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Peru Amazon River Cruise, Iquitos: Delfin Riverboat Expedition & Houseboat

Peru Wildlife: Machu Picchu + Amazon Riverboat

12 NIGHTS FROM:

$3,944

Per person sharing

Scheduled flights quoted separately

PRE12L

• Peru Amazon River Cruise

• Lima

• Larco Museum

• Sacred Valley

• Machu Picchu

• Cusco

• Iquitos Houseboat

• Delfin Riverboat Expedition

• Tender Boat Trips

• Amazon River Cruise Iquitos

Combine a thrilling wildlife trip in Peru aboard an Amazon River cruise sailing from Iquitos, with a visit to the famous Inca citadel at Machu Picchu and the ancient capital of Cusco. Join this Delfin Riverboat expedition, living on a houseboat for several nights and viewing rainforest wildlife. Also explore historic Lima, the city of kings. All transfers & specified sightseeing included.

Detailed itinerary ▶

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Days 1 To 2

You will be met at Lima Airport and transferred to your hotel.

Check in and relax in this capital city - the largest in Peru and its gastronomical centre.

Day 3

Transfer to Lima Airport for your onward flight.

Day 4

Today enjoy a full day private tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Our first stop is at the fortress at Ollantaytambo, built to protect the northern entrance to the Sacred Valley from invasion and later the centre of Incan resistance against the Spanish. The fortress and walled terraces of this town provide some of the finest examples of Incan architecture, with the six rose-coloured monoliths of the Temple of the Sun being particularly outstanding. The village itself is the best surviving example of Inca urban planning, with stone-paved streets that have been used since the 12th century.

We then drive to the archaeological site at Moray, where the Incas built enormous circular agricultural terraces on steep hills by hauling topsoil up by hand from the lower land, thereby generating much higher crop yields than would have been possible at such high altitude. This site is believed to be a former agricultural laboratory, an astronomical observatory or a place of worship - or maybe all three.

After an included lunch in a local restaurant, we continue to the Maras Salt Pans, a complex network of nearly 5,000 pre-Inca salt pans that have been hand-harvested by local families for thousands of years. The salt is formed when water from a spring that permeates these pools is evaporated by the intense sun, forming thick crystals in a variety of colours. The naturally pink ‘Sal de Maras’ is one of the finest salts in the world, getting its beautiful hue from trace elements in the spring water.

Day 5

Today transfer to Ollantaytambo Station for the air-conditioned Vistadome or Inca Rail 360 train to the famous Inca citadel of Machu Picchu - an amazing 1.5-hour journey to this magnificent mountain top city situated in a beautiful cloud forest, that was abandoned and reclaimed by the jungle until it was rediscovered in 1911.

This legendary Lost City of the Incas is without a doubt one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites. Built on the summit of Machu Picchu (meaning "Old Peak"), on a natural saddle between steep forested mountains, it overlooks the deep canyon of the Urubamba River some 7,972 ft (2,430 m) above sea level. With its giant walls, terraces and ramps that appear to have been cut naturally out of the rock escarpments, Machu Picchu's history remains shrouded in mystery as the Incas did not leave any written records.

At the gateway town of Aguas Calientes, we leave the train and board the bus for a 40-minute zig zag ride up to Machu Picchu. Enjoy a guided tour of this 14th century citadel which contains a Main Plaza, Circular Tower, Sacred Sun Dial, Royal Quarters, Temple of the Three Windows and various burial grounds - although the actual sites you will see will depend on the circuit that you have been allocated.

Afterwards return by bus to Aguas Calientes and take the train back to Ollantaytambo Station, where you will be met and transferred back to your hotel.

Note: You must take your passport with you today, as this will be needed to gain entrance, which is restricted to 4-hours (based on either a morning or afternoon schedule). It is mandatory to enter with a guide and you cannot take selfie sticks, tripods, umbrellas, food or alcohol onto the site. You may not wear high heels or hard soled shoes and smoking is prohibited. If you leave the sanctuary for any reason (eg for lunch), re-entry will not be permitted. Only one bag not exceeding 11 lb (5 kg) is allowed as hand luggage on the train, so your main bags need to be left in luggage store at either your Cusco or Sacred Valley hotel, for later collection by yourself or our ground handler. From January to June parts of the rail track may be impassable at times due to mud slides, when a bus transfer will be substituted.

It is also possible to upgrade to the much more luxurious Hiram Bingham train.

Day 6

This morning enjoy a half day shared excursion to Chinchero, a small picturesque Andean village that was an important Inca outpost at the end of the 15th century.

The villagers here have preserved their traditional Andean spinning and weaving techniques, so you can see textile artisans at work and learn about their techniques. You can also buy handcrafts at the market in the town square, visit their small traditional church and see their Inca ruins.

Afterwards transfer 2-hours to Cusco, where you will be dropped off back at your hotel, with balance of day at leisure.

Note: Shared day tours have a maximum of 24 people.

Day 7

Today enjoy a half day shared tour of the magnificent colonial city of Cusco, built on Inca foundations and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Comprising a fascinating mix of colonial churches, monasteries and extensive pre-Columbian ruins, almost every central street in this city has remnants of Inca walls.

We start with a visit to the San Pedro Market, where you can explore the colours, flavours and traditions of modern Cusco. We then visit the impressive Temple of the Sun (Koricancha) whose walls and floors were once covered in sheets of solid gold. On the site of this ancient Inca palace and centre of worship of the Sun God, the Dominicans ordered a church to be built, which survives to this day.

We then leave the city and visit the impressive walled fortress of Sacsayhuaman (meaning 'speckled falcon') on the northern outskirts, believed to have been both a military and ceremonial centre. This enormous Inca structure has massive walls of hewn stone and is strategically located on a hill overlooking the city. We also visit Qenko (meaning 'zigzag') where the sun, moon and stars were worshipped.

Returning to Cusco, we walk along the cobbled streets of the Plaza de Armas - the central plaza around which you will see many magnificent colonial buildings - including the Cathedral and the Church of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

After your tour you can walk down well-preserved Loreto Street to see the remains of Incan palaces, as well as old colonial buildings. If you walk down Hatun Rumiyoc, a cobbled street near the Archbishop's Palace, keep an eye out for the famous 12-sided stone that fits so perfectly you can't even insert a coin.

Afterwards savour the local cuisine (own account). If you are feeling adventurous you can try guinea pig - a local speciality.

Note: Cusco is situated at high altitude (11,150 ft / 3,400 m), so walk slowly. The Temple of the Sun is not open on Sunday mornings & religious holidays. You will need to carry your passport to gain access to the site at Sacsayhuaman. Shared day tours have a maximum of 16 people.

Day 8

At leisure to explore more of the sights of Cusco independently.

There is also the option to participate in a treks to the Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain, Paccoyo Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lagoon

Day 9

Transfer to Cusco Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Iquitos Airport and transferred 2-hours to the town of Nauta, situated on the northern bank of the Marañón River - a major tributary of the Upper Amazon.

Here you will board your houseboat to explore the birds and wildlife of the amazing Amazon Basin - a 2.7-million square mile (6.7 million sq.km) conservation area that is the largest in the world, spreading across nine countries - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana.

Enjoy wonderful views from the observation deck, as your houseboat sets sail. As you glide through the vegetation, you can marvel at the magnificent trees and the extraordinary variety of orchids, bromeliads, ferns, begonias, lichens and mosses that grow here. After a safety briefing and talk from your naturalist guides, enjoy a delicious Amazonian welcome dinner.

Day 10

This morning we leave our houseboat and enjoy a boat expedition along the Yanallpa River. Within this vast flooded Amazon rainforest, we cruise along an amazing black water stream and explore a 'Gallery Forest' with narrow vegetation that creates a tunnel of leaves. As we float through this tunnel, your naturalist guide will help you spot parrots, macaws, fluffy monk saki monkeys, woolly monkeys and tufted brown capuchin monkeys in the trees along the riverbanks.

On the way back to our houseboat we explore the Tapiche River system and enjoy a guided jungle walk to learn more about medicinal plants and search for insects, snakes and birds deep in this primary rainforest. We also hope to see some of the colourful birds of the rainforest such as the brilliant golden-headed quetzal, grey-breasted mountain toucan, blue-crowned motmot, umbrella bird, blue-banded toucanet, fruit-eating tanager, red-crested cotinga, band-tailed fruit eater and a variety of flycatchers.

After lunch we set off again in the afternoon to explore the Dorado River. We take a skiff through a 'Mirrored Forest' where you can see towering trees reflected in the black river water, while on the lookout for parrots, blue-yellow macaws and the great variety of primates and sloths. As we make our way back to the houseboat, we hope to see caimans (related to alligators), turtles and frogs in the water and fishing bats overhead. Jaguars also live along the riverbanks, but are rarely seen.

In the low water season (June to October) there is an optional night excursion into Zapote Creek to search for nocturnal wildlife species such as bats, boa constrictors, great pottos, tarantulas, kinkajous, nightjars and opossums.

Note: The daily itinerary is dependant on water levels and weather conditions. A headlamp is essential in the Amazon. Assume there will be no mobile phone coverage and weak (or non-existent) WiFi.

Day 11

We continue exploring the waterways by skiff today on an expedition along the Yarapa River, where grey and pink freshwater dolphins are likely to swim and play around our boats. Local Amazonian tribes believe these dolphins turn into humans to steal handsome men or women from their villages during special celebrations. We also hope to see monkeys such as the brown capuchin and saddle-back tamarin, as well as birds such as the flycatcher, trogon, woodpecker and more.

In the afternoon our boat turns around and start sailing downstream toward Iquitos. Along the way we stop at Panguana Zone 2 for a cooking class in an indigenous homestead, with your naturalist guide acting as interpreter. Here you can learn more about (and taste) local Amazon cuisine.

Once we are back on board, the houseboat continues downstream, sailing toward Iquitos.

Day 12

Enjoy a final early morning excursion in the Amazon Basin today, followed by an early lunch on board.

In the afternoon we disembark at Iquitos and visit the Manatee Rescue Centre, which cares for rescued endangered Amazon manatees and re-introduces them into the wild.

Afterwards you will be transferred to Iquitos Airport for your onward flight.

Arrive at Lima Airport and make your own way to your hotel situated in the airport complex.

If your hotel is not situated inside the terminal, go to desk 365 and request a free hotel shuttle, which they will order for you. You need to pre-book your return shuttle at the same time.

Day 13

Make your own way (walking or by free shuttle, depending on the location of your hotel) to Lima Airport for your flight home.

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