12-Nights Peru: Machu Picchu and Amazon Cruise - Small Group Journeys

Amazon Jungle (Peru)

The Peruvian Amazon borders Ecuador, Brazil, and Bolivia. The area is rich in biodiversity and has the second-largest portion of the Amazon. 

Nauta

Nauta is a bustling small town on the shores of the Maranon river in the Peruvian Amazon. This town is perfect for visitors intersted in nature and small town culture. Visitors can hire a boat from Nauta and experience the majestic forests, mountains and lakes. For the gastronomically inclined, this region of Peru is especially known for its delicious spicy cuisine.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a fortress city of the ancient Incas, in a high saddle between two peaks 50 miles NW of Cuzco, Peru. The extraordinary pre-Columbian ruin consists of five sq. miles of terraced stonework link by 3,000 steps; it was virtually intact when discovered by Hiram Bibghan in 1911.

Sacred Valley

The Urubamba valley is also named the Sacred Valley. It begins in the Urubamba's village and continues to Macchu Picchu.

Cuzco (Cusco)

The Cuzco (Cusco) region of Peru combines Inca legacy with Spanish colonial architecture in an atmosphere at once provincial and sublime. The chaotic marketplaces where campesinos barter grain or potatoes for multi-colored fabric belie the mute spirituality of the Lost Cities, where Inca stonework conveys order and balance. Such diversity enhances this inspiring nine-day adventure. The blue sky radiates with an intensity achieved only at high altitudes (the city of Cuzco lies 11,150 feet above sea level), while the landscape offers its unique pattern of exacting agricultural grids and tangled jungle masses.

Iquitos

Iquitos is located in Northeastern Peru on the Amazon river. Right at the crux, the city sits at the point where the Marañón River unites with the Ucayali River to form the mainstream of the Amazon. Founded in 1747 by Jesuit Jose Bahamonde, the city is now a blend of indigenous people and European and Chinese immigrants who populated the area in the mid-1800’s. Surrounded by greenery, the city resonates with the energy of the Amazon. Warm, exotic, romantic and seductive, Iquitos is a city with rustic charm and a unique culture.

Lima

Lima, "the City of the Kings," became the effective capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, established 1560. Today, a visit to Lima may serve as a unique Peruvian experience that offers a glimpse into the Andean world, Spanish tradition and the country's modern aspect. Visit handsome old buildings and baroque churches that testify to the city's religious background and the Plaza de Armas, shared by the realms of the Catholic church, municipality and national government. The pre-Inca archaeological site of Pachacamac lie a short distance south of the city. Once a ceremonial site, Pachacamac has been the most important religious center of the Andean world since before the age of Christ. Stop and admire The Temple of the Sun and the Moon, Lima's outstanding museums, and Machu Picchu - a "Jewel in the Mist."