Peru
Peru: Climb the Inca Trail and Wander the Mighty Amazon
Explore the ruins of the ancient Inca civilization, and wander the world’s mightiest river in a luxury cruise vessel with AutoVenture’s Inca Trail and Amazon Tour.
The vast Inca Trail totals 24,000 miles, extending from Quito, Ecuador; down to Santiago, Chile; and east to Mendoza, Argentina. But the real plum, and the focus of your AutoVenture guided tour, is the four-day Inca Trail trek from the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba River to Machu Picchu, the mysterious 15th-century Inca ruins perched 7,970 feet above sea level.
During the trek, guests will enjoy gorgeous mountain scenery, lush cloud forest, subtropical jungle and the remnants of the ancient Inca: their paving stones, ruins and tunnels. There will be climbs over mountaintops, including the 13,773-foot high Warmiwanusca (Dead Woman's Pass), and evening campouts with great food and wine. The crescendo is climbing the steps to Intipunku, and satisfying a bucket-list experience by seeing Machu Picchu scattered atop a peak.
Following the trek, you’ll be ready for some pampering during your float down the Amazon on a Delfin cruise boat. The Delfin II has 14 large guest suites and four master suites with panoramic windows, as well as a sundeck for watching the scenery from your hammock. The Delfin I is even more upscale with four huge terraced suites, private whirlpool baths, and a formal dining room.
Rising in the Peruvian Andes and winding its way east over the northern half of South America to the Atlantic, the Amazon serves as the lifeblood of the world’s largest rainforest, and it’s 65 miles longer than the Nile.
The cruise is a birders paradise, where you’ll see hundreds of bird species as well as caimans, tamarins, dolphins,monkeys and sloths. You can fish for (not swim with) piranhas, and experience the glorious flooded “Mirrored Forest” of Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve with a team of expert naturalists. You can even interact with the native ribereños on visits to villages at the river’s edge.
For those unfamiliar with Peru, an AutoVenture guided tour is the surest way of getting closest to the culture, and of capturing an unforgettable land.
