Peru: The Amazon & Machu Picchu

Hola! Welcome to Lima. Please check in to our centrally located, posh hotel. We have no activities planned until our important Group Meeting at 2PM in the hotel lobby. Here you’ll meet your Group Leader, and your fellow Out Adventures travellers, to discuss our upcoming adventure. We’ll then head to Lima’s historic centre for a walking tour that celebrates the city’s Spanish colonial architecture. Tonight we’ll get a tasty lesson in Pisco before enjoying our included Welcome Dinner. Finally, if you’re not too jet lagged, you can even join us for kick-off cocktails.

Today begins with an early flight to Puerto Maldonado. We’ll leave most of our luggage behind, aside from an Out Adventures duffel bag packed for two nights, then take a motorized canoe up-river to our remarkable jungle lodge. The hotel exudes tropical chic. After an included lunch we’ll get our first taste of the jungle, when our local guides introduce us to some sensational fauna and flora in their natural habitat on a walking tour. From macaws to monkeys, with thousands of butterflies thrown in, this is biodiversity at its best. This evening, before dinner, you will enjoy a cocktail hour around a bonfire with pisco chilcanos and local snacks. Then we head to the Casa Grande’s dining room for dinner.

Please note: Today’s flight is not included in the cost of the tour. Please see Important Information for a special note on purchasing domestic airfare.

Here’s your chance to explore the Amazon in-depth with our guide. After a hearty buffet breakfast, we’ll trek through terra firma into Tambopata National Reserve. Look out for the endangered giant river otter, blue and yellow macaw, red howler monkey and black caiman. Lunch awaits back at the lodge, then onto the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway. Climb a 91ft/28m tower into the canopy, then cross 7 hanging bridges. Enjoy breathtaking vistas while photographing white-throated toucans, three-toed sloths, woodpeckers, trogons and squirrel monkeys. Dinner awaits back at our hotel. The day ends on another nocturnal safari, before dinner is served at the lodge.

Today we return to Puerto Maldonado by canoe, then board a flight to Cusco (also spelled Cuzco), South America’s oldest continually-inhabited city. In order to adjust to the altitude (3,400m/11,200m), we’ll take it easy this afternoon, with a short orientation walk that includes a visit to the local San Pedro market. This evening you’re free to explore, take advantage of the incredible hotel’s amenities, or you may join the group for an optional dinner.

Please note: Today’s flight is not included in the cost of the tour. Please see Important Information for a special note on purchasing domestic airfare.

We’re off to the Sacred Valley via private transport. We’ll visit a farming community en route, before we arrive in the town of Ollantaytambo. Take some time to explore, and be sure not to miss the fortress above town, as the entrance fee is included. Tonight we’ll enjoy an incredible included meal at our chic hotel. Note: We’ll safely lock up the majority of our luggage in our hotel just outside Ollantaytambo for the next few days while we explore the Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. We’ll use our Out Adventure duffel bags to carry the items you’ll need for the following few days.

We’ll begin our day riding the rails on the charming 360​° Machu Picchu Train, aboard which glass panels in the ceiling ensure you soak in as much of the view as possible. Venturing through the Urubamba Valley, we’ll eventually arrive in the town of Aguas Calientes, which is the closest civilization to Machu Picchu. You could take this afternoon to rest up, as tomorrow’s visit to Machu Picchu will be a long day, or you could treat yourself to a sneak peak of the ancient citadel before our guided tour tomorrow. Dinner is included back at the hotel.

This morning we’ll depart by bus around 5:30AM in order to make our way along the notoriously windy road to Machu Picchu. Upon arrival, we’ll explore Sun Gate and the Inka Bridge for a few hours. These two sites offer an incredible photo opportunity overlooking the main ruins themselves. After exploring the upper area, we’ll meet a private guide who will tour us through the UNESCO World Heritage Site itself, providing fascinating insights into Inkan culture and history. Please Note: As of July 2018, no one is allowed to explore Machu Picchu on their own. We’ll enjoy an optional lunch before taking the 360° Machu Picchu Train back to the Sacred Valley, where we’ll connect with our private transport to Cusco. Take the rest of the night to enjoy our luxe accommodations.

For the final morning of our tour, you’ll have the option to visit the archaeological sites of Saqsayhuaman, Qenqo & Tambomachay via private transport (price will depend on number of participants). While these sites may not be as mesmerizing as Machu Picchu, they remain historically significant, and are still worth a visit. This evening we’ll gather one last time, at a gay-welcoming restaurant, to share some fond memories over our Farewell Dinner.

There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart at your leisure. Thank you for joining our gay Peru tour.