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INCA TRAIL HIKING TOURS

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PERU MULTISPORT TOURS

Peru Raft, Bike & Hike Tour (12D)

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Machu Picchu & Galapagos

PERU TOUR EXTENSIONS

Day Peru Tour Extensions Multi-Day Peru Tour Extensions Peruvian Amazon Jungle Lodges

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Inca Trail Lodge to Lodge Hike, Allows for Relaxing Interludes at Small Mountain Lodges

No need to rough-it on the Inca Trail anymore, take in Salcantay, trek to Machu Picchu, stay in lodges along the way

Duration: 13 days
Cost: $4,495 per person
If you've longed to hike the Inca Trail and experience Machu Picchu history firsthand but roughing it isn't your idea of a vacation, you'll appreciate our Inca Trail Mountain Lodges trip. This twelve-day Machu Picchu Peru excursion combines hiking the world's most famous path with relaxing interludes at small mountain lodges set in picturesque surroundings with panoramic views. Travelers in moderate condition will be comfortable on this Inca Trail tour. The itinerary includes time to explore Inca sights in Cusco Peru and the Sacred Valley, many opportunities to acclimatize to the high elevation and four days of Inca Trail hiking plus a day and a half of touring the secret city itself. Of all the Machu Picchu tours to choose from, this one can't be beat, on or off the trail.
Private departures for the Inca Trail Lodge to Lodge trip may be arranged. Please contact us about the details and costs involved.

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PERU F.A.Q. MAP OF PERU RECOMMENDED READING

Itinerary for Inca Trail Lodge to Lodge Hike

Day 1 (Mon) ARRIVE LIMA View Lima accommodations picture gallery After arriving in Lima Peru, you'll be transported from the airport to your hotel. If you have extra time to spend in the capital, optional Peru tours of the city, museums and other sights of interest may be arranged.
View Optional Pre-Itinerary Tour Extensions
Day 2 (Tue) LIMA - CUSCO View Cusco accommodations picture gallery In the morning, you'll be taken to the airport for your flight to Cusco, center of the Inca Empire. Between the Cusco airport and your hotel, our guide will take you on a quick tour of the colonial Plaza de Armas. You'll be free the rest of the day to explore this fascinating city on your own and begin acclimatizing to the altitude of 10,856 feet. (B)
Day 3 (Wed) CUSCO View Cusco accommodations picture gallery This morning you'll see more of Cusco on a guided walking tour of the city's top sights, visiting the colorful markets, the colonial cathedral and Koricancha, the impressive Temple of the Sun, before lunch. After a tasty meal of regional cuisine, you'll spend the afternoon touring prominent Inca sites in and around the city. You'll see the fortress of Sacsayhuman, famous for its mammoth proportions and stone terraces, Kenko's carved stone surfaces and subterranean alters, the Puka Pukara, a small fortress strategically placed to protect the royal capital from attack, and finally the water temple of Tambo Machay. In the late afternoon, you'll be returned to your hotel to relax or take in more of the sights of Cusco. (B)
Day 4 (Thu) CUSCO - SACRED VALLEY - CUSCO View Cusco accommodations picture gallery Today you'll take a day-long guided excursion through the legendary Sacred Valley of the Incas. You'll glimpse Inca architectural practices, passing by terracing on the steep valley walls, visit the ruins of the temples at Pisac, affording panoramic views, and explore a famed Andean textile market, offering an opportunity to learn about the local culture and find unique souvenirs. After lunch, you'll stop in Ollantaytambo, a charming town at 9,185 feet with an imposing Inca fortress, before returning to Cusco. In the evening, you'll receive a briefing about your upcoming Machu Picchu trek. Spend another relaxing night at your hotel. (B)
Day 5 (Fri) CUSCO - SORAYPAMPA - SALKANTAY LODGE & ADVENTURE RESORT View Salkantay Lodge accommodations gallery

This beautiful Glacial Lake can be reached on a half-day excursion from the Salkantay Lodge & Adventure Resort

After an early breakfast, you'll check out of the hotel and join your bilingual guide who will accompany you to Soraypampa where your next lodgings are located. The first part of the trip is by vehicle. You'll stop at the Inca ruins of Tarawasi near the town of Limatombo, have coffee in the mountain village of Mollepata and ascend a winding mountain road to Marcoccasa. At this juncture, you'll have the choice of continuing on by vehicle or hiking the rest of the way. The easy hike takes three to four hours and travels along the old scenic Camino Real (Royal Path), a good way to begin acclimatizing to the increasing elevation. Upon reaching the Salkantay Lodge and Adventure Resort, you'll be welcomed warmly. At 12,500 feet, this twelve-room mountain-view lodge is named for the highest mountain in the region, a sacred 20,600-ft Andean peak in Inca mythology. You'll spend the rest of the day relaxing to get accustomed to the elevation. Around the fireplace, you'll have a briefing about the upcoming trek followed by an aperitif and dinner. (B, L, D) Click here to view the Inca Trail Lodge to Lodge Gallery
Day 6 (Sat) SORAYPAMPA View Salkantay Lodge accommodations gallery Your second day in Soraypampa provides additional time to adjust to the elevation while enjoying the great outdoors. Popular activities here include a half-day hike to a glacial lake, giving your lungs an introduction to high-mountain trekking and a soak in the outdoor Jacuzzi. (B, L, D) Click here to view the Inca Trail Lodge to Lodge Gallery
Day 7 (Sun) SORAYPAMPA - HUAYRACCMACHAY - WAYRA LODGE View Wayra Lodge accommodations gallery

Early morning near Wayra Lodge at Huayraccmachay

Your four-day trek to Machu Picchu at last begins. Today's four to six hour hike starts early after a hearty breakfast, along the Rio Blanco Valley circling the Humantay peak. When you reach the highest point of today's trek, a 14,800-ft pass, you'll stop for breathtaking views of the snowcapped Vilcabamba Range and the south face of Mt. Salkantay where the Andean condor is a common sight. A hot lunch is provided en route. From the pass, you'll descend to your welcoming destination, the Wayra Lodge at Huayraccmachay, elevation 12,600 feet. In the Quechua language, "wayra" means the place where the wind lives. You'll enjoy dinner and overnight at the lodge. (B, L, D) Click here to view the Inca Trail Lodge to Lodge Gallery
Day 8 (Mon) HUAYRACCMACHAY - COLLPAPAMPA - COLPA LODGE View Colpa Lodge accommodations gallery Today's schedule is a leisurely one. You'll have breakfast at Huayraccmachay before descending into forested terrain with the Salkantay River below to reach Collpa Lodge at Collpapampa. The six-room lodge is set on a 9,200-ft promontory that offers views of three rivers at their confluence. After getting settled, you'll enjoy a delicious lunch, either prepared in the lodge's kitchen or a traditional "Pachamanca," the indigenous underground stone cooking method. One of the lodge's much-appreciated-amenities for visitors on Peru tours is its outdoor Jacuzzi with mountain vistas. You'll have dinner and spend the night at the lodge. (B, L, D) Click here to view the Inca Trail Lodge to Lodge Gallery
The Santa Teresa River Valley is known worldwide for its organic coffee, said by some to be the best in the world.

Day 9 (Tue) COLLPAPAMPA - LUCMABAMBA - LUCMA LODGE View Lucma Lodge accommodations gallery Today's four to six hour hike starts after breakfast. You will continue your descent into the Santa Teresa River Valley, known worldwide for its organic coffee, said by some to be the best in the world. You'll stop for a delicious hot picnic lunch on the shore before being taken by vehicle to the start of the "Llactapata Inca Trail." The afternoon trek consists of a thirty-minute climb to the night's lodgings. The Lacuma Lodge is located in an avocado orchard near the trail at an elevation of 6,900 feet in a picturesque farming area where passion fruit, coffee and avocados grow. Before dinner, there will be time to explore the nearby village of Lucmabamba where it may be possible to meet members of the community. (B, L, D) Click here to view the Inca Trail Lodge to Lodge Gallery
Day 10 (Wed) LUCMABAMBA - AGUAS CALIENTES View Machu Picchu accommodations picture gallery You'll get an early start after breakfast on this last day of your Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu. The first two hours are an ascent to Llactapata pass, elevation 8,900 feet, where you'll get your first glimpse of Machu Picchu from the southwest, a perspective seen by few tourists. Along the way, you'll stop at the recently restored Llactapata ruins. With lunch at the observatory you'll get your next tantalizing view of Machu Picchu. The final two to three hour descent takes you through lush bamboo forests, orchards and plantations to the Aobamba River. You'll spend the night at a local hotel in the town of Aguas Calientes, gateway to the Inca city of Machu Picchu. (B, L, D) Click here to view the Inca Trail Lodge to Lodge Gallery
Day 11 (Thu) MACHU PICCHU View Machu Picchu accommodations picture gallery This magical day of Peru travel begins with an early breakfast at the hotel before the thirty-minute bus trip to begin your Machu Picchu tours. With an expert bilingual guide, you'll spend four to six hours among the ruins, for an unforgettable day of fascinating sights and vistas, returning to Aguas Calientes in the afternoon for a relaxing soak in the hot springs followed by dinner at one of the town's many dining establishments. Another relaxing night at your Aguas Calientes hotel. (B,D)
Day 12 (Fri) MACHU PICCHU - CHINCHEROS MARKET - CUSCO View Cusco accommodations picture gallery After breakfast, you will again enjoy one last morning to explore Machu Picchu, returning to Aguas Calientes for lunch. You'll travel by train back to Ollantaytambo in the early afternoon from where you will travel by private van to the Chincheros Artisan Market, home to some of the most impressive textiles in Peru. Enjoy last-minute shopping and an introduction to their perfected craft and its rich traditions. In the late afternoon you will be delivered to your Cusco hotel to spend the rest of the afternoon and a final night on your own in the Inca Empire. Overnight at a Cusco hotel. (B)
Day 13 (Sat) CUSCO - LIMA - HOME In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the airport for your return flight to Lima and your connecting international flight which ends Southern Explorations' services. If you have more time to spend in Peru, trip extensions to other regions or extra days in Lima or Cusco may be arranged. (B) View Optional Post-Itinerary Tour Extensions
Key: (B)reakfast (L)unch (D)inner

Itinerary Map

PERU EXTENSIONS

Have more time to spend? Why not customize your trip with some of these trip extensions? Add extensions to the beginning or the end of your trip, or add to both ends.
PERU DAY EXTENSIONS Lima City Tour Lima Pre-Departure Tour Lima Culinary Tour Weaving tour from Cusco Cachicata Day Hike Moray - Maras Paragliding from Cusco Cusco Countryside Rafting from Cusco	PERU MULTI-DAY EXTENSIONS Moras - Moray - Cachicata (2D) Ica & Nazca (2D) Ica/Nazca & Ballestas Is. (3D) Lake Titicaca (3D) Rafting the Apurimac (3D) Arequipa & Colca Canyon (4D) Mancora Beach (4D) PERU / AMAZON ECOLODGES Sandoval Lake Lodge (2D/4D) Posada Amazonas (3D/4D) Reserva Amazonica (3-5D) Manu Wildlife Center (4D/5D) Amazon River Expedition (4-8D)

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2010 WEEKLY DEPARTURES

2 person minimum / 12 maximum

Private Departures can be arranged. Please contact us regarding private departure costs.

INCLUSIONS / EXCLUSIONS

Included in tour cost: - Professional, english-speaking local guides and camp staff; - Meals as indicated - meals while trekking will be prepared by chefs with full staff; - Plentiful, nutritious meals and snacks while on the trek (Vegetarian option available); - All upscale lodging accommodations as noted (twin shared basis); - All transfers in private Van; - Entrance fees for Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and all scheduled tours and archaeological sites; - Mules/Porters to carry excess gear; - Drinking water through out the trek; - 2 tickets between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu; - Train ticket back to Cusco - Vista Dome train; - Southern Explorations pre departure services; - First Aid
Excluded in tour cost: - International round-trip airfare to and from Peru; - Airport taxes international (around $30) and local (around $5); - Airfare $350 (Lima / Cusco / Lima) Subject to change; - $50 Salkantay entrance fee (Cash only); - Tips and gratuities; - Travel insurance; - Hiking boots and other personal gear; - Continental breakfasts are included at all hotels. All other meals are not included unless specified in the itinerary

PHYSICAL RATING

Difficult - Strenuous

PERU ACCOMMODATION

Inca Trail Lodge to LodgeAccommodation:: 12 nights hotels / lodges

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT

Additional $1,650: - Single Supplement is the additional cost of a single traveler not sharing a room in double occupancy. We will match you with another same gender traveler unless you request single accommodations.