Inca Treasures

Поскольку участники этого тура родом из разных стран и разных городов, то и лететь в Лиму (столица Перу) они могут по-разному. Инструктор обычно летит из Киева. В зависимости от количества пересадок и удобства рейсов цена за перелет в Перу может составлять от 1100 до 1800 долларов. Напишите нам и мы подскажем вам различные варианты перелета.

Гражданам Украины, России и Беларуси для поездки в Перу виза не нужна - точнее вам ее поставят по прилету, прямо в аэропорту. Для этого кроме действующего загранпаспорта вам понадобится сертификат о наличии прививки от желтой лихорадки.

Группа собирается в заранее забронированном хостеле в самом приличном и зеленом районе Лимы - Мирафлорес. Время прибытия значения не имеет, т.е. подходят даже самые поздние рейсы.

To recover from the serious time zone change (7 hours difference), we will spend today on a relatively calm walk around Lima. We'll walk along the ocean (the water is cold and the waves make it impossible to swim), and we'll see the colonial architecture - the cathedral, the palace, the Square of Arms. Let's take a look at the museum of gold and weapons. In the evening there is a fountain show and an early lights out. Get up early tomorrow.

At 4 am we take a bus south to Paracas Bay near the town of Pisco. On the way we finish our interrupted dreams - the journey will take 4 hours. In Paraka Bay we transfer to a boat and sail for a 2-hour excursion. First we will see the great and terrible “Candelabra” - the “brother” of the famous Nazca figures. Then we will sail to the Ballestas Islands, a natural reserve often called the little Galapagos. There are a huge number of sea lions, seals, penguins and other sea birds (a real bird market). It is prohibited to go ashore here; we will be watching from a boat, so binoculars and a telephoto lens will not hurt.

Upon returning to the port, we take a minibus and drive further - to the oasis of Huacachina, hidden in the middle of the vast coastal desert. It is surrounded on all sides by high sand dunes and it is for them (and not for the palm trees in the oasis) that we go to Huacachina. The main local entertainment is desert buggy racing (an open jeep) followed by snowboarding in the dunes.

After a solid dose of adrenaline, we will relax by the lake, have lunch and slowly move back to Lima. Although, if you have a lot of time and money left, then if you wish, you can also go to the Nazca figures (this is another 100 km to the south). But then we will return to Lima very late at night.

In the morning we fly from Lima to Puerto Maldonado - a town in the heart of the Amazon jungle. There we transfer to a boat and sail along the Madre de Dios River (a tributary of the Amazon) for 3 hours to the Tambopata Nature Reserve. In the reserve, in addition to many wild animals, there are also hotels with restaurants, hot showers and other pleasures of life.

We check into a forest lodge. In the evening, after dinner, we arm ourselves with flashlights and go into the jungle, to the river, to look for tropical frogs and caimans (Amazon alligators). In the dark, their eyes are said to glow an ominous blood red. We need to check it out!

We spend the whole day wandering through the jungle in search of wild animals - we track them on foot, swim in a canoe, climb under the “roof of the forest” on hanging platforms for ornithologists, and hide near the clay salt marshes. In addition to the already mentioned caimans, you can meet howler monkeys, giant otters, peccary pigs, sloths, huge Macau parrots, and toucans.

Early in the morning we sail back to Puerto Maldonado. Then a short flight (less than an hour) and we are in Cusco (altitude 3360m). We take a minibus and drive through the pass to the Sacred Valley of the Incas (altitude 2800m). On the way we see the Inca fortress of Pisak. We check into a hotel in the village of Ollantaytambo. After lunch, excursion to the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo, made of huge monolithic blocks (some weighing up to 40 tons).

Традиционно ранний подъем, на поезде едем в городок Агуас-Кальентас (высота 2500 м). Поездка по железной дороге займет 2,5 часа, потом, в Агуас-Кальентас, пересаживаемся на автобус и еще 30 минут поднимаемся по серпантину в археологическую зону Мачу-Пикчу. Там у нас будет 3-4 часа на осмотр знаменитых руин. К 14:00 спускаемся обратно в Агуас-Кальентас, обедаем. На поезде едем в Оллантайтамбо (опять 2,5 часа), оттуда полтора часа на автобусе в Куско. Ночлег в отеле в центре города.

In the morning, excursion to Cusco - the ancient capital of the Incas. We look at the central cathedral and the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, built on the foundation of Coricancha - the Inca Temple of the Sun. Let's take a look at the Sacsayhuaman fortress - another example of Inca (or even pre-Inca) monolithic masonry made of huge boulders. In the evening we go to a folklore show - Indian folk dances, songs, etc.

We will spend almost the whole day (from 8 am to 6 pm) on the road. Our bus will leave Cusco and head south to Puno. Along the way we will make stops for short excursions to the most interesting “passing” attractions. These will be: the sanctuary of Kon-Tiki Viracocha (the pale-faced bearded god who came from the North), the Inca granary, La Raya pass (4300 m). Already at the entrance to Puno we will look at the Sillustani towers. This is an unusual burial from the pre-Incan period (approximately 1st century BC). In the end we find ourselves at our hotel in Puno (altitude 3860m) - this is a city near Lake Titicaca. We relax, get used to the thin air.

This day is dedicated to exploring Lake Titicaca. First, we take a boat to the floating islands of Uros (essentially rafts). We disembark there and explore a strange little world where reed boats moor to reed islands studded with reed huts. I wonder how they solve fire safety issues?

Having finished with the islands, we sail to Cape Capachica and get acquainted with the life of the Indian community. Then a short walk to Carus Hill, which offers an excellent view of Lake Titicaca itself and the snow-white peaks of the Cordillera Real mountain range (they are already in Bolivia).

We return to Puno and pick up our things. We go to Juliaca airport, then an hour and a half flight to Lima. Tomorrow there is an early flight, so we will check into the hotel closest to the airport.

The flight from Lima to Huaraz takes just over an hour. Huaraz (altitude 3090 m) is a small town at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, the starting point for trekking routes. Here you can rent equipment, buy food, hire pack mules and drivers to transport things on the track.

Having resolved all organizational issues and leaving our things at the hostel, we will go on an acclimatization trip to the mountains. First, we will drive a little by jeep to an altitude of 3850 m, and from there we will walk 3 kilometers to Lake Churup (4485 m). If we don’t have time and energy for such an impressive climb, then instead of Lake Churup we can visit other, less remote attractions. In the evening return to Huaraz.

During the trekking, we leave extra things (city clothes, etc.) at the hostel in Huaraz. In a custom minibus we spend a long time bumping along rough roads in the foothills of the Cordillera. In the end we find ourselves in the village of Kashapampa (Cashapampa, 2900m). The walking part of the route begins here. We load things onto mules and go with small backpacks ourselves. But don't worry - there won't be any balls. Today we need to gain more than 800 meters of altitude. We walk along the canyon of the Santa Cruz River, after which this trek is named (there is also a peak of the same name, but it is a little further). Overnight in tents among the pastures of Llamacorral (3760 m).

Travel time: 6 hours. Distance: 12 km. Elevation gain: 860 m

In order to have time to go to the radio station in the evening, you need to get up early in the morning. We continue to go upstream of the river. The valley here expands; numerous waterfalls flow down its rocky sides. On the way, you increasingly encounter mountain lakes and swamps. One of them, Hatunkocha, occupies almost the entire width of the valley and our path presses ever closer to the rocks. We cross the river several times on footbridges and ford. Just an hour short of our overnight stay, we turn up. This begins the already mentioned radial route to the base camp of Alpamayo (the peak known for its beauty, 5947 m). After gaining approximately 400 meters of altitude we will reach a large lake in the hanging valley. It is surrounded on three sides by rocks and a glacier is creeping up.

For the night we go down to the Taullipampa parking lot (4250 m) at the foot of Mount Taulliraju (5830 m). The parking lot itself is, like last time, a large meadow (there are few trees here). And as scenery, at the edge of the valley there are snow-capped peaks - Artesonraju, 6025 m and Paron, 5600 m.

Travel time: 11 hours. Distance: 18 km. Elevation gain: 1050 m

Today is the hardest day of our trekking in the Cordillera; discomfort from the mountain climb will most likely be added to the physical exertion. Before the start, don’t forget to stock up on water, we have an exhausting climb ahead, and the next source will be only on the other side of the mountains. The path to the pass goes along an endless serpentine road from which a new view of the already familiar glaciers on the slopes of Taulirahu and Lake Taulikocha stretching at the foot opens up. The path to the Punta Union Pass (4750 m) will take at least 3 hours. The reward for your patience will be a panorama of two valleys - Santa Cruz and Huaripampa. After the pass, along a rather steep path we descend to Lake Morococha and further into the Huaripampa valley. Gradually, the forest of rocks gives way to a completely vegetative forest, and in the end, after 5 hours of descent, we finish at the Paria tourist site (3850 m) near the Huaripampa River.

Travel time: 8 hours. Distance: 14 km. Elevation gain: 510 m. Elevation loss: 900 m.

"We continue to descend through the local forest, cross the tributaries of the Huaripampa River several times. After about 3, we come to the first dwelling - a poor pastoral village of the Quechua people. Beyond the village we climb slightly up the mountain and eventually come to the village of Vaqueria (3700 m). Here a minibus will pick us up and take us to Huaraz. The hike is over, goodbye tents - we check into the hostel, take a shower, and relax.

Travel time: 4 hours. Distance: 12 km. Height drop: 600 m. Height gain: 450 m.

Early in the morning we go to the airport, a short one-hour flight and we are in Lima. We leave our things in the luggage room at the airport and go to the city to walk the last kilometers in Peru. In the evening we fly back to our homeland.