Journeys For Women presents:
Peru
April 28-May 5, 2018 (8 days/ 7 nights)
Optional Rainforest extension
May 5-8 (4 days/ 3 nights)
Galapagos Islands w/ Quito, Ecuador
April 22-28 (7 days/ 6 nights)
Our incredible trip was in 3 segments: Ecuador and The Galapagos, followed by Peru, and finally the Peruvian rainforest.
We arrived first in Quito Ecuador, where most of us needed an overnight to adjust to the altitude. We then enjoyed a full-day tour of the city and beyond. Highlights were visiting the equator--both the place the French thought it was and the actual one, as defined by GPS--and various churches, the most striking of which was the incredibly gilded church of la Compañía.
Our flight to the Galapagos the next day took us to San Cristobal Island where we settled into our 9-cabin yacht and were treated to views of Kicker Rock, a couple of hours off the coast. Over the course of the next four days, we visited six other islands: N Seymour, South Plaza, Rabida, Bartholomew, Santiago and Santa Cruz. We delighted in lush wildlife everywhere, guided by our terrific naturalist, James. To name just a few, we saw sea lions, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, iguanas, crabs, blue herons, penguins, and giant tortoises. Snorkelers saw colorful fish as well as rays and a few varieties of sharks. On board the Natural Paradise, our wonderful crew cooked up three meals a day as well as snacks for when we returned from our excursions. Naturalist talks were held just before dinner each evening.
Back on mainland Ecuador, most of us continued on to Lima, Peru. Four people headed home from Quito and five others met us in Lima. The next day we had a walking tour of the city center Later we had an included dinner at lovely Huaca Pucllana restaurant located at a pyramid.
Next we flew into Cusco, met our Incan guide for 5 days, Roger, and descended to the Sacred Valley. En route, we stopped at a weaving center where we saw local crafts and resident llamas and alpacas. The next day we toured the archaeological site of Ollantaitama, a stone city between Cusco and Machu Picchu. We visited a replica of a one-room Incan house and stopped at an Incan bar to sample corn beer. We'll stick with hops!
We traveled by vistadome train to our next stop, Machu Picchu. We visited the first afternoon and half our group returned in the morning for a different perspective and more views. What a stunning and moving place. Back on the vistadome train that afternoon, we headed to Cusco. The following day Roger provided an excellent city tour. That night our fabulous included dinner at Uchu restaurant served as the farewell to two of the group members who were heading home.
The rest of us continued on to the rainforest. It included a flight to Puerto Maldonado where most had to repack bags and store luggage to meet the "one small bag" requirement of the boat to our wilderness lodge. We had a bit of an adventure on the way. Our flight was about 90 minutes late, so the normally 2-hour boat ride (which became almost 3) was mostly in the dark (sun sets year-round at 6p). We had no running lights and at some point we hit something--log or rocks and we 18 on board were afraid we'd capsize. We eventually made it, and were greeted by our guide for the next 3 days, Angel, and a waiting dinner.
Our lodge rooms had an open wall on one side, so we heard all the jungle sounds, while sleeping under protective mosquito netting. The next two days we had morning and afternoon walks and even an optional one in the evening. We saw various indigenous trees and flowers and visited a farm that was more like an orchard. There we tasted a number of fruits previously unknown to us. We enjoyed chatting with the hermit who owns and runs the farm. We also had a tour of the Brazil nut growing and harvesting process and some in the group hiked to the clay lick to see colorful macaws coming to get their daily minerals. On day 18 we headed back, doing the boat ride in morning light :), then flying back to Lima to catch our flights home. This trip had more physical demands and more moving around than most, but we wouldn't have wanted to sacrifice any of our destinations!
We arrived first in Quito Ecuador, where most of us needed an overnight to adjust to the altitude. We then enjoyed a full-day tour of the city and beyond. Highlights were visiting the equator--both the place the French thought it was and the actual one, as defined by GPS--and various churches, the most striking of which was the incredibly gilded church of la Compañía.
Our flight to the Galapagos the next day took us to San Cristobal Island where we settled into our 9-cabin yacht and were treated to views of Kicker Rock, a couple of hours off the coast. Over the course of the next four days, we visited six other islands: N Seymour, South Plaza, Rabida, Bartholomew, Santiago and Santa Cruz. We delighted in lush wildlife everywhere, guided by our terrific naturalist, James. To name just a few, we saw sea lions, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, iguanas, crabs, blue herons, penguins, and giant tortoises. Snorkelers saw colorful fish as well as rays and a few varieties of sharks. On board the Natural Paradise, our wonderful crew cooked up three meals a day as well as snacks for when we returned from our excursions. Naturalist talks were held just before dinner each evening.
Back on mainland Ecuador, most of us continued on to Lima, Peru. Four people headed home from Quito and five others met us in Lima. The next day we had a walking tour of the city center Later we had an included dinner at lovely Huaca Pucllana restaurant located at a pyramid.
Next we flew into Cusco, met our Incan guide for 5 days, Roger, and descended to the Sacred Valley. En route, we stopped at a weaving center where we saw local crafts and resident llamas and alpacas. The next day we toured the archaeological site of Ollantaitama, a stone city between Cusco and Machu Picchu. We visited a replica of a one-room Incan house and stopped at an Incan bar to sample corn beer. We'll stick with hops!
We traveled by vistadome train to our next stop, Machu Picchu. We visited the first afternoon and half our group returned in the morning for a different perspective and more views. What a stunning and moving place. Back on the vistadome train that afternoon, we headed to Cusco. The following day Roger provided an excellent city tour. That night our fabulous included dinner at Uchu restaurant served as the farewell to two of the group members who were heading home.
The rest of us continued on to the rainforest. It included a flight to Puerto Maldonado where most had to repack bags and store luggage to meet the "one small bag" requirement of the boat to our wilderness lodge. We had a bit of an adventure on the way. Our flight was about 90 minutes late, so the normally 2-hour boat ride (which became almost 3) was mostly in the dark (sun sets year-round at 6p). We had no running lights and at some point we hit something--log or rocks and we 18 on board were afraid we'd capsize. We eventually made it, and were greeted by our guide for the next 3 days, Angel, and a waiting dinner.
Our lodge rooms had an open wall on one side, so we heard all the jungle sounds, while sleeping under protective mosquito netting. The next two days we had morning and afternoon walks and even an optional one in the evening. We saw various indigenous trees and flowers and visited a farm that was more like an orchard. There we tasted a number of fruits previously unknown to us. We enjoyed chatting with the hermit who owns and runs the farm. We also had a tour of the Brazil nut growing and harvesting process and some in the group hiked to the clay lick to see colorful macaws coming to get their daily minerals. On day 18 we headed back, doing the boat ride in morning light :), then flying back to Lima to catch our flights home. This trip had more physical demands and more moving around than most, but we wouldn't have wanted to sacrifice any of our destinations!