11-Nights Tailor Made Peru & Machu Picchu: Amazon to Lake Titicaca - Luxury Tailor Made Travel from $12,920

Itinerary Details

Abercrombie & Kent: Tailor Made Peru & Machu Picchu: Amazon to Lake Titicaca

Day 1 Lima, Peru

Arrive in Lima, where you are met and privately transferred to your hotel. Founded by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 5, 1535, the city of Lima blends colonial splendor with an air of teeming vitality.

After breakfast, fly to Puerto Maldonado. Upon arrival, venture out of the city by boat on the Tambopata River, gliding through verdant jungle landscapes and enjoying your first taste of Amazon cuisine for lunch along the way. Cross the confluence with the Malinowski River, leaving the final traces of human habitation behind, as you enter the National Reserve of Tambopata — over 1.7 million acres of wilderness where sightings of capybara, caiman, geese, macaws and other species become increasingly likely. Arrive at Tambopata Research Center, your boutique eco-lodge — the only lodge inside the reserve — surrounded by dozens of macaw nests. Throughout your three-night stay, enjoy your choice of included activities available from the lodge, as suggested by this itinerary. This afternoon, join a two-to-three-mile hike, during which you may sight howler monkeys and dusky titi monkeys, to an overlook offering commanding views of the Tambopata River winding its way into the lowlands. Tonight, enjoy the option to hike after dark, when many local mammals are at their most active.

Today, again choose from the included activities suggested here. Rise early to take in the diverse and colorful birdlife near your lodge, starting with the many macaws and parrots that congregate on the riverbank in a raucous spectacle that inspired a National Geographic cover story. From a discrete distance, observe as green-winged, scarlet, and blue-and-gold macaws as well as several species of parrot land to ingest clay, a behavior yet not fully understood. Join your guide on a three-mile walk that reveals a primordial rainforest brimming with a wide range of flora and fauna, including immense forests crisscrossed by creeks and ponds, peccaries and several types of monkey. Also explore an island upriver from your lodge to watch for waterfowl, woodpeckers and other birds that call a local pond their home. After dinner this evening, gather for a night lecture by local scientists who provide an in-depth look at the biology of macaws, their feeding and breeding habits, and efforts devoted to their conservation.

Start your day with your choice of included activities, such as a hike through the rainforest, stepping carefully over winding “highways” of peaceful leaf-cutter ants, accompanied by highly seasoned local guides who know everything about the forest. They excel at spotting tiny birds hiding in the canopy, elusive monkeys or amazing examples of endemic plant life. Later, as afternoon slips into evening, witness a spectacular sunset from aboard a cruise boat, its hues of orange and pink shimmering on the water.

After breakfast, return to Puerto Maldonado for your flight to Cusco, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. With its Incan walls, sacred valleys, churches built on Inca palaces and citadels lost in the Andean heights, Cusco is an archaeological treasure chest filled with charms for visitors. Enjoy this evening at leisure to acclimatize to the altitude.

This morning, board the Hiram Bingham train bound for Machu Picchu, the crowning achievement of the Incan civilization. En route, watch the passing Andean scenery and savor lunch on board. Arrive at Machu Picchu to explore the remote citadel’s sprawling ruins. Overlooking the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century at the height of the Inca Empire. Although this “Lost City” was revealed to the rest of the world by American Hiram Bingham in 1911, its location was long known to locals. Its original purpose, however, remains a matter of some conjecture, as the Incas left no written records. As you explore Machu Picchu with an expert local guide, take a moment to visualize the lives of the priests, craftsmen and servants who inhabited it, and observe the precise, mortarless construction of the soaring stone walls. Afterward, enjoy an afternoon tea at nearby Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel. Then, return to the station with access to its VIP Lounge, before returning to Cusco on the Hiram Bingham train, with dinner on board.

Enjoy this morning at your leisure, free to relax or indulge in the amenities of your luxurious hotel. This afternoon, explore Cusco, starting at the architecturally stunning Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas. Considered one of the most beautiful churches in the Americas, its construction was influenced by the great Spanish cathedrals of the era, reflecting Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. Also visit the ornate church of Santo Domingo, a 16th-century Dominican church and convent built on the foundations of Koricancha, the Incas' principal religious building, dedicated to the worship of the sun. Next, explore the well-preserved ruins of Sacsayhuaman. A testament to Incan architectural skills, it was built of enormous stones, which were cut and fitted together with incredible precision and without any mortar. Gaze out from this ancient fortress, once the site of the greatest battle between the Spanish and Incas, to the red-tiled roofs of Cusco.

Begin a relaxing three-day journey by rail from Cusco to Arequipa, when you board the Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train. Settle down and unwind in your stylish suite as you roll southeast toward Puno. Savor your first lunch on board in one of the elegant dining cars, sampling refined Andean specialties served with contemporary flair. Take in the stunning La Raya Mountain range at a scheduled stop, before preparing for an elegant dinner on board. Afterward, you may wish to head to the observation car for a chat with your fellow passengers as the train continues to Lake Titicaca, where it stops for the night.

Awaken early to catch the breathtaking sunrise across Lake Titicaca, before enjoying breakfast on board. Disembark to explore the eclectic beauty and rich diversity of life on Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Embark by traditional boat to the Uros, extraordinary artificial islands created from carefully woven reeds that are constantly renewed. Back on board your train, gather for lunch as you depart for the Saracocha lagoon. En route, savor some refreshing cocktails and canapés. Arrive in Saracocha, where you stop for the night and sit down to a sumptuous dinner.

Rise early to watch the sun come up over Lake Lagunillas, and then head out to visit the Sumbay caves, home to fascinating cave paintings estimated to be over 8,000 years old. Return to the train for lunch as the beautifully appointed Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train, proceeds to Arequipa. Upon arrival at the Arequipa train station, you are met and transferred to your hotel, where you enjoy dinner followed by an evening at leisure.

This morning, walk to the Andean Sanctuaries Museum to view its namesake, the mummy of a young woman discovered in 1995 by the anthropologist John Reinhard. She was found inside the Ampato Volcano, which stands 20,930 feet above sea level, and is thought to have been an offering to the apus (mountain spirits) over 500 years ago. Return to your hotel, with some time at leisure. In the afternoon, visit the colonial district of Yanahuara, renowned for its Andalucian-style churches and picturesque landscape. Proceed to the neighborhood of San Lázaro to absorb views of the Church of San Francisco with its impressive 18th-century plaza; the architecturally fascinating Main Square surrounded by arcs of white volcanic stone; the façade of the Cathedral; and the Company of Jesus Church with its baroque cloisters. Afterward, proceed to visit Santa Catalina Monastery. Founded in 1579, it is the most important religious monument in Peru. Gather for dinner at your hotel tonight.

After breakfast, board a flight to Lima. Upon arrival, you are met and transferred to a hotel where you enjoy the use of a day room until it’s time privately transfer to the airport for your departing flight.