Peru tour, Andes to Amazon
| country: | Peru |
| location: | Peruvian Amazon, Andes |
| departures: | Departs on Wednesdays and Saturdays from May - November |
| price: | From £1115 (6 days) excluding flights. Price based on 2 people sharing. Includes flight from Boca Manu to Cusco, accommodation, most meals (see itinerary), activities and guide. Private departures available, enquire for details |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
From Cusco we travel through traditional Quechua communities and through the spectacular eastern ranges of the Andes before beginning a breathtaking descent from 3500 meters to 1600 meters above sea-level to our comfortable lodge in the orchid laden Cloud Forest. This is an excellent location to watch the strange and beautiful Cocks-of-the-Rock as they display at dawn - a wonderful sight as up to 25 bright red-orange males dance and sing attempting to attract the favours of the duller, burgundy coloured females. We then continue by road and boat to a lodge in the Andean foothills where we spend the night.
Our journey continues by river, past the last folds of the Andes into lowland rainforest and our lodge for the next three nights - Manu Wildlife Centre.
Daily activities are determined by your bilingual naturalist guide and include a visit to a macaw clay lick where hundreds of Parrots and their larger relatives, the Macaws congregate, exploration of an ox-bow lake in search of a family of Giant Otters, and trail hikes in search of some of the twelve species of monkeys and other fauna which inhabit the surrounding rainforest.
There will also be the opportunity to explore the rainforest canopy from one of two canopy towers, and visit the world's largest known Tapir clay lick. Our journey ends with an early morning boat transfer to Boca Manu and a flight back to Cusco.
Our journey continues by river, past the last folds of the Andes into lowland rainforest and our lodge for the next three nights - Manu Wildlife Centre.
Daily activities are determined by your bilingual naturalist guide and include a visit to a macaw clay lick where hundreds of Parrots and their larger relatives, the Macaws congregate, exploration of an ox-bow lake in search of a family of Giant Otters, and trail hikes in search of some of the twelve species of monkeys and other fauna which inhabit the surrounding rainforest.
There will also be the opportunity to explore the rainforest canopy from one of two canopy towers, and visit the world's largest known Tapir clay lick. Our journey ends with an early morning boat transfer to Boca Manu and a flight back to Cusco.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart from Cusco and travel into the cloud forest. Overnight at Cock of the Rock Lodge. (Lunch, Dinner) |
| Day 2: | Continue by bus then boat into the Andean foothills. Overnight Pantiacolla or Amazonia Lodge. (Full board) |
| Day 3: | Travel by boat to Manu Wildlife Centre. Overnight (full board) |
| Day 4-5: | Manu Wildlife Centre activities. Overnight.(Full board) |
| Day 6: | Boat transfer to Boca Manu. Fly to Cusco. Transfer to hotel. (Breakfast) |
travellers' tales
Overall the holiday was magnificent. We hiked the Inca Trail (with a private group) and it was certainly the highlight of our 16 days in Peru.
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small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business was a winner of our First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards in 2005, and was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards. The Responsible Tourism Awards are the largest of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Cock of the Rock Lodge is owned by the Peru Verde Conservation Group, a non-profit non-government organization involved in rainforest conservation projects.
Manu Wildlife Centre is part owned by a non-profit group and private enterprises. The lodge relies heavily on workers from the local Machiguenga communities and provides jobs and training that help better the standard of living in the local villages. They are offered choice and opportunity that, prior to tourist, did not exist. We were voted most responsible tour operator by UK NGO Tourism Concern. On average 75% of the cost of your trip with us - excluding flights - remains in the destination. Flights are automatically carbon offset through The Travel Forest, which plants 10 indigenous trees on your behalf (currently in northern Tanzania). Whilst the primary motivation for planting the trees is to offset carbon emissions, the project also works as a poverty alleviation and environmental improvement scheme. Group sizes are kept to a maximum of about 12 (less on some trips) to minimise our impact on the local people, the wildlife and the environment. Small groups tend to have much better dynamics, and allow you to get closer to the people, wildlife and places you are visiting. We promote a respect for local communities and their environment. Our guides will help you to understand and respect the areas and people you are visiting, which will help you to feel more comfortable and enjoy your experiences all the more. We try to ensure that the local people are happy to receive tourists in their home region, and are informed of the possible impact. In the office, we use environmentally friendly paper for the brochure and promotional/administrative materials. The folders are hand-made in Nepal from an environmentally responsible alternative to paper. Our ‘brochure’ format of a folder and inserts means that you only get the information you are interested in and therefore there is less paper wastage. A general recycling regime is adhered to, and energy consumption is kept as low as possible. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |