Peru highlights tour, Inca trail, Titicaca and Nazca
Optional single supplement £490.
Minimum age 16.
Description of Peru highlights tour, Inca trail, Titicaca and Nazca
This is a seventeen day Peru highlights tour includes a four day trek up the Inca Trail, as well as visits to Lake Titicaca and the famous Nazca lines. Staying in hotels along the way, although you will be camping on the Inca Trail for three nights, where all equipment is provided and there will also be full porterage.
Starting on the coast in Lima, we spend a day exploring this 16th century Spanish colonial city which, although vast, is fascinating. Moving swiftly away from the crowds, we journey south and take a sailing trip out to the Ballestas Islands National Park, one of the most populated habitats for marine bird species in the world. Back on dry land, highlights of Peru’s coastal desert includes giant sand dunes at Huacachina, where sand surfing is a lot of fun, and also the extraordinary Nasca Lines, where vast geometric shapes and animal designs were carved into the dry earth almost a thousand years before the Inca. Their existence is still a mystery to experts.
Less of mystery are the Andes and their overwhelming presence as we travel north by road to Cusco, the beautiful gateway town to the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. After time to acclimatise in Cusco and enjoy this UNESCO World Heritage town, architecture and Quechua culture, we hit the Inca Trail with our expert guides and porters. There will be a guided tour of Machu Picchu at the top and we will descend by train and foot.
With a long day of travel to help you recover from the trek, all you have to do is sit back and watch the great altiplano pass by, with fine views across these high plains that separate the Andes from the jungles. Our destination and final inland stop on this tour is the world famous Lake Titicaca, where Puno is the main mountain town at 3,800m. We spend a memorable day out on the Lake, visiting the fascinating Uros Indians’ floating islands which are made of reeds, and also the island of Taquile where the local community is famous for its traditional lifestyles and weaving skills. Our final leg is by air, flying back to Lima with some free time in the city to explore some more and reflect on this journey into Peru’s highlights and heavenly terrains.
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Price information
Optional single supplement £490.
Minimum age 16.
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Reviews
4 Reviews of Peru highlights tour, Inca trail, Titicaca and Nazca
Reviewed on 08 Oct 2019 by Alasdair Cameron
I think all of Peru was great and the home stay was probably the best Read full reviewReviewed on 15 Jul 2017 by Dave Jackson
Walking the trail was very hard in places, but so well organised that it was a great sense of achievement to complete each day and the trail itself. When we got to the Sun Gate above Machu Picchu we arrived in a lot of low cloud which took the edge off it, however we walked on a bit further and got a great high level view of the lost city so we were more than happy with this. Read full reviewReviewed on 16 Jun 2014 by Teresa Trippenbach
It was the most challenging holiday I have ever been on. I came back home with many wonderful memories. Our guide, Carlos Luchuga, contributed a great deal in the success of my holidays. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
Planet
Activity:Few holidays have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a trekking trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. Permits are limited on the Inca Trail in order to reduce overcrowding and damage due to footfall, but our guides and porters are still very mindful of how we treat the environment. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants and to purchase traditional crafts. In addition to the Inca Trail, we also visit the Ballestas Islands and the mysterious Nazca lines where our entry fees go towards maintenance of these sites, leaving a positive impact.
Water:
Water is a really important issue with cycling trips and whilst we must stay hydrated, it is also vital that we have a system for providing clean water without causing lots of waste with plastic bottles. We suggest that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should re-fill a singular bottle. In order to make this easier, we provide treated water throughout the Inca Trail trek. We also recycle waste along the trail with organic and non-organic containers and we do not dispose of it until there is an appropriate place to do so.
UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
People
Accommodation and meals:We will spend ten nights in hotels and the remaining four nights on the trek in full service campsites. We prefer to use small businesses for our accommodation, activities and services as these are the companies which have most direct benefit to the communities which we visit. All of our hotel managers have signed a sustainability contract which ensures they employ locals and endeavour to reduce waste, whilst our campsites are very eco-friendly in terms of energy reduction. We buy all of our food to cook on the trail from local supermarkets or even indigenous groups where possible despite this sometimes being more expensive. Where meals are not included, clients are encouraged to eat at authentic restaurants and to try snacks at markets e.g. Local markets in Puno and San Pedro market in Cuzco.
Local Craft & Culture:
We walk through the Huayllabamba village on the first day, which is the only community inside the trail. They sell produce and various homemade snacks, so by stopping and buying something we are providing an avenue of income for these people. There is also an optional opportunity in the Sacred Valley where clients can eat a traditional meal in the village and buy handicrafts. Our local guides are able to advise clients on which products to buy and which to avoid- for example, walking sticks made of wood are one to avoid as they are potentially a product of deforestation.
Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.
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