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Day 1  Lima              
Welcome to Peru! Your adventure begins in Lima, where you will be collected from the airport on arrival and transferred to your hotel. Here you will meet your small group of fellow travellers and your local leader for a 2pm welcome meeting. Afterwards, head out to get to know the city on a walking tour of downtown Lima with your leader. Admire the colonial buildings of Plaza Mayor and visit the eerie catacombs of the Saint Francis Monastery. Stop off at the colourful street food stalls to sample some of Lima’s favourite sweet treats. This evening,  you’ll head to one of the city’s best restaurants, set in a historic house in the artistic Barranco neighbourhood.              

Day 2  Lima to Amazon Jungle            
Today you will catch a flight to Puerto Maldonado. On arrival in the afternoon, take a bus to the community port of Infierno where you will board motorised canoes and head upstream into the Amazon rainforest. Keep an eye out for macaws, herons, alligators and capybaras along the way. Nestled on the banks of the Tambopata river you’ll find the Posada Amazonas, a rustic jungle lodge owned by the indigenous Ese Eja community, and your feature stay accommodation for the next two nights. As dusk falls, set out for a night walk to discover the fascinating nocturnal activity in the surrounding areas, then retire to the lodge for dinner.  

Day 3  Amazon Jungle    
After breakfast, board a dug-out wooden canoe to quietly glide across Lake Sandoval, keeping an eye out for red howler monkeys, giant river otters, and colourful macaws along the way. After lunch you may like to walk along the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway, a 344 metre network of suspension bridges that take you high above the forest floor.  

Day 4  Amazon Jungle to Cusco        
This morning you will travel back to Puerto Maldonado, then take a short flight to Cusco, the former centre of the Incan Empire. Arrive in the early afternoon and settle in to your hotel, then head out with your leader for an orientation walk to familiarise yourself with one of South America’s oldest city and get used to the high altitude. The evening is free for your own discoveries.  

Day 5  Cusco    
Today you will discover more of Cusco’s charms on a walking tour with your leader. Visit the Coricancha Temple, once the most important temple in the Incan Empire. Meet with a local guide to uncover the secrets of the temple and the ancient civilization that first built it. Afterwards, head to the San Pedro market, where you can practice your bargaining skills and take some colourful pictures, then swing by the Plaza de Armas for another look at the marvellous cathedral. The afternoon is free for further explorations.    
       
Day 6  Cusco to Ollantaytambo      
This morning, en route to Ollantaytambo, stop by the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, visit the Chichubamba community to gain a greater insight into the local lifestyle with a traditional Andean lunch. Explore Ollantaytambo's archaeological site with an expert local guide who will discuss the evidence of the Incas' engineering skills in the ruins of ancient aqueducts, irrigation canals, dams on the Urubamba River.    

Day 7  Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes        
Today, travel from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes in style, boarding the 360 Machu Picchu Train. High, domed windows offer up unbelievable views of the Andes, allowing you to sit back in comfort and take it all in. Disembark the train and take a short bus ride up the winding road to Machu Picchu, where you will be joined by a guide who will take you through the ruins and tell you stories of its history and the ancestral people of the region. Later, take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes to spend the night before heading back up to Machu Picchu first thing in the morning for your second visit.          

Day 8  Aguas Calientes to Cusco        
Rise before the sun and take the winding road back up to incredible Machu Picchu. On your second visit, join a local Machu Picchu guide once again to explore more of the extraordinary architecture of the many temples, palaces and living quarters. Take the bus back to Aguas Calientes, then catch a standard train back to Ollantaytambo. From here, you will make the drive back to Cusco for the evening.        

Day 9  Cusco        
Your Amazon and Inca adventure comes to an end after breakfast this morning.