Amazon Adventure and Machu Picchu

• Exclusive journey that captures the splendor of Peru, from pristine Amazon waterways to lofty Andean peaks, and delves deeply into its remarkable Incan heritage and rich cultural traditions.
• Created in our tradition of innovative programming and educational travel.
• Two specially arranged, guided visits to Machu Picchu.
• Two UNESCO World Heritage sites — Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu and City of Cuzco.
• An unforgettable, deluxe cruise in the Amazon rainforest within breathtaking Pacaya Samiria Natural Reserve, one of Peru's largest protected nature reserves, that abounds in extraordinary biodiversity. Revel in sightings of pink dolphins, sloths, bright toucans, river otters, iguanas, monkeys, caimans, colorful macaws and much more!
• Lima Pre-Tour Extension and Cuzco Post‑Tour Extension.

Depart your home city for Lima, Peru, and arrive later that evening.

Transfer to the Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport Hotel, where you will check in for the night. Enjoy dinner on your own this evening. A Gohagan & Company representative will be available at the hotel Hospitality Desk to assist with restaurant recommendations.

This morning you will check out of the hotel after breakfast and transfer to the airport for your flight to Iquitos.

Enjoy lunch at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Iquitos, which overlooks Plaza de Armas de Iquitos. Then, take a walking tour through this former rubber boom city, now the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon.

After the orientation tour, you will transfer to the port in Nauta, where you will embark the deluxe Zafiro. Attend a safety drill prior to departing, followed by a briefing by the team of expert naturalists, who will share their insights into this rich and complex ecosystem throughout the cruise.

Join your fellow passengers for a Welcome Reception this evening, followed by dinner on board the river boat.

Watch as civilization fades away, and the vast Amazon River unfolds before you.

Wake to a special treat as you disembark for a picnic breakfast served under the shade of a magnificent rainforest canopy. Watch for white‑necked heron and wattled jacana dipping into nearby shallow waters. Walk through this mysterious realm of soaring ceiba trees that reach as high as 200 feet, listen for endangered scarlet macaws chattering in the canopy, and watch for egrets, oriole blackbirds and purple gallinules.

After lunch on board, we will make another stop to meet an authentic local shaman, who will perform a traditional ritual and explain how the ribereños have used indigenous medicinal plants and herbs to cure ailments for centuries.

Return to the boat for dinner, followed by an expedition into the darkness of the jungle. Search for elusive nocturnal creatures — including caimans and bats — on a nighttime safari by skiff into the Pacaya‑Samiria National Reserve as a vast blanket of stars glows above you.

This morning after breakfast, you will embark on a fishing excursion in San José de Zarapanga — a virtually uninhabited portion of the Amazon. Skiffs will take you through the labyrinthine, Shiriyacu black-water tributaries while the vessel’s naturalists point out animal and plant life rarely detected by the untrained eye. Then try your hand at catching the famous red‑bellied piranha.

Return to the river boat for lunch on board as we continue cruising the Amazon back to Nauta.

This afternoon, we stop in a local village for a demonstration on how to prepare an Amazonian dish known as juanes, a regional favorite made of chicken and rice wrapped in banana leaves. Attend an enriching lecture to learn more about the Amazon culture you are experiencing before visiting another local river village. If you brought school supplies to share with the children, be sure to give them to your guide at this time.

Return to the boat for a final evening on board, where you will join the group on the deck to watch the last Amazon sunset as the band plays.

Attend a Farewell Reception and dinner on board this evening.

Enjoy one last breakfast on board before disembarking to transfer to the airport, making a stop to visit a handicraft market along the way. Fly from Iquitos back to Lima, where you will board your flight to Cuzco.

Check in to the Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba Hotel this evening and join the group for an included dinner. The rest of the evening is at your leisure.

Enjoy a breakfast prepared from local ingredients at the hotel, followed by a morning at leisure.

Find a nearby spot for lunch on your own today before joining the group for an afternoon excursion to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ollantaytambo, which contains ruins of a temple and fortress where Incan nobility fled when the Spaniards invaded Cuzco, waging some of their final battles here before the defeat of the empire. Located on the side of a mountain along the Urubamba River, this well-preserved archeological site includes remnants of lavish 15th-century palaces built for the rulers of the time.

The tour continues with a visit to the workshop of renowned ceramics artist Pablo Seminario, a gallery and art center devoted to preserving the production techniques and designs of ancient Peruvian cultures.

Return to the hotel for a relaxing evening and dinner on your own.

Check out of the hotel after breakfast as we make our journey to Machu Picchu — the lost city of the Incas.

Travel to the rail station at Ollantaytambo and board the Vistadome train for a panoramic ride through Urubamba Valley to Aguas Calientes. Disembark the train and behold the awe-inspiring views of this magnificent creation. Join the group for lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge, known for its innovative fusion dishes made with artisanal produce. Spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the wonders of Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu. Some believe the UNESCO-designated, 15th-century citadel of Machu Picchu was the Incan civilization’s most stunning urban achievement, with stone walls, terraces and ramps that appear to have been naturally carved in the rock escarpments. The city was meticulously designed with an upper and lower part, which separated the residential and farm areas with a square uniting them. The role that this sophisticated urban sanctuary may have played in the Incans' understanding of astronomy and agriculture remains a mystery. Abandoned when the Incan empire was conquered in the 16th century, Machu Picchu remained obscured from the outside world until Yale Professor Hiram Bingham literally stumbled upon it in 1911.

This evening, you will check in to the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, a luxurious respite. Set in the cloud forest on 12 acres, the property is home to more than 200 bird species. A delicious dinner will be served for the group at the hotel.

Wake for breakfast at the hotel and a morning at leisure.

You may opt to continue touring Machu Picchu or participate in one of the many natural history activities available in this spectacular area. Join the group back at the hotel for lunch, and then return to the rail station for the Vistadome train ride back to Ollantaytambo. Transfer back to Cuzco, where you will check in to a deluxe hotel.

Cuzco. The centuries-old city of Cuzco, former capital of the Incan empire, is situated high in the Andes at an elevation of 11,150 feet. Spaniards who conquered the empire in the 16th century kept its original structure intact, but built baroque churches and palaces over ruins of what was once a skillfully engineered urban center. Today, Cuzco is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere, and retains fine examples of early Incan architecture as well as early Spanish colonial structures.

Dinner will be served at the hotel for the group, with the rest of the evening to be spent at your leisure.

Following breakfast at the hotel this morning, prepare for a morning of excursions.

Your day begins with a tour of the Sacsayhuamán Archaeological Park, a fortified Incan citadel and ceremonial site dating to the 15th century. According to historical writings, the construction of the sprawling complex of stone structures required the labor of an estimated 20,000 people over a period of about 70 years. Continue to the heart of Cuzco to visit the historic cathedral and ruins of Coricancha, known as the Temple of the Sun. This ornate religious complex was once considered the center of the Incan world.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant with the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Attend a Farewell Reception with fellow travelers this evening, followed by dinner on your own at a local restaurant of your choice.