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Amazon rainforest Inca Trail tours

country:Peru
location:Inca Trail, Peruvian Amazon 
departures:Departs Mondays and Fridays throughout the year, excluding February
price:From US $1667 - US $2389 (14 days) excluding flights. Price includes transport, accommodation with breakfast, entrance to parks and cultural sights, guided visits and excursions, English speaking guide, train back to Cusco
vouchers:Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
 
the amazing things you'll be doing
A perfect journey that combines archaeology and great adventure, deep into the rainforest.

This trip will take you to the heart of the jungle and visit the Reserve of Tambopata, a green world with gigantic trees, beautiful lagoons, winding rivers and wonderful wildlife. You will hike the Inca Trail for 4 days and discover the wonders of Machu Picchu, a sacred citadel hidden in the rainforest. Enjoy the Ancient Inca Capital of Cusco with its magnificent Inca palaces, such as the Qoricancha gold temple and the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. Visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with its picturesque Andean Market at the village of Pisaq.

In the heart of the Peruvian rainforest one of the best attractions of this amazing country, the Tambopata National Reserve, where you can find the largest macaws' clay lick known in the world and the magic Sandoval Lake. The tropical town of Puerto Maldonado is the starting point of all expeditions.

You’ll have the opportunity to visit the Tambopata Macaw Clay-lick, the biggest of its kind in the world and the most famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
day-by-day itinerary
Day 1:Arrival to Lima. Reception at the Lima airport and transfer to the selected hotel.
Day 2:Tambopata Macaw Clay Lick 5 days. Flight to Puerto Maldonado, and journey to the lodge. Reception at the airport and you will embark for a 4 hour motorboat trip up the Tambopata. During the trip into the heart of the rainforest we will be able to observe clouds of butterflies, typical Amazon communities, while groups of birds pass over the boat and animals such as capybaras, turtles and caiman. Spend the night at Tambopata Lodge.
Day 3:Bahuaja- Sonene National Park (Macaw, Parrot Clay Lick). You will see a magical sunrise and it is a great opportunity to see animals such as capybaras, tapir, Jaguar, and deer in the surrounding virgin forest. We will observe (from a save distance) one of the greatest spectacle of the rainforest: Hundreds of parrots, parakeets and macaws of various species, enjoying their diet of mineral salts on a river bank. After dinner we can make another trip through the jungle or search for caimans.
Day 4:Macaw Clay Lick. You will watch several species of macaw and many species of parrots and parakeets gather to eat clay in the first few hours after sunrise. You will have a simple breakfast on the beach followed by a short walk through the forest to look for birds and animals. Lunch, in the afternoon guided trekking through one of the trails or if you prefer you can relax, go fishing or swimming or visit a local community.
Day 5:Sandoval Lake. After breakfast we will make a trip in boat to the Maldonado Lodge, in Puerto Maldonado where we will relax in our bungalows and enjoy a tasty lunch. After lunch we will leave and travel for thirty minutes on the Madre de Dios River, to the access trail to Lake Sandoval, a beautiful typical rainforest lake.
Day 6:Departure to Cusco. After breakfast we will return by boat to Puerto Maldonado to take our flight to Cusco. Reception and transfer to your selected hotel in Cusco.
Day 7:Flight to Cusco & City Tour. Free time in the morning. In the afternoon Tour of Cusco and its Ruins.
Day 8:Sacred Valley of the Incas. Full day excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Pisac Indian Market and Ollantaytambo Fortress.
Day 9:Cusco Km 82 – Wayllabamba. At 6:00am we’ll pick up from your hotel then we go to Ollantaytambo We start walking from Km. 82 to Wayllabamba; we spend a little while resting at the hill with a view over Llactapata an important agricultural place for the Incas. Here we have a good chance to see hummingbirds around in the flower bushes. We arrive to the village of Wayllabamba in the afternoon. Camping here.
Day 10:Wayllabamba - Pacaymayo. We make a long, uphill climb through villages, woods, and alongside a stream, and then continue with a slow but steady ascent up the very steep switchbacks of the famous Warmiwañusqa Pass (“Pass of the Dead Woman”) at 4200mt. At the top of the pass (the highest altitude we reach on our trek), we are rewarded by sweeping views of a panorama of snow-covered Andean peaks. We descend a short distance to our camp at Pacaymayo.
Day 11:Pacaymayo - Wiñay wayna. We pick up an Inca stairway and ascend again past the small Inca site of Runkuracay. We descend to the ruins of Sayacmarca, an intricate labyrinth of houses, plazas and water channels, perched precariously on a rocky spur overlooking the Aobamba valley. At the third pass pinnacles topped with Inca viewing platforms overlook the archaeological complex of Phuyupatamarca (Cloud-level town). An Inca stairway partly cut from living granite leads us finally to our camp by the ruins of Wiñay wayna (Forever Young), camping.
Day 12:Machu Picchu and back to Cusco. Very early we leave camp to reach Inti Punku in time for sunrise. From here we get the first glance of Machu Picchu. We will learn about the importance – religiously and historically – of the place, and we will be able to appreciate the fine architecture of the Incas, from where one has a good overview of the whole area and the full site of Machu Picchu. In the afternoon we meet in Aguas Calientes to take the train back to Cusco.
Day 13:Lima & City Tour. Transfer to the Airport for your flight to Lima. In the afternoon, guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in Lima, the "City of Kings".
Day 14:Flight home. Transfer from hotel to the airport and then take your connecting flight to home.
how this holiday makes a difference
We promote responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, respecting and benefiting local people. We believe that sustainable, sensitive tourism is an invaluable help to developing the communities and preserving the environments of Peru. Our aim to encourage more people to visit Peru by promoting supremely enjoyable and informative trips whilst maximising the benefits these generate for the local economies, environments and host communities in Peru.

Environment
We have a zero litter tolerance. On our treks all rubbish and waste material is carried out and disposed of in suitable facilities in the main towns and cities. The waste is divided into organic (green bags) and inorganic (black bags). We never bury waste along the route of the trail and certainly never dump rubbish behind a hedge.

Environmental degradation, landfill, and scarce water resource are all very important issues faced by most of the countries in the world. Instead of feeling powerless in the face of these problems we prefer to focus on what we can do. We use biodegradable cleaning products (soap, detergent) – the passengers must use these products. They may be a little more expensive but we will be using river water that is up to now still very clean and we want it to stay that way.

Community
The lodge employs around twenty Peruvian staff, the majority of whom are resident in Puerto Maldonado. In addition, there are a number of naturalist guides, both from Peru and abroad, who are at your service throughout your stay. As well as guiding and introducing visitors to the many marvels of the forest, a number are undertaking research projects, thereby contributing to a greater ecological understanding of the area.

We value and respect diversity when hiring, and believe in participative management, fair payment policies, professional development, good conditions and safety at work, personal and family development and good treatment of subcontracted personnel. We employ professionals local and native staff with many years experience and pay our trekking staff such as cooks and porters well above average wages, on time and just after finalize the trip, they are not overburdened, and we are organized enough to ensure a safe pace along the trail.

We aim to work with providers who share our social responsibility philosophy of offering our clients the highest quality while respecting our communities and the environment.

We promote the participation of the communities in which we operate by contracting local guides, drivers, and executives. We are currently working on a pilot program in a small Andean community that we hope to replicate throughout the Andean region.

Keeping all group sizes small (max 10 people) to prevent our holidays becoming too intrusive on local communities. This has the added benefit that all customers are able to benefit from the knowledge of our local tour guides

We are recognised as honestly paying taxes (19%) to the State and recognized by all Peruvian Tourism Institutions SUNAT. When an overseas tour company sends the money to a Peruvian tour company who will actually operate your trip, this payment is exempt from tax (basically so you don't end up paying sales tax twice). That means that if you buy a trek or tour with a tour company outside of Peru you are not contributing towards the Peruvian economy in the form of sales taxes.

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.

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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.

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