Andes, Jungle & Machu PicchuMulti Sport Adventure Trip
| Country | PERU |
| Trip Duration | 10 days, 9 nights |
| Season | April to November |
| Difficulty | Easy - Moderate |
| Transport | Bus, train, Bikes, Raffs |
Trip Highlights
Highlights
Extraordinary mountain scenery, Quechua culture, significant archeological sites, abundant wildlife and Amazonian jungle flora, Machu Picchu
Overview
Our multi-sport adventure is a great way to experience the wide variety of exciting outdoor activities and cultural heritage Peru has to offer. Join us for this challenging, scenic quest in Peru’s mountains and jungles as we hike through historical Inca country, including the Sacred Valley. We will also visit local families and experience the traditional activities that remain a part of daily life in these small rural communities. During our exploration of the lush Cloud Forest we will wander through a coffee and tea plantation, surrounded by tropical foliage and colorful wildlife including the many species of exotic birds that live in the canopy overhead. Our adventure will also include Class II, III and IV whitewater rafting and a zip line park that have you flying through the air hundreds of feet in the air - so get ready for the excitement! After your adrenaline has been flowing for a few days, enjoy a relaxing soak in the natural hot springs at Aguas Calientes before arriving at Machu Picchu. Overall, this adventure covers some of the most picturesque and attractive terrain in the region and offers an opportunity to observe the traditional community life of the highlands and the tropical valleys.
Trip Itinerary
Day 1. Lima - Cusco (3,360 mt / 11,020 ft)
You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the airport to check-in for your flight to Cusco. The scenic flight over the Andes is approximately one hour. Upon arrival in Cusco you will be greeted by our staff and transferred to your hotel. There will be a brief meeting with our guide before lunch and a leisurely walking tour of the city. The tour will cover some of Cusco’s most important sites including the Koricancha, San Blas Plaza, and a variety of artisan stores and art galleries, with opportunities to purchase items that catch your eye.
The late afternoon and evening is free time. We encourage you to rest and to move slowly through your first day so that your body has time to adjust to the altitude. You will want to eat light (broth soups are particularly recommended) and to drink plenty of water and the coca tea that is readily available in hotels and restaurants.
| Meals | Breakfast |
| Accommodation | Hotels |
Day 2. Cusco (moderate altitude adjustment hike)
Our first hike begins with a transfer to Tambomachay (altitude 3,800 meters or 12,464 feet). We will explore this important archeological complex before starting our hike back to Cusco. As we began our return, we will pass through Puca-Pucara, Qusilluchayoc and Moon Temple, where we will stop to have a nice picnic lunch. After lunch, we will continue to the Qenqo ruins, before walking to one of Peru’s most important historical sites, Sacsayhuaman, the Inca citadel perched above Cusco. We will spend time investigating the site and enjoying the spectacular views it offers of the city and the mountains before we start our walk back down into Cusco using one of the original Inca trails connected to Sacsayhuaman.
Total hiking distance: 7 km or 4.3 miles.
Level of Difficulty: the terrain is easy, but may feel more difficult due to altitude
| Meals | Breakfast and Lunch. |
| Accommodation | Hotel |
| Hiking distance | 7 km / 4.3 ml |
| Minimum altitude | 3,360 mt / 11,020 ft |
| Maximum altitude | 3,800 mt / 12,464 feet |
Day 3. Cusco - Sacred Valley (downhill hike, altitude 2,900 mt/ 9,512 ft)
After breakfast we will drive to Chincheros, a small town in the highlands. The town is one of the main centers for traditional Peruvian weavings, offering excellent opportunities for you to buy typical mantas (similar to tapestries) made by the local weavers using traditional techniques, designs, and natural colors. From Chincheros, we will drive to Moray to experience an Inca farming site and then we will hike down to the mines of Maras. It is an easy downhill hike crossing through more than a thousand salt pools, some of them still working and used by local families for hundreds of years. After visiting this operation we will transfer to one of the local restaurants for lunch. When we are done eating, we will visit Ollantaytambo. This town offers you the opportunity to walk through Inca passages that are hundreds of years old and climb up to the Sun Temple, the religious center of the town. From this vantage point, you will experience sweeping vistas of farmlands, hanging storage houses constructed at incredible heights in the sides of the hills, and some of the finest stonework in Peru. Afterwards, we will return to our hotel in the valley.
Level of Difficulty: EASY
| Meals | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
| Accommodation | Hotel |
| Hiking distance | 10 km / 6.2 ml (hiking distances) |
Day 4. Sacred Valley - Huaman Marca - Quillabamba (bus and cyclin)
After breakfast we will board our van and drive to Malaga Pass (4,300 meters or 14,106 feet). Along the way you will see the glaciated Veronica Mountain (alt 5,950 meters or 19,516 feet) that towers over the pass. From this point our drive takes us down to San Luis (3,200 meters or 10,496 feet). Where we will pick up our mountain bikes, and our guide will give a briefing on our ride though the challenging (but not technical) terrain. We will stop for lunch at Alfamayo or Huamanmarca, a recently discovered Inca archeological site. After lunch, we will continue to descend to the charming small town of Santa Maria (1,500 meters or 4,500 feet). During this ride you will see coffee, tea, and coca plantations, you will also notice various fruits of the tropical region like bananas, oranges or papayas. After our ride we will transfer to our campsite near the town of Quillabamba.
Total driving distance: 183 kilometers or 114 miles
Total Biking distance: 50 kilometers or 31.5 miles
Level of Difficulty: MODERATE
| Meals | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
| Accommodation | Camp |
| Hiking distance | 183 km / 114 ml |
| Minimum altitude | 1,100 mt / 3,608 ft |
| Maximum altitude | 4,300 mt / 14,106 ft |
Day 5. Quillabamba - Santa Maria - Quillabamba (rafting)
This morning we will wake up to the smell of locally grown coffee. After a good breakfast, we will head to Santa Maria and prepare for our whitewater-rafting day through Class III and IV rapids. While rafting, we will pass by coca fields and coffee and fruit plantation and stop for a picnic lunch. After our mid-day meal, we will arrive in San Baray, where we will be picked up and driven back to our campsite for a special dinner, “pachamanca” (different cans of meats and potatoes are cooking under ground, accompanied whit plantains and the typical cuy).
Total Rafting distance: 30 kilometers or 18.02 miles
Level of Difficulty: EASY/MODERATE
| Meals | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
| Accommodation | Camp |
| Minimum altitude | 1,100 mt / |
Day 6. Quillabamba - Santa Rosa - Cocalmayo (trekking)
We will enjoy breakfast before heading back to Santa Maria where we will begin an uphill climb to an Inca trail, which winds around steep slopes with sheer ledges for approximately a half-mile. Our descent takes us into the quaint village of Quellomayo where we will eat our lunch. After a relaxing meal, we will continue along the Urubamba River until reaching our campsite near Santa Teresa town.
Level of Difficulty: MODERATE
| Meals | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
| Accommodation | Camp |
| Hiking distance | 15 km / 9.3 ml |
Day 7. Cocalmayo - Santa Teresa - Cocalmayo (zip line, coffee farm activities)
After breakfast we will start our hike to the Cola de Mono Zip Line Park (http://www.canopyperu.com/). It will take approximately two and one half hours to reach the longest zip line in the region. We will receive detailed instructions regarding the use of the equipment and the safety procedures employed in this adventure sport, and begin with a short zip line ride to get accustomed to the activity and to get the adrenaline flowing before taking the longer zip line crossing which is 400 meters or 437 yards. For those who do not want to participate in zip line crossing, you may select other activities like river rafting, or walking. When we are done with the zip lines, we will head to the main dining building of the park and have a typical Peruvian lunch. Following the meal, we will head to a local coffee farm to learn about the harvesting and roasting process. If you would like, you may participate in activities ranging from the harvest to the peeling of the beans. And, of course, we can enjoy a fresh cup of coffee before returning to our camp.
Level of Difficulty: EASY
Zip line distances:
Cable 1 – 150 m/ 492 ft high and 390 m/426 yards long
Cable 2 – 135 m/443 ft high and 380 m/415 yards long
Cable 3 – 110 m/ 360 ft high and 400 m/437 yards long
Cable 4 - 90 m/ 295 ft high and 400 m/437 yards long
Cable 5 – 40 m / 132 ft high and 320 m/349 yards long
Cable 6 – 35 m/ 115 ft high and 350 m/382 yards long
Cable 7 – 20 m / 65 ft high and 200 m/218 yards long
| Meals | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
| Accommodation | Camp |
| Hiking distance | 5 km / 3 ml |
Day 8. Cocalmayo - Llactapata - Machu Picchu (Inca trail hike)
DAY 8.- COCALMAYO – LLACTAPATA – MACHU PICCHU (Inca Trail hike)
Today we will take a short trip to Lucmabamba, where one of the Inca trails takes up to Machu Picchu. We will hike for two hours up to Llactapata Pass (2,835 meters or 9,299 feet). We will take a rest here, enjoying the impressive views of the Santa Teresa Valley before we continue into the lush cloud forest. We will descend through the thick vegetation toward the archeological side of Llactapata, where we will have an impressive view of Machu Picchu and the entire Vilcanota mountain range including Salkantay (6,270 meters or 20,565 feet) and Palkay mountains. After lunch, we will continue our descent through the Aobamba Valley before arriving at the Hydroelectric Train Station (1,771 meters or 5,809 feet) where we will board our train for a trip to Aguas Calientes (2,000 meters or 6,560 feet) at the base of Machu Picchu. From the station we will transfer to our hotel.
Level of Difficulty: MODERATE
| Meals | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
| Accommodation | Hotel |
| Hiking distance | 10.3 km / 6.4 ml |
Day 9. Machu Picchu – Cusco
We will eat an early breakfast before taking a bus to the top of the world famous Machu Picchu, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Machu Picchu is located high above the Urubamba River and features temples, houses, staircases, and agricultural terraces built high among rugged and forested mountains with snow-covered Andean peaks in the distance. The full day is dedicated to exploring the site including the Intihuatana stone (meaning Hitching Post of the Sun) with the option of walking to Inti Puncu (meaning Sun Gate) or climbing Huayna Picchu with its superb views of the entire archeological complex. After taking the bus down the mountain, we will take an afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo, transfer to our bus, and bring you to your hotel in Cusco, time to relax and prepare for our farewell dinner in one of the local Peruvian gourmet restaurant.
Total hiking distance: depends on group interests and places we visit
Level of Difficulty: EASY
| Meals | Brakfast |
| Accommodation | Hotel |
| Minimum altitude | Breakfast, Lunch |
Day 10. Cusco - Lima - Home
We will enjoy a final breakfast together before transferring to the Cusco airport for your flight back to Lima. You will be greeted in Lima and given assistance with your flight connections.
Includes: Breakfast
| Meals | Breakfast, |
| Accommodation | Not include |
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