Today we’ll make the incredible journey – by van, plane, and dugout canoe – to pristine Amazon rainforest outside Puerto Maldonado. The irrepressible life all around you, with buzzing insects, flocks of birds and monkeys, and plants growing so fast you can almost see it happening, lets you know immediately that you’ve come to a very different world. The feeling that you’ve stepped into another dimension is enhanced when you find yourself spending the evening spotting caimans (freshwater crocodiles) from a boat on a jungle waterway!

Meals: Lunch and dinner included

Accommodation: Remote lodge in Tambopata

We’ll spend the morning at Collpa Chuncho, the biggest macaw claylick in the world! Up to 100 big, clever, guacamayos (macaws) congregate here each morning, eating clay which provides nutrients they can’t get anywhere else. Along the way there and back, there’s a good chance we’ll spot sloths and monkeys going about their morning business.

After lunch at the lodge we’ll journey by land and water to Tres Chimbadas Lake, where we’ll have as good a chance as anywhere in the world of spotting two elusive giants – our guests often spot both giant river otters and giant anacondas here! If you like, you can fish for piranha from the boat.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Remote lodge in Tambopata

After you collect your baggage in Cusco, head outside and look for your guide, who’ll be holding a sign with your name on it. They'll take you to your accommodation to get settled in, then toegther you'll head out for a relaxed walking tour around Cusco’s fascinating historic centre – an incredible maze of Inca foundations overlaid with Spanish colonial architecture, all against the backdrop of the surrounding high Andes.

Please remember to take it easy today and hydrate plenty today, as you need to adjust to Cusco’s 3,400m (11,200ft) altitude.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 3 star hotel in Cusco

The sunny, incredibly scenic floodplain between Pisac and Ollantaytambo in the valley of the Urubamba River is known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Pisac is a tiny, cobbled Inca village which is home to the largest handicraft market in the region and a huge Inca fortress. We’ll explore both, then set off into the Sacred Valley. We’ll need frequent photo stops as we pass still-working Inca terracing, irrigation canals, and awesome mountain vistas. At the other end of the spectacular valley we'll explore Ollantaytambo, perhaps the most perfectly preserved of all Inca towns, a maze of cobbled alleyways and sun-drenched plazas presided over by a spectacular, llama-shaped ruin.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 3 star hotel in Ollantaytambo

We’ll pick you up at 6am and head to Kilometre 82, the start of the Inca Trail. The hike begins in the Sacred Valley as we follow the Urubamba River, climbing ever higher and eventually heading off up the Cusicacha Valley, through semi-arid forest and farming villages, to Wayllabamba, where we’ll camp for the night.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Camping on the Inca Trail

Most of our walking time today is taken up by a stiff 1,200m (3,940ft) ascent to Warmiwayñusca (Dead Woman’s Pass), the highest point of the Inca Trail. From here, if it’s clear, we’ll enjoy incredible views back the way we came, and onwards towards the distant, snow-capped Vilcabamba Range. Then we descend steeply into Pacaymayo, our campsite for the night with one of the best views in the Andes.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Camping on the Inca Trail

Today’s hike takes us through some of the most stunning scenery in Peru, with cloud forest, orchids, hummingbirds and mountains on all sides, and to three gorgeous little ruins – Runkurakay, Sayacmarca, and Wiñaywayna, next to the evening’s campsite. Along the way, we cross the watershed of the Andes. This is one of the finest days trekking in the world.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Camping on the Inca Trail

A spectacular stone city surrounded by incredibly steep, incredibly green mountains, Machu Picchu needs no introduction and is deservedly one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

We’ll be up super-early to hike (1.5 hours approx.) to the Sun Gate in time for sunrise. Then your guide will show you around Machu Picchu’s main citadel, as well as our favourite hidden nooks and crannies, before the day’s train crowds arrive. Later there’s more time for your own exploration of the massive, still-mysterious site.

We'll then travel by train and private vehicle to Cusco.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 3 star hotel in Cusco

We'll get you to the airport in time to take your flight. We’ll spend the day exploring Lima’s glorious gastronomy and colourful colonial history.

One of the reasons Peruvian food is so justly famous is the diversity of Peruvian produce. Ingredients from the ocean, mountains and jungle all come together, in almost overwhelming abundance, at the suburban produce market that‘s our first stop this morning.

Lunch will be a tour of the best Peruvian coastal cuisine: causa (avocado and seafood layered between mashed potato – Peru’s answer to lasagne!) and ceviche (the most delicious version of raw marinated fish on the face of the Earth).

We'll work off lunch with a walk around Lima's grandiose colonial centre, then head for the picturesque cobbled byways of the historic bohemian neighbourhood of Barranco for one last snack – picarones – a sweet, doughnut-like snack made from sweet potato!

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 3 star hotel in Lima

You can book your flight out of Lima for any time today. If you’re staying on in Peru, we’d be delighted to help out with suggestions and assistance for the rest of your time here.

Meals: Breakfast included