Cusco & Amazon Adventure

Cusco - Puerto Maldonado. Arrive in Cusco the day before the start of the tour, you’ll have some time at leisure to relax, visit a café or restaurant, or take a final walk through the city before being transferred from your hotel to the Cusco bus terminal.

Around 19:30 - 20:15, you’ll board an overnight bus that takes you from the busy streets of Cusco through winding Andean roads towards Puerto Maldonado. Settle into your seat as the city lights fade and the journey continues through the mountains, arriving the following day to begin the Amazon section of your trip.

Puerto Maldonado - Amazon Rainforest. Today, you arrive in Puerto Maldonado and begin your journey into the rainforest. You are taken to the port, where a boat is ready to carry you along the Madre de Dios River. The ride lasts about an hour and gives you your first close look at the surrounding jungle. When you reach the lodge, you are welcomed with a drink made from local fruit before settling into your room.

After lunch, you cross the river to visit Monkey Island. Several species live here, including brown capuchins, white capuchins, squirrel monkeys and saddle-back tamarins, and you can watch them as they move through the trees before returning to the lodge.

In the evening, you set out again, this time to look for wildlife along the riverbank. With a flashlight, you search for caimans and may also spot capybaras, the largest rodents in the world. After the outing, you head back to the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

After an early breakfast, you take a short boat ride to the entrance of Lake Sandoval, check in at the control point and begin a three-kilometre walk through the rainforest. Along the trail, there are frequent opportunities to spot wildlife as you make your way toward the lake.

At the shore, you board a rowing boat for a calm trip across the water with your guide. The lake is known for its rich birdlife, including hoatzins and herons, and monkeys are often seen in the surrounding trees. With some luck, you may also spot sloths, tamarins, giant river otters or black caimans, which inhabit the quieter sections of the lake.

You return to the lodge for lunch and some time to rest before joining your guide after dark for a walk along the forest trails. Using a flashlight, you look for insects, reptiles, amphibians and other nocturnal creatures before finishing the day with dinner.

You start the day early with a visit to the canopy walkway, where a series of suspended bridges positioned high above the forest floor offer wide views of the rainforest and the Madre de Dios River. This elevated route provides good opportunities to observe morning birdlife as the forest becomes active.

You return to the lodge for breakfast before preparing for the zip line experience. After a safety briefing and fitting of equipment, you move between platforms and glide through the treetops on the cables, gaining a strong sense of the height and scale of the surrounding forest.

After lunch at the lodge and some time to rest, you head out for a kayaking excursion on the Madre de Dios River. Once across to the opposite bank, there is time to try simple artisanal fishing and look for local river species in calmer waters. You return to the lodge for dinner and your final overnight stay in the rainforest.

Amazon Rainforest - Cusco. This morning, you enjoy your final moments at the lodge before beginning the journey back to Cusco. After breakfast, you board the boat for a steady trip along the Madre de Dios River, giving you a last look at the surrounding forest.

Once you reach the port, you continue by road toward the Andes. The change in landscape becomes clearer as you travel, moving from the lowland rainforest back toward higher ground.

Today, you return to Cusco after your overnight journey and step out into the cool mountain air once more.

You have the rest of the day free to take things easy. You can find a cafe for breakfast, wander through the historic centre or simply enjoy some quiet time in the plazas as you look back on your recent experiences. You are free to continue your travels or make your way to the airport for your onward flight. Safe travels!