation - Tambopata Lodge

Travel out of the jungle by boat and catch a flight from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco, soaring above the Andes into Peru's Inca heartland. This evening, visit the Cusco Planetarium for a presentation on the skies of the Southern Hemisphere, and learn about the vital role that astronomy played in the lives of the ancient Inca. Weather permitting, peer through the planetarium's telescopes for a dazzling look at the stars.
Afternoon arrival into the Inca capital. Time for strolling around the plazas and markets. Admire the cobblestones streets, and visit some museums and Cathedral.

Meals included: Breakfast

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Climb in and move swiftly through the water to the next stop.Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Free_time - Take it easy this afternoon and acclimatize to the higher altitude.Activity - Look to the night sky for a different view of the city. Explore the Cusco Planetarium surrounded by the serene nature of the Llaullipata Ecological Reserve. Enjoy a presentation on the southern sky, contemporary astronomy, and the ancient Incas’ relationship with the cosmos. Check out the on-site museum and use the telescopes to admire the stars (weather-permitting).Accommodation - Taypikala Hotel Cusco

Drive to the scenic Sacred Valley for a full day of exploration with a local guide. Tour the G Adventures–supported Parque de la Papa, or Potato Park, a rural Andean community working to preserve hundreds of varieties of native potato. During this exclusive experience, you'll walk through the park to learn about potato cultivation, traditional weaving, and the importance of both these practices to Andean culture. We'll also visit the fascinating Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo and Pisac, and enjoy a meal at the G Adventures–supported Parwa Community Restaurant in Huchuy Qosqo.



Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Times includes all stops and visits enroute through the Sacred Valley.Activity - In Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Inca, six communities of approximately 6000 indigenous people are working together to preserve over 700 species of potato – a cornerstone of life here. As part of an experience exclusive to National Geographic Journeys travellers – and part of our G Adventures for Good program – visit this area, named “Parque de la Papa” (“Potato Park”), to learn about life in an Andean agricultural community. Walk through the park here with a local guide, dropping by the seed bank (which has direct ties to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway) and then head out to the fields to watch the planting or harvesting process, depending on the season. After, enjoy some of the delicious varieties of potato and visit the small stone hut where traditional weaving takes place. Learn about the natural dyeing process and witness alpaca wool strands being transformed into beautiful textiles through a centuries-old backstrap weaving style. Your visit to this special community means this local enterprise can continue earning an income that supports their development and conservation goals.Activity - Parque de la Papa (meaning "Potato Park") serves two important purposes for the community of Pampallacta: the preservation of agricultural biodiversity and economic opportunity. National Geographic Journeys travellers visit the park to learn about life in a rural agricultural Andean community and take a tour of the seed conservation program, which is preserving heritage potato species. They also learn about traditional planting, harvesting and indigenous weaving practices. With G Adventures' support, the community is able to create jobs in the area and invest in local businesses, which helps the community preserve their culture. Activity - Contribute to sustainable tourism in Huchuy Qosqo, a small village of 65 families in the Sacred Valley, by eating at the Parwa Community Restaurant. Learn how the resident-run restaurant was kickstarted by G Adventures and the Multilateral Investment Fund, to become a successful farm-to-table program that boosts the local economy and several spin-off microenterprises.Activity - Tour the fascinating hilltop citadel of Pisac, an Incan ruin with plunging gorges, a ceremonial centre, and winding agriculture terracing that's still in use today. Be captivated by this truly amazing site sitting amid sweeping green valleys and mountain peaks. Explore the back of the site to see a pocketed cliff across Kitamayo Gorge, which once contained hundreds of Inca tombs.Activity - Tour the town and fortress of Ollantaytambo with a local guide. Take a step back in time at this Inca archaeological site; it still shows signs of its former glory, including agricultural terraces, a Temple Hill, and storehouses. Learn how the area, overlooking the Urubamba River Valley, was an important stronghold during warfare between the Spanish and Incas.Accommodation - Villa Urubamba

Depart Urubamba by van for Lares town, where the lesser frequented trail begins. Spend the night at a G Adventures–sponsored campsite in Cuncani, nestled in the scenic Lares Valley at 3,872 meters (12,703 feet). Earnings from the campsite provide educational, medical, and infrastructural support to the local Cuncani community.
The Lares Trek is a scenic, less touristic route to hike through the Andes. It is one day shorter than the Inca Trail but higher in elevation. Enjoy G Adventures-supported handmade biodegradable soap products for use on the Lares Trek.

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Start early and drive (3 hrs) to Lares town where the hike will start with a leisurely pace through the valley of Cuncani. Hike 4km (2.5 mi) to Chancachaca then stop for lunch. Be sure to rest and rehydrate because the altitude here is around 3480m (11,417 ft). Continue trekking along rocky mountain paths 4.7km (3 mi) to the isolated village of Cuncani. Camp here for the night at 3872m (12,703 ft) at the G Adventures-supported community run campsite. Activity - Enjoy G Adventures-supported handmade biodegradable soap products, for use on our treks. This G Adventures for Good project empowered local Cusqueña women to start their own business in order to reduce the environmental impact of treks in the region. Planeterra provided $10,000 of seed funding for two young entrepreneurs to register their biodegradable products in order to sell them to the tourism industry. "Esencia Andina" is now a successful business that produces biodegradable soaps, detergents, and natural products for travellers, guides, porters, and cooks on our treks.Activity - Spend the night at the Lares Community campsite, owned and managed by the 71 families that belong to the Cuncani community. The earnings from the campsite are allocated for investment in social projects such as health, education, nutrition, and infrastructure improvements to water and electricity.Accommodation - Cuncani Camp Site

Get an early start on our hike, climbing from the foothills of Sicllaccasa Mountain to the trail's highest point, at 4,800 meters (15,748 feet). Celebrate your ascent by making a ritual offering of coca leaves to the Andean gods, and enjoy stunning views of turquoise-hued lagoons and the snowcapped Chicon Mountain. Continue hiking downhill to our second campsite, situated near a stream at 4,114 meters (13,497 feet).

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Hike from the foothills of Sicllaccasa Mountain 12.2km (7.6 mi) to its high pass at 4,800m (15,748ft), providing scenic views of lagoons and the snow-capped Chicon Mountain. Celebrate after reaching the highest point by making an offering of coca leaves to the Andean gods. Hike downhill another 2.2km (1.3 mi) to QuencaPata, for lunch and to take in the amazing view. Continue hiking downhill another 2.6km (1.6 mi) to our second campsite near a stream. Sleep tonight at about 4,114m (13,497 ft) elevation.Accommodation - Suttoq Pacchaq Camp Site

Enjoy our final hours of hiking in the picturesque landscapes of Lares Valley before travelling by van to Ollantaytambo. From here, we'll board a train to Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu. Spend some time relaxing in town, or visit the nearby hot springs.

Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch

Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Follow the trail to see typical Andean flora and fauna, llamas and alpacas. Descend through the valley of Pumahuanca and meet friendly local Quechua people and explore some Inca storehouses along the way. Trek 3-4 hrs to reach the town of Pumahuanca. Enjoy lunch then hop a van to Ollantaytambo. Continue by train to Aguas Calientes.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Transport - Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.Accommodation - Hotel Taypikala Machupicchu

Rise early to catch daybreak over Machu Picchu, the 15th-century Inca citadel rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 and excavated with support from National Geographic. Set out on a guided tour of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Later, travel back to Cusco by train.
Rise early to catch the first bus up to Machu Picchu with your guide. Enjoy a guided visit to the ruins.

When ready, head back down by bus to Aguas Calientes to meet up with the rest of the group. Take the scenic train back to Ollantaytambo to meet the van for the ride back to Cusco.

Meals included: Breakfast

Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.Activity - Set off with the local guide to explore Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Learn about the history and gain insights into this massive mountaintop citadel while wandering through ancient dwellings, stone temples and along sculpted terraces. Feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll.Transport - Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.Transport - Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Taypikala Hotel Cusco

Depart at any time.

Meals included: Breakfast

Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Not ready to leave? Your Expedition Leader can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.