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JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF PERU |
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| TRIP DETAILS LIMA - ICA - PARACAS - CUSCO - MACHU PICCHU 10 DAYS
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| DESCRIPTION This TCC adventure photography escape will take you from ocean to mountain through the lens of your camera. Learn the best kept secrets about Pisco and wine elaboration process, photograph the giant sand dunes of the desert, sail with Humboldt penguins and sealions and discover Paracas National Reserve. Then, discover the heart of the Inca Empire, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu! Join us on this exciting 10-day photography expedition.
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| DAY 1: ARRIVAL DAY
Upon arrival to Lima's Airport, you will be welcomed by our friendly local staff and sent by taxi or shared shuttle to your hotel in Miraflores, where you are free to relax and wander around at your own pace. Depending on the time of your arrival, we have plenty of suggestions for you so you can make the most of your first day in Lima. Meet with the others tonight for a delicious dinner in the capital city.
Suggested accommodation: Antigua Miraflores or similar
Included meals: None
Important note: We have included every breakfast in this package and have kept lunches and dinners extra as food choices are quite varied and inexpensive in Peru. You can therefore choose what to eat, share or even skip a meal if you want! All meals will be held together as a group in wonderful restaurants along the way. Budget between 30-50US per day for food and alcoholic beverages.
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| DAY 2: PARACAS NATIONAL RESERVE Today, at the coordinated time, we’ll board our private transport and head south for 250km along the Pan-American Highway. We’ll be heading to Paracas, a beautiful bay and gateway into Paracas National Reserve.
After arriving to Paracas, we’ll have some free time to relax at our seaside hotel and then, in the afternoon to take advantage of the beautiful sunset colours, we’ll enter Paracas National Reserve and head to some of its best viewpoints so you can really appreciate our desert and coastal landscapes. Overnight in Paracas.
Suggested accommodation: Hacienda Paracas or similar
Included meals: Breakfast
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| DAY 3: BALLESTAS ISLANDS & DESERT OASIS
Today, after breakfast, we’ll board our fully equipped speedboats towards the Ballestas Islands, also known as the little Galapagos because of the great variety of marine wildlife that inhabit them. En route, our boat stops to observe the "The Chandelier", an enigmatic figure that can only be seen from the sea. We’ll be circumnavigating the islands as we approach caves and other rock formations while we intent to spot the local wildlife which, amongst others, consist of Sealions, Humboldt Penguins and various other marine bird species.
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| Once we’re back again on dry land we’ll head to the starting point of today’s desert adventure. Once here, we’ll board our powerful sandbuggies and begin our expedition across the heart of the California Desert towards Moron, a beautiful and pristine oasis surrounded by impressive sand dunes. The great advantage of going to Moron is that it still maintains its virgin nature with no buildings around it, only desert and reeds. Once at the oasis we have time to explore the surroundings and enjoy a small snack.
In the afternoon we return to Lima, arriving back to our hotel in the early evening.
Suggested accommodation: Antigua Miraflores or similar
Included meals: Breakfast
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| DAY 4: CUSCO & THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS
After breakfast, we have a short drive to the airport to take our 1 hour flight to the city of Cusco. If possible, we will try to get a seat on the left side of the aircraft as some of the best views of the Andes can be seen from this direction. Upon arriving at Cusco airport, we will be met by our local staff who will welcome us and take us on our private transport towards the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Because of its lower elevation (2,870 meters above sea level or 9,415 feet) and its peaceful atmosphere, the Sacred Valley is the perfect place to enjoy your first days in Cusco as you adapt to the high altitude.
On the way to our hotel, we'll stop at Awanacancha, where we can see all the different camelids of Peruvian Andes, and at the traditional Indian market of Pisac, where we can appreciate many local customs and observe innumerable regional products. Sunday is the best day to visit the market because farmers come from all over the area to trade their products; however, the market is open every day and is always a very interesting place to visit.
Once in our hotel we can relax and enjoy its facilities during the rest of the day.
Suggested accommodation: Pakaritampu or similar
Included meals: Breakfast
Flights: The domestic flights are extra. Because the price varies depending on when the flights are booked for the group, 250US or less will be added to your final payment and will be booked for you by RR Escape.
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DAY 5: OLLANTAYTAMBO, PUMAHUANCA AND WILLOQ
Today, after enjoying a nice breakfast, we'll walk from our hotel to the Ollantaytambo archaeological site, an impressive Inca complex that protected this area from incursions from the Amazon Basin. Ollantaytambo is one of the best examples of Inca architecture we can see nowadays. We'll then be able to walk along its cobblestone streets and have a look around the village.
After a little rest, we can take a less travelled road to the colourful communities of Willoq and Patacancha up valley from Ollantaytambo. Both communities are located approximately 45 minutes away from Ollantaytambo. Here we will have the opportunity to meet the villagers from this very rural area and learn a lot from life in the countryside. It’s also a chance to get some great portraits of locals, with their permission of course. On the way back to Ollantaytambo we can visit a small and very remote archaeological site called Pumamarka. In places like this, we may be the only people enjoying the views and landscape. We'll stay until sunset to catch the days last great photos.
Suggested accommodation: Pakaritampu or similar
Included meals: Breakfast
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DAY 6: MARAS, MORAY, MISMINAY AND CHINCHERO
This morning we'll set off to have a look at three rather peculiar Inca sites in the Sacred Valley. First, we reach Chinchero, a charming Andean town with a long tradition in textiles. We will enjoy a nice presentation and textile workshop with the very charismatic Chinchero ladies who will be happy to explain to us a little about how they get just about every colour you can imagine using only natural dyes. Thursday is market day in the valley so it will be quite interesting to have a look at this.
Second, we continue to Maras, an impressive salt-extraction complex consisting of thousands of small terraces. During the dry season they fill the pans every 3 days with salty water that comes from a natural spring, once the water is evaporated, they collect the salt they have been selling at the markets of the region since before the Inca times.
Next, we’ll head to the Misminay community, a small, hidden community in the proximities of Moray. The local families here follow a simple andean lifestyle but are quite open to travellers too. We’ll be able to spend some time here and maybe participate in some local activities.
Finally, after lunch time, we head to Moray, one of the most unusual Inca sites consisting of circular terraces built upon a natural depression, which seem to have been an agricultural experimental station used to adapt crops to different temperatures.
Suggested accommodation: Pakaritampu or similar
Included meals: Breakfast
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DAY 7: DISCOVERING THE LOST CITY OF THE INCAS
Today is the big day! In the morning, we'll board the train heading to Machu Picchu Town. The train journey is a spectacle in itself as we'll be able to appreciate the changing landscape from green fields and eucalyptus forests to lush jungle, always travelling beside the meandering Urubamba River. Upon arriving we’ll drop our bags at the hotel and have a little time to relax. Then at midday we’ll head up to Machu Picchu. We take a 20-minutes bus up the steep zigzagging road to Machu Picchu Citadel, located on an impressive mountain setting.
On arrival, we’ll decide if we would like to first hike up to the Inti Punku viewpoint (Sun Gate), this is optional but it’s a nice spot located about 40 minutes away from the main site. Then, at around 2.30pm, it’s the ideal time to take our guided tour around the main areas of the citadel as most travellers should already be leaving at this point. Sunset is around 5:45pm so we should be able to push our exit to around this time and catch the last rays of they day.
The rest of the evening is free to explore town, have a great relaxing dinner and head to bed surrounded by impressive mountains of Machu Picchu.
Important notes:
Be sure to be at the train station 30 minutes before your train departure.
Please don’t forget to bring your passport with you since it will be required when entering Machu Picchu.
Suggested accommodation: Hatun Inti Boutique Hotel or similar
Included meals: Breakfast
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DAY 8: HOTSPRINGS AND SCENIC JOURNEY TO CUSCO
This morning, after an early breakfast, we will hike for approximately 3 hours from Aguas Calientes to the final stop on the railway. This is a beautiful 11km hike which will take us along a flat path that crosses the cloudforest. If anyone is not comfortable walking this distance, you will leave a little later and take the train from Aguas Calientes for about 35 minutes to the final station of the railway (included). We will coordinate for all of us to meet there.
Upon arriving at our destination, our private transport will be waiting to take us to the Cocalmayo hotsprings, one of the most beautiful in Peru (about 35 minutes away). We can relax in the hotsprings for about an hour before continuing our journey. The next segment is extremely beautiful. In this same transport, we ascend from the cloudforest across the Malaga Pass (4200 meters above sea level) and then descend again towards Ollantaytambo. This part of the journey takes between 3 and 4 hours and will include stops along the way to photograph the impressive scenery.
Upon arriving to Ollantaytambo we can have a rest and, if we still have spare time and energy, we can visit the archaeological site in the area. On route we can stop for pictures along the way and photograph the beauty of this impressive landscape.
We can have a short rest in Ollantaytambo, before continuing our journey to Cusco where we will spend the night.
Suggested accommodation: Casa San Blas or similar
Included meals: Breakfast
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| DAY9: CUSCO AT LEISURE
Cusco is one of the most interesting cities in Peru and South America. Today we'll have the entire day to explore the streets and plazas of this UNESCO World Heritage City at our own pace. You'll have many options to choose from like a visit of the famous Saqsayhuaman archeological site, an impressive citadel on the northern outskirts of the city. You can also visit markets, churches, or go as far as Rainbow Mountain on a full-day excursion starting and finishing in Cusco. This if you want to add extra adventures to your already packed itinerary! Gather at the end of the day for a final and fun dinner together.
Suggested Accommodation: Casa San Blas or similar
Included Meals: Breakfast
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| DAY 10: DEPARTURE DAY
Today, you may have some free time to take a last walk around Cusco's shops and markets. When it's time to leave for the airport we will ask that you meet our driver at the hotel at the specific time in order to be at the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight. The drive from the historical city centre to the airport takes approximately 20 minutes.
Some of you may decide to continue on and explore more of this enchanting country. In fact, we propose an extra 3 day/ 2 night escape in the Amazon of Peru. We will discuss this extension further at one of our future Peru meeting.
Included Meals: Breakfast
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| YOUR ACCOMMODATION Below is a list of potential hotels that we will be using for the trip. The hotels are subject to availability at the time of booking. If unavailable, similar options will be suggested. Day 10 - Departure Day
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| YOUR ESCAPE PACKAGE
INCLUDES
- Meet & greet by Peruvian Soul representative at the airport
- Airport transfers to and from your hotel in Lima
- Domestic flights between Lima and Cusco return
- Accommodation in comfortable hotels as mentioned in the program
- All breakfasts
- All tours and entrance fees as mentioned in the program
- All private transfers for the group
- English-speaking Peruvian Soul guide and RR Escape host the whole way through as this is a fully hosted photography expedition!
DOES NOT INCLUDE
- International flights (we can advise)
- Lunches and dinners (We prefer to keep your lunches and diners optional for more flexibility. Food in Peru is quite inexpensive. Budget +/- 30US- 50US per day.)
- Travel Insurance
- Extras and tips
COST PER PERSON
2497US Includes taxes. Based on double occupancy. Add 475US for a single occupancy upgrade.
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| WHAT NEXT...
Spots are limited to 10 so please respond quickly with your interest as we will book spots on a first come basis and only once we receive a deposit will your spot be guaranteed. Once you commit, we'll send you a complete packing list with more information about the trip!
If you have a Q, we have an A.
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