Machu Picchu - Amazon Honeymoon

We transfer you to Lima airport to take a flight to Puerto Maldonado which lies deep in the Peruvian Amazonian Jungle. Upon arrival we travel by motorised canoe up the Madre de Dios River to an eco-friendly jungle lodge. On our journey to the lodge you have a chance to see bird species typical of the river and the forest outskirts such as a black skimmer, pied lapwing, a capped heron, a roadside hawk (Buteo magnirostris), a kingfisher, a swallow or tyrant flycatchers.

The jungle lodge combines a native architecture and materials with a low-impact technology intending to preserve the local environment. Rooms of the lodge are simple but comfortable, containing mosquito nets over each bed and toilet. Staff of the lodge are multilingual naturalists-guides and mostly consist of local community members.

You will take guided hikes through the jungle with a local guide and discover the Amazon's bizarre wildlife and native residents and the curative and useful properties of domestic jungle plants. The Incan Gold Amazon covers about half of Peru and it is located in the Amazon Basin. Thanks to its isolation it keeps hidden to casual travellers. Puerto Maldonado is the main city of the region and is mostly accessed by air from Lima or from Cusco. The city lies on confluence of the Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers. It is a busy and booming tropical frontier city which principal activities are gold mining, cashew nut collecting, timber exploitation, agriculture and ecotourism.

Sleep to the sounds of nighttime creatures and arise to the extraordinary sounds of bird song. Tambopata is famous for a wide variety of plants and animal populations that include over 1,300 bird species (including 32 parrot specias that are equal to 10% of the world parrot population), 200 mammal species (4 species of primates included), 90 species of frogs, 1,200 butterfly species and 10,000 species of higher plants! All of them are protected by law. Harpy eagle, a prehistoric looking hoatzin, tapir, peccary, jaguar, ocelot and playful river otters inhabitating the Oxbow Lake to name a few of these rainforest rare species!

On the last day of this Amazon honeymoon we transfer you back to the airport at Puerto Maldonado for your flight to Cusco located high in the Andes. You are welcomed by our representative and taken to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to acclimatize to the high altitude as well as relax and explore some of this fascinating city.

Cusco is a colorful, vibrant small city with many remaining foundations Inca buildings, temples, walls as well as a strong Spanish colonial influence in the architecture.  Andean people are friendly, warm hearted people who love to celebrate everything in life.  You may feel like you have moved back in time, as the colorful clothes, textiles, art and music create an magical aura of the  past merging into the present. Yes wifi works fast here too!

There are several massive ruins very near Cusco and some fascinating areas in Cusco.  Sachaywaman is a huge Incan fortress.  The walls are made up of huge and impressive stones weighing up to 130 tons.  These stones fit together so perfectly you cannot put a razor blade between them. They have been fashioned to withstand earthquakes and almost anything including the destruction by the Spanish Conquistadors.  Three of these walls run parallel to over 360 meters.

Q’enko is an Incan labyrinth and a ceremonial site.  Tambomachay is a water Temple, Puca Pucara is a fortress made of a different red stone.  These three special ruins are a short 15 minute bus ride from Cusco.

When the Spanish invaded they built most of the churches on to of Incan Temples and sacred places.  Qoricancha is one of those Temples.  The  Santa Domingo Church stands together with the walls of Ooricancha, once totally  covered in gold plating.  As history tells us thousands of tons of gold were scavenged and taken from the Incans by the Spanish and shipped back to Spain for the King and Royalty.

Pick up from your hotel in a private car for a tour Moray, Maras and Chinchero ruins and villages or choose a free day discovering the fascinating city of Cusco. 

Maras

The Salinas de Maras in Cusco, or maras salt mines as they are also called, are salt mines whose exploitation is as old as the Tahuantinsuyo. Located on the slope of the hill, the salt pans in the form of terraces or platforms is crossed by a stream that feeds the pools with salty water. The use of the Salt of Maras dates from thousands of years and is inherited in each family, but it is managed in a communal way. The name of the salina in Quechua is kachi Raqay and is composed of about five thousand pools of about 5 square meters each, the water seeps into the pools and evaporates by the action of the intense sun, causing coarse salt crystals to sprout , After 1 month the salt reaches 10 cm. of height and has to be harvested. The view of the set of pools is spectacular. The villagers show visitors their ancestral techniques and allow them to intervene in the collection, as well as in Andean festivals and rituals.

Moray 

Moray is an archaeological site in Peru approximately 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Cusco on a high plateau at about 3,500 m (11,500 ft) and just west of the village of Maras. The site contains unusual Inca ruins, mostly consisting of several enormous terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is approximately 30 m (98 ft) deep. As with many other Inca sites, it also has a sophisticated irrigation system.

The purpose of these depressions is uncertain, but their depth, design, and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 15 °C (27 °F) between the top and the bottom. It is possible that this large temperature difference was used by the Inca to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops. Speculation about the site has led to discussion about Moray as an Inca agricultural experimental area. Its microclimatic conditions and other significant characteristics led to the use of the site as a center for the ancient study of domestication, acclimatization, and hybridization of wild vegetable species that were modified or adapted for human consumption. 
 

Chinchero

Chinchero is a small Andean Indian village located high up on the windswept plains of Anta at 3,762m about 30km from Cusco. There are beautiful views overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the snow-capped peak of Salkantay dominating the western horizon. Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow. Its major claim to tourism is its colourful Sunday market which is much less tourist-orientated than the market at Pisac.

The village mainly comprises mud brick (adobe) houses, and locals still go about their business in traditional dress.

The village may have been an important town in Inca times. The most striking remnant of this period is the massive stone wall in the main plaza which has ten trapezoidal niches. The construction of the wall and many other ruins and agricultural terraces (which are still in use) are attributed to Inca Tupac Yupanqui who possibly used Chinchero as a kind of country resort.

In the main plaza an adobe colonial church, dating from the early seventeenth century, has been built upon the foundations of an Inca temple or palace. The ceiling and walls are covered in beautiful floral and religious designs. The church is open on Sundays for mass.

Return to Cusco in the afternoon, and the rest of the day is free to explore the city on your own.

Tour of the Sacred Valley.  We travel to a lesser altitude here. Due to its climate and fertile soil, the Sacred Valley was and is a major agricultural producer for Cusco and surrounding areas. Pick up at your hotel with a private car and driver for your day of discovery in the Sacred Valley.  There is a guided tour of Pisac Inca city and then a visit to the famous, traditional, handicraft markets in Pisac.  After that we head to Urubamba for lunch in one of the lovely restaurants. Then we continue to the huge fortress ruins of Ollantaytambo.  This major ruin is known for the best surviving example of Inca structural planning and engineering.  It is admired for its huge steep terraces guarding the Incan fortress and being one of a couple of places where the Spanish lost a major battle during their conquest.

After this tour you are taken to the Ollayantaytambo train station for the 3.40pm Vistadome train to Agua Calientes. Transfer to your hotel.

Early in the morning our guide will take you to the bus station where we will board the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. At sunrise we will enter the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. The light at dawn on Machu Picchu is magical and perfect for capturing once in a lifetime photographs.

This ancient citadel is a world-renowned tourist attraction and is undoubtedly the most famous example of Inca architecture. Located 122 km from Cusco at an altitude of 2,430 meters above sea level, it is nestled near the Urubamba River amidst lush subtropical cloud forests. The majestic beauty of the natural landscape surrounding this sanctuary, combined with the archaeological significance of the ruins, has made Machu Picchu one of the most treasured and visited sites in the Americas. UNESCO recognized its importance by declaring it a World Heritage Site in 1983.

Machu Picchu is a perfectly planned center and a brilliant example of Inca architecture. Its original builders skillfully integrated its construction into the extraordinary natural environment that still surrounds and protects it today.

You will enjoy a guided tour of Machu Picchu, following the designated circuit (determined by availability at the time of booking your Machu Picchu honeymoon trip). After the guided tour, you can enhance your experience by climbing Huayna Picchu for an additional fee.

After exploring the citadel, you will return to Aguas Calientes and take the train back to Ollantaytambo. Our transfer will be waiting for you with your name on it to take you back to your hotel in Cusco.

This day is free for you to explore the Cusco citadel with our guide, visiting the important sites of Cusco.

Transfer to the Cusco airport for your flight to Lima, marking the end of the Machu Picchu Honeymoon tour.

If you would like a hotel in Lima, let us know. Our tailor-made department will assist you in booking the extra accommodation in Lima.

• Welcome by our Representative at arrival;
• Met by our representative in Lima, Puerto Maldonado and Cusco Airport;

• Domestic flights: Lima – Puerto Maldonado - Cusco - Lima;
• All airport transfers;
• Accommodation: Hotel (7 Nights), Lodge (2 Nights);
• All entrance fees according to itinerary including tickets for Machu Picchu;
• Private tour guides as per the itinerary
• Meals: 08x breakfast, 2x Buffet Lunch Tunupa Restarutante, 02x Lunch and 02x Dinner in Amazon
• Transport by private car or vans for transfers or local tours
  Round trip Vistadome Train tickets
• Round trip shuttle bus from Agua Calientes to Machu Picchu Ruins.

• Pre and post accommodation
• International flights
• Airport departure taxes
• Huayna Picchu ticket (U$ 80)
• Meals not mentioned
• Travel insurance
• Tips and baggage porters, (Please note it is customary to give tips in Peru, but not obligatory.)
• Other extras not mentioned.
  

All Tierras Vivas adventurous group tours are accompanied by a Tierras Vivas Tour Guide, a Representative or an expedition team. The aim of our Tour Guides is to take a hassle out of our customers’ trips and to help them to have the best trip possible. The Tour Guides provide information on places visited, offer suggestions of what to see and to do, recommend a good place to eat and introduce to his/her colleagues. The Guides have a broad general knowledge of each country visited during a tour, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local Tour Guides where we think that more specific knowledge could add more enjoyment to visited places.

These following hotels are used to accommodate you during your tour:

Accommodation in Lima:

Costal del Sol Lima.

Accommodation in Cusco:

Costal del Sol Cusco.

Accommodation in Machu Picchu:

Tierra Viva Hotel Machu Picchu.

Please note! If you have purchased pre or post trip accommodation, you might be asked to change your room during your trip.

A kind of luggage you need to take with depends on a kind of tour you plan to undertake, a part of the country you like to visit, a year season and a length of your trip. In general, you should pack as lightly as possible because you carry your own luggage during most of our tours (however, there are not long walking distances – up to 30 minutes). We recommend you to keep weight of your luggage under 10 kg (22 lb.).

Most of travelers use a suitcase. However, a big backpack would be more suitable. In any case, please do not forget a small rucksack that you will need for daily travels (to carry your bottled water, camera, snacks, etc.). It is better to avoid a wheeled luggage and use luggage with shoulder straps.

What Kind of Clothing to Pack to Peru

Clothing to take with you depends on a year season in Peru and a part of country you plan to visit.

When visiting coastline of the Northern Peru and surroundings of Lima, then you need to pack some light cloths (for example, shorts, skirts, dresses, T-shirts), flip-flops, sandals, a head cover as a protection against the Sun (a hat or a cap), sun protection cream, sunglasses, mosquitos repellent and swimsuit, of course.

If you plan to visit Peruvian mountains (Andean mountain range or Altiplano), then we recommend you to take some trousers suitable for hiking, shorts, T-shirts and trekking shoes for the days; and sweaters, fleeces, hats, scarves and warm jackets for the nights. You also should take a sun protection cream, sun glasses and in some cases, mosquito repellent (depending on a route chosen). It is very convenient to have a light rain-gear available in a daypack (e.g. a waterproof poncho or jacket and/or waterproof trousers) as weather changes quickly and rains can suddenly occur. For more details, please check the below link of “What to Bring on the Inca Trail Expedition Tour”.

If you like to see the Incan gold Amazon (Manu, Puerto Maldonado, Iquitos, etc.), then the most important item of your luggage must be a mosquito repellent (20 DEET as a minimum recommended)!! Except that, you should take some light clothing with long sleeves and long trousers (to put into your shoes as a kind of protection against insect). You should not forget some waterproof cloths (especially, if you plan to visit the rainforest during a rainy season), comfortable and closed footwear, long socks and a hat.

What to Bring on the Amazon and Machu Picchu Honeymoon Packages

• Passport: Original and copies
• Travel insurance(+ copies for a case of lost),
• Flight tickets,
• Cash in USD or credit cards,
• Our service voucher (sent by us to you),
• Entry visa and a proof of vaccination (if applicable),
• Day pack (to carry your personal items during daily travels),
• Rain gear (a rain-jacket and a waterproof trousers or a rain poncho - this can be purchased in Cusco),
• Resistible footwear, waterproof trekking shoes are recommended,
• Sandals (for a higher comfort while at a campsite),
• Warm clothes such as a jacket, a fleece (thermal clothing is also recommended for cold nights during camping),
• Hat or a cap (to protect you against the Sun, rain as well as cold),
• Sun cream or sun block,
• After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body,
• Insect repellent– recommended minimum is 20% DEET (please note that no malaria has been reported during this trip!),
• Camera and its charger/batteries (please note that batteries are consumed quickly under cold conditions),
• Flashlight/headlamp + batteries,
• Handkerchiefs and toilet paper,
• Small towel and toiletries,
• Sufficient reserve of underwear,
• Swimsuit (to visit the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes),
• Snacks (biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.)

Please note: we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. The recommendation of taken own snack applies only for customers who like a specific snack that might not be in our menu. Bottled water for the first morning and a water bottle.