Our journeys take you on an exploration of Peru in all its extraordinary
diversity, from the arid desert coast with its vineyards, colonial
cities and ancient remains of pre-Inca cultures, to the Inca heartland
of the Andes and the unparalleled biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest.
We begin in Peru’s only maritime national park - home to penguins, colonies
of seabirds and flamingos, and the occasional condor down from the mountains to
feed on the placenta of new-born seal pups. We follow the condor into the Andes,
for a week’s trekking through remote mountains, forests and sub-tropical valleys
untouched by tourism to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and the immutable
splendour of Cusco. Our journey ends in the realm of the condor, perched on the
edge of the world’s deepest canyon as these magnificent creatures rise from
below us on the morning thermals.
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Whilst offering a number of sights which would be the highlights of any much
longer trip to the Andean region, this short itinerary manages to include
several free days for independent exploration or relaxation.
From the faded colonial grandeur of Lima we fly to the glory that was the Inca capital,
to wander its narrow streets and the surrounding hills littered with Inca temples,
before travelling to the sacred Urubamba Valley to catch the train that will carry
us on one of the world’s great railway journeys for two days at South
America’s most important archaeological site.
After a day to relax in Cusco we fly to Quito and the colourful Indian market town
of Otavalo, before taking a 7 day cruise to the enchanted Galápagos Islands.
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Our journey begins on Peru's arid coast, where the Humboldt
and El Niño ocean currents combine to create the world's most fertile
oceans, home to colonies of sea lions and penguins and the cradle of ancient
fishing cultures.
Travelling inland, we cross the Andes into the realm of the Incas. The snowy
peaks of still-sacred mountain gods watch over us as we explore the vestiges
of an empire that rose to greatness in isolation from the rest of the world
and was superseded by another empire, which crossed the ocean and left in its
wake the colonial splendour of Arequipa and Cusco.
From the Andes we journey to the Amazon, to the most biodiverse region on Earth.
The dense forests beyond Cusco shelter more than 1000 species of birds, 13
species of monkey, 1200 species of butterfly and more than 15,000 flowering
plants, as well as communities of forest dwellers who have lived in harmony
with their lush environment for countless generations.
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A unique journey though the chronology of empire in Peru. From the Spanish
capital we travel away from the ocean to the origin of formative civilization in
Peru, the 3,000 year old subterranean temples and zoomorphic motifs of Chavin de
Huantar. Beyond the frigid waters of lake Llanganuco at the foot of Peru's
highest mountain (Huascarán, 6768 meters / 22,200 ft.), from the warrior
sculptures of Sechín we continue though the vestiges of the Moche and
Chimú cultures to the site of the Inca empire's denouement at Cajamarca,
now sleepy colonial town.
South of Lima, the arid Paracas peninsula was once home to the eponymous pre-Inca
culture that produced history's finest textiles, and is now the refuge of an
extraordinary diversity of marine fauna.
The wine growing region Ica, the world's lasgest astronomical calendar at Nazca,
the neo-colonial elegance of Arequipa with its fine cuisine and the lake Titicaca,
the cradle of the Inca creation legend, bring us to Cusco. Once the capital of
the greatest empire ever seen in the Americas, Cusco is now the hub of the South
American travel industry and a Mecca for all travellers to the continent.
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