Iconic Peru with Inkaterra

This morning, explore Lima. Guests of Andean may opt to embark on an unguided exploration in the city on foot or on bike, or can book a service at an additional charge.

Options include:
-Personal stylist and shopping guide
-Cultural excursions: art, gastronomy, urban exploration, historic sites
-Personal fitness coach or jogging companion
-And more!

That afternoon, take an afternoon flight from Lima to Talara and stay at Inkaterra Cabo Blanco.

Once a famed fishing village, today Cabo Blanco is an exclusive sanctuary where the desert meets the sea. The world-class fishing and surf breaks remain unchanged from the time when Hemingway cast for giant marlin here in the 50s. As the newest property in the Inkaterra portfolio, Cabo Blanco delivers on the same level of detail and attention that can be expected of the entire collection. Guests can spend their time fishing for those legendary marlin, surfing, sailing, or practicing yoga poolside.

Full tour book coming soon.

After a breakfast overlooking Peru’s Pacific Coast, transfer from Talara to Cusco (which will require a stop in Lima). Then, board either PeruRail or Inca Rail to Machu Picchu Pueblo upon arrival in Cusco. You will make your way by scenic train ride to Machu Picchu Pueblo, where Inkaterra’s 83-room property awaits discreetly in the cloud forest.

Nestled among 12-acres, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo is a peaceful haven away from the tourist crowds that are inevitably a fixture of any visit to Machu Picchu. The lodge is laid out like a traditional Andean Village; guests follow stone pathways to their rooms, crossing gurgling water channels within a cloud forest dripping with exotic orchids and buzzing with colorful hummingbirds. All of the construction is done in traditional Andean style, using local materials of stone, adobe, stucco and eucalyptus. The expansive grounds offer a perfect refuge for bird watching as well as hands-on lessons in botany and ecology and trained naturalist guides lead guests on a variety of thematic nature walks in the morning and afternoon. After a long day of hiking among the Incan citadel, a soothing treatment at the full-service Unu Spa provides the perfect rejuvenating experience.

Today is all about Machu Picchu. After a very short walk through the town of Machu Picchu Pueblo (formerly known as Aguas Calientes), board a bus that will take you to 1,300 feet (400 meters) up to Machu Picchu. (It is optional to hike this 1.25 miles instead of taking the bus, but we prefer to save our legs for a hike upon arrival.) Take your time touring the ancient site or climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Montaña, both which provide stunning views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains.

Book-end your Machu Picchu visit (which will depend on your entry time slot) by taking advantage of the on-site excursions available at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo. Walk along the Orchid Trail, where it is possible to observe up to 372 different native orchid species in their natural habitat (though of course not all will be blooming at once). Or, take the guided Twilight Walk to visit the tea garen, an enchanting waterfall, and sacred pre-Inca pictographs. Nearby, you can even visit a spectacled bear rescue project.

Find the full excursion book at clarkkotula.com.

On day six, depart Machu Picchu Pueblo for the Sacred Valley. You’ll actually be climbing back up toward Cusco during this scenic journey, retracing your footsteps until you arrive at Ollantaytambo and then take a private transfer to Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba.

Surrounded by spectacular Andean vistas, Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba is the perfect home base to explore the heart of the Incan Empire, the Urubamba Valley. With 36 casitas and several additional room types in the main lodge, there is really no bad angle at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba.

Enjoy relaxing on the front porch of your casita or in front of the wood burning stove, and perhaps take another on-site excursion this evening before dinner (there is a Twilight Walk here as well that is not to be missed).

You could fill an entire 12-day itinerary with activities in the Sacred Valley, but the discerning traveler will be able to pick the perfect adventure for one epic day.

Options include:
-Horseback riding on Peruvian Paso Fino horses on rural pathways that lead through bustling local communities
-Mountain bike world-class trails with breathtaking scenery
-River raft through the valley itself, including an exhilarating class III rapid
-Visit Pisac Market and Ruins or Chinchero to browse textiles and crafts
-Hike to the peaceful Yanacocha Lagoon, a mecca for birdlife and beautiful landscapes
-And more!

Find the full excursion guide at clarkkotula.com.

Today, discover one more gem in the Sacred Valley before departing for Cusco. Journey to the agricultural terraces of Moray and the Instagram-famous salt mines of Maras. Both are intriguing examples of human ingenuity and skill, and of course provide wonderful photo opportunities.

After one more lunch at UNU Restaurant, depart for Cusco to the spectacular Inkaterra La Casona.

Inkaterra La Casona was the first boutique hotel in Cusco, and in our opinion, remains the best. Located in a carefully restored 16th-century Spanish Colonial mansion, the opulent period interiors are discreetly closed to the curious public behind a heavy, intricately carved wooden door facing the flower-filled Plaza Nazarenas. This quiet area of Cusco, which today is a highly coveted locale among discerning guests, was formerly reserved for the homes of Inca elite, the warrior class and institutes of higher learning. With just 11 suites that surround a central garden, La Casona provides an intimate residential feel, capturing the sense of privacy and privilege experienced by those who once lived here. All guests are treated to top-flight service and cuisine, as La Casona was the first property in all of Peru to be incorporated into the prestigious Relais & Châteaux community.

After a breakfast of quinoa pancakes at Inkaterra La Casona, transfer from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado; the jump-off point for all adventures in the Peruvian Amazon. You’ll board a traditional dug-out canoe for a short 30-minute boat ride to Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción for your overnight stay.

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción is an immersive eco-lodge situated just off the steep bank of Peru's meandering Madre de Dios River at the heart of a 29,650-acre private ecological reserve. The Amazon experience begins almost immediately; guests travel to the lodge in comfortable outboard dugout canoes, leaving civilization behind on the short 20-minute river journey.

Get on jungle time as you meander the property. Gravel pathways wind through the rainforest to 26 private thatched-roof cabanas built on raised platforms in the indigenous style. A stunning open-air main building and Casa Grande (with six additional rooms) and dining room nestle into the jungle on one side, and a Cocha (or natural pond) borders the other. This particular placement gives you a truly unique wildlife experience; here, you are enveloped by the rainforest and merely a visitor among its inhabitants, such as local howler and squirrel monkeys, caiman, and more.

As with the rest of the itinerary, you get to customize your first full day in the Amazon. Explore with a local guide on a series of excursions, from hikes to canoe trips to a can’t-miss Canopy Walkway; a series of seven hanging bridges suspended nearly 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground.

Options include:
-Twilight river excursion on the Madre de Dios River; a primetime for wildlife viewing and stargazing the southern constellations
-Hike through the rainforest at night with a guide to spot many of its most secretive creatures
-Daytime hiking to Lake Sandoval and Inland Collpa (clay lick) for optimized wildlife viewing (blue and yellow macaws, giant river otters, and more)
-Any selection of on-site excursions including multiple hiking trails and viewing platforms
-And more!

Browse the full excursion guide at clarkkotula.com.

After breakfast, travel by boat from Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción to Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, 15 minutes further along the Madre de Dios River. Continue your Peruvian Amazon immersion with any selection of activities from their excursion book, such as a rambling rainforest walk along Gamitana Creek and to a nearby farm. The Inkaterra team will be able to help customize the ideal itinerary for those visiting both Amazon properties, and as always you may find the full excursion guide at clarkkotula.com.

That evening, overnight at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica.

Depending on the time of your outbound flight, enjoy morning excursions at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, or take an early boat ride to Puerto Maldonado for your return flight to Lima and on home.