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Hard and soft adventure, all ages and levels of fitness. The magical Pongo de Mainique.

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From Class 2 to 5. Jungle to mountains. Mountain biking to the Inka Bridge. 1 - 6 days.

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Classic high class cultural tours from Cusco to Machu Picchu to lares.

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Conventional and adventure tours from Lima to Lima, all included. From 7 to 14 days.

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Lares Valley, Espiritu Pampa and Auzangate and more. Peru´s most exciting trek, for all levels.

Fixed Departures >

Fixed departure dates for our tours in 2007.

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Esperanza Lodge

From the magical town of Cusco nestled in the high Andes, to the Citadel of Machu Picchu in it’s tropical climate to the Pongo de Mainiqui and the rich jungle. This holiday takes you to all these places and gives a stunning impression of Peru. For photographers this is a dream location that will leave you wanting more.

Day 1. Arrival Jorge Chavez International Airport, Lima, Peru. Here we will be met by our representative and transferred to our hotel.

Day 2. Buffet breakfast at our hotel and transfer to the airport for our one-hour flight to Cusco. We will be collected and transferred to our centrally located 3* hotel to unpack and receive our briefing. After a light lunch we will rejoin to enjoy a leisurely walk from the ruins of Tambomachay to Saqsaywaman, taking in other sites of interest on the way. This downhill walk is a fantastic introduction to Cusco and provides an insight into life of the Inca’s. We have the evening free to relax and enjoy Cusco.

Day 3. Today we have our first experience of the Urubamba River. The river that is going to guide us on our trip through the department of Cusco. White water rafting on the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Class II to III rapids. Passing through the Inca terraces to the town of Ollantytambo where we will have lunch.
After lunch we will have the opportunity to visit the town itself which is the only Inca settlement still inhabited in Peru, and the ruins of Ollantytambo that overlook the small town. We have the night free.

Sunset over Cusco

Day 4. An early rise for our 6am train to Aguas Calientes and the spiritual and beautiful ruins of Machu Picchu. As we arrive earlier than most others we have more opportunity to enjoy our guided tour through the ruins, and then the opportunity to explore, to see, learn and make our own judgements about the Incas and their way of life. We will have the rest of the afternoon free in Machu Picchu to take photographs to sit, to enjoy the spectacular view of the Andes falling into the jungle before we board our train for the return trip to Urubamba.

Day 5. Today we begin our descent down into the jungle. Taking our private transport we head out of the valley, north to the town of Quillabamba. Driving over the Abra de Malaga at 4300m down into high jungle with its coffee and banana plantations to our rest place for the night, the small market town of Quillabamba.

Day 6. Breakfast and we continue further north following the mighty Urubamba River that meanders through the department of Cusco. Our guide will always be on hand to teach us about the area, the spectacular flora and fauna, the birds and the fruit in this vibrant area in Cusco, Peru. Tonight we will sleep and eat under the stars.

Day 7. Passing through small jungle towns with their magical atmosphere we make our way to the port of Ivochote. Here we will board our motorized canoe for the climax of our journey the mesmerising Pongo de Mainique, where we will have the opportunity to admire the beauty of this truly spiritual area.
On leaving the Pongo we continue our journey up river to the Esperanza Lodge our home for the next few days.

Jungle Retreat

Day 8. An incredibly early rise so that we may visit a Cock of the Rock feeding area that is situated near the lodge. On our return we will have breakfast and a guided tour of the coffee and cocoa plantations that make up our jungle centre. For those that want we will take to the jungle trails to see the incredible scenery, to learn about the indigenous plants and animals in the area. If you are staying at the lodge you can relax in a hammock and watch the world go by. All meals will be served at the lodge.

Day 9. Today gives us the perfect chance to do whatever we want, if we want to walk in the jungle our guide is available to escort us, if we want to try our hand at fishing that is another option or maybe just relax. We also have a fantastic opportunity to go to the Pongo de Mainique for a few hours, swim in the waterfalls and bask on a rock. All meals will be served at the lodge.

Day 10. We continue our journey today, returning to the town of Kiteni. Passing upwards slowly through the jungle that has been our home. Our guide will explain the life of the people here that live a very simple life dedicated to the production of coffee and fruit. Camping just outside Kiteni.

Day 11. Today the scenery changes dramatically as we climb from Kiteni at an altitude 596m up through the Yanitile Valley to the town of Lares (3200m). Here we will set up camp and have the opportunity to enjoy the open air hot springs that are situated on the outskirts of the town.

Abra de Malaga

Day 12. We have the morning to enjoy the hot springs one last time. From here we begin our return journey to Cusco. Passing over the Lares Pass (4440m) through the llama and alpaca pastures. This is a fantastic opportunity to see real life in the Andes of Peru. We return to Cusco around 4pm and have the night free.

Day 13. Today we have a free day to enjoy the town of Cusco. Walk through its cobbled streets with its mix of Inca and Colonial architecture.
At night we will meet to go to eat typical buffet and enjoy a traditional Peruvian dancing show.

Day 14. Breakfast and transfer to Cusco airport for your flight to Lima and onward connections.

Pongo Overland

Fixed Departures 2005