In July and August 2005 we spent three weeks exploring Peru. We started in Lima and then went to Cuzco and the Sacred Valley. Our next stop was five days in the Amazon Basin viewing the wildlife there, including scarlet macaws. Also on the itinerary were a home stay in Lake Titicaca, the “white city” of Arequipa and a trek into Colca Canyon. The highlight of the trip was a visit to Machu Picchu to see the lost city and one of the great archeological finds ever.
Peru Itinerary
| Day | Date | Location/Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 July 2005 | Fly from Los Angeles to Lima via Costa Rica |
| 2 | 30 July 2005 | Explore Lima's plazas and cathedrals |
| 3 | 31 July 2005 | Fly to Cuzco, tour the Sacred Valley |
| 4 | 1 August 2005 | Fly to Puerto Maldonado, boat to Posada Amazonas in the Amazon Basin |
| 5 | 2 August 2005 | Boat to the Tambopata Research Center |
| 6 | 3 August 2005 | Explore the Tambopata Research Center, including nature hikes and view of the scarlet macaw clay lick |
| 7 | 4 August 2005 | Explore the Tambopata Research Center, inlcuding nature hikes and view of the scarlet macaw clay lick |
| 8 | 5 August 2005 | Take a boat to Inotawa Lodge in the Amazon Basin |
| 9 | 6 August 2005 | Boat trip to Puerto Maldonado; Fly to Cuzco |
| 10 | 7 August 2005 | Take a day trip from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, exploring the lost city |
| 11 | 8 August 2005 | Take an all-day train to Puno, on Lake Titicaca |
| 12 | 9 August 2005 | Explore Lake Titicaca, begin home stay on Anapia Island |
| 13 | 10 August 2005 | Complete Lake Titicaca home stay; return to Puno |
| 14 | 11 August 2005 | Rest Day in Puno |
| 15 | 12 August 2005 | Take a six hour bus trip to Arequipa |
| 16 | 13 August 2005 | Begin Colca Canyon trek from Arequipa |
| 17 | 14 August 2005 | View condors in Colca Canyon and then hike down to the villages |
| 18 | 15 August 2005 | Continue Colca Canyon hike and exploring the villages |
| 19 | 16 August 2005 | Complete trek and return to Arequipa |
| 20 | 17 August 2005 | Explore Arequipa historic buildings and monestary; fly to Lima in the evening |
| 21 | 18 August 2005 | Sightseeing in Lima; Fly overnight to Miami |
| 22 | 19 August 2005 | Fly from Miami to Los Angeles |
The lost Inca city of Machu Picchu is definitely one of the highlights of any trip to Peru, as well as all of South America. We visited Machu Picchu as a day trip from Cuzco, taking a train for four hours in each direction.
During our visit to Peru’s Amazon jungle, we took a boat up the Rio Tambopata to the Reserva Nacional Tambopata and to the Tambopata Research Center. This lodge is the home to researchers who study macaw and parrot activity. The main attraction here is a nearby clay lick that attracts up to ten species of parrots and macaws at dawn each morning. We visited the clay lick twice and saw many types of birds, including the scarlet macaw, blue and yellow macaw and red and green macaw.
We took a ten-hour train journey from Cuzco to Puno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca:
Canyon del Colca, or Colca Canyon, is the world’s second deepest canyon. We booked a three night, four day, trip into the canyon, which included a three day hike, as well as a tour of some of villages and a condor lookout.