Peru Exploration - What sets this adventure apart is combining some of Perus must sees with the unique experience of being part of a sustainable project.
Duration: 16 Days
Grading:MODERATEMax Group Size: 12
Type:SMALL GROUPPrices from: £2750
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Tour Overview
South America is an assault on the senses, with landscapes, cultures, food and drink to blow you away around every corner. This adventure will give you a taste of all of the above, it will challenge your body and mind, but with that extra bit of comfort and luxury you expect from such a memorable holiday – be inspired!
Food & drink Included in the cost of the trip are meals in some fantastic restaurants, sampling some of the best food South America has to offer. While we will cover drinks during meals, we may ask you to chip in if it turns out to be a particularly thirsty night... Also, there will be a couple of occasions while in towns, when the group will be free to explore and as such we will leave lunches to your own discretion. This will be only 2 or 3 occasions though.
Accommodation We have carefully picked some real characterful hotels whenever we are in towns and cities, with all the comforts you would normally expect, but not in the cold characterless style of a high rise hotel block. Of course, while on the Inca Trail, we have 2 person tents, but again will make this as comfortable as realistically possible.
Preparation Once you have booked onto the trip, we will be with you every step of the way in the build up for departure, helping to sort flights, insurance, providing recommendations on kit, anything you should need.
Travelling alone? Not a problem. Our price is based on two people sharing, and if you are joining this trip on your own, you will be sharing a room or a tent with someone of the same sex. If you would prefer to have your own room and tent, you can pay our single supplement of £200.
SIGHTS - Peru: Lima, Quest’s Villa Maria Project, Cuzco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Amazon basin and the Manu Biosphere reserve, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
WEATHER October is the end of the dry season, so the weather should still be stable and dry on the whole. As we are travelling from jungles to mountains to islands though, you should be prepared for a whole range of temperatures.
Activities
- trekking - bird watching - Amazon riverboat cruises - volleyball with the locals - enjoying good food and wine - visiting project sites - Inca exploration
Guiding and support
The opportunity to lead this expedition is a real privilege for our leaders, so as a result you will be accompanied by only our best and most experienced staff. We have always said that it’s our leader which bring the trip to life for you – and you will not be disappointed here!
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Tour Highlights
- Visit our longest standing project in the largest shanty town in the world – Villa Maria, Peru. You will see first hand where your donation is going, meet the families and work with them in constructing much needed shelter. - Introduce yourself to Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Incas - Visit the Sacred Valley - Spend an unforgettable 5 days exploring the Amazon basin in the Manu Biosphere Reserve - Give yourself the ultimate finale, trekking along the Inca Trail to the awe inspiring city of Machu Picchu
Bored of hearing all those wonderful anecdotes from your friends? Green with envy after yet another set of mind blowing photos from their latest travels? Here’s your chance to experience it all for yourself, but with that little extra bit of luxury. This is an active adventure, trekking through the forests and mountains of Peru, but always coming back to some pretty special accommodation at the end of each day.
Team size: 6-12 people For: All ages Duration: Three weeks
Itinerary
Days 1-2 | Departure from London to Cuzco
Departing from London, we fly across the ocean into the heart of the Andes mountains. Flying into Cuzco is a fascinating experience. Surrounded by mountains, it takes some intelligent flying to negotiate the valleys and touch down at the airport – these pilots are a dab hand though. Then we have a couple of days acclimatising to the altitude and enjoying some of the incredible sights this city has to offer. A mixture of Inca and Spanish construction, you could literally walk around this town for weeks and not get bored.
Day 3 | The Sacred Valley of the Incas
Taking ourselves into the countryside, we start to get an idea of how the Incas used to live, and indeed how many communities still survive. The mixture of the ancient and the modern is a fascinating thing to see – and if you’re brave we might sample some guinea pig!
Days 4-8 | The Manu Biosphere Reserve in the Amazon
It’s a long drive from Andes to Amazon, but the sight of the changing climate zones helps it to fly by. We make a stop on the way with a night in a cloud forest lodge, with the chance to see the truly beautiful bird, the Andean Cock of the Rock. Moving on, we drop into the Amazon itself and take our dugout canoe further into the jungle until we arrive at the CREES research centre. A base where research into finding a balance between saving the rainforest and managing the influx of settlements, it makes for a fascinating insight into the realities of the Amazon. Then it’s back to Cuzco for our next challenge, but this time we have to earn it.
Days 9-13 | The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
During these next four days, we will be putting as many luxuries as we possibly can your way – good food, porters at your beckoned call, morning, afternoon AND evening tea! We will however be under canvas, and have some pretty tall hills to ‘stroll’ over. Every corner you turn though will treat us to beautiful view after beautiful view, and the Inca constructions also become progressively more impressive, until finally on the fourth day, Machu Picchu appears out of the swirling mist. Was it worth it, I think it was…
Day 14 | Cuzco, our farewell party
Anyone who has been on a Quest Overseas Expedition will tell you that the last night party is one of the highlights, we’re not going to make any exceptions to this, not even for our parents. A last tour of the markets in town to pick up some gifts and souvenirs, and it’s time to start sampling the local delights – Pisco Sour anyone?!
Day 15 | Lima and the Villa Maria project
Lima was once a Spanish colonial hub, and many of the buildings are still standing, albeit a little worn. Today, we have the unique opportunity to experience two extremes of reality of South American life. First, we will visit some of the areas once populated by the Spanish aristocracy, with architecture, wealth and extravagance to prove it. Then, just 30 minutes down the road, we can visit the shanty town of Villa Maria, where Quest has been working since 1998. Conditions are harsh but the project is thriving and we are delighted to be able to take you here.
Day 16
Time to make our way back home, it had to happen sooner or later...
£2,750 - Includes all accommodation, food (except a couple of lunches), activities, permits, transport, your Quest leader and a £200 donation to Quest4Change. Excludes international flights and travel insurance.
Departure Dates
May and November
Please enquire for scheduled departure dates and availability
Our Trusted Partner's Responsible and Sustainable Travel Policy
With our charity Quest4Change, we work to alleviate poverty and protect endangered environments. Over the last 13 years we have raised over £1.2million. 100% of this has been used to support worthwhile, sustainable projects in Africa and South America.
About our Trusted Partner
Quest Overseas runs worthwhile projects and challenging expeditions for teams of students in South America and Africa. Our long term partnerships with our local projects means that we have been able to put together some unique and inspiring shorter trips for "grown up gappers", combining visits to our project sites with some pretty spectacular adventures nearby.
View of Salcantay on the third day of the Inka trail : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
View of Salcantay on the third day of the Inka trail
Inquisitive Spider Monkey in the Manu Bio Sphere : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Inquisitive Spider Monkey in the Manu Bio Sphere
River Madre de Dios : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
River Madre de Dios
Old Inca Fort Just up from Pacas Mayo : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Old Inca Fort Just up from Pacas Mayo
Ruins of Machu Picchu : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Ruins of Machu Picchu
Condor Flying : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Condor Flying
Enjoying View with Gin and Tonic : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Enjoying View with Gin and Tonic
A Fine Example of Inca Masonry : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
A Fine Example of Inca Masonry
Amazing Landscape : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Amazing Landscape
Relaxing in the Lodge : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Relaxing in the Lodge
Sunset Over Madre de Dios : Amazon and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
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