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An early morning bus ride down Peru's south coast brings us first to Ica, center of Peruvian winemaking.  We'll visit a local vinyard and distillery, check out mummies at the Ica Museum, and try out sandboarding at Huacachina Oasis.  We'll continue on to Nazca in the early evening.
 

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Buckle up and get ready to be amazed as the splendor and magnificent art of the Nazca lines unfold beneath you.  Hundreds of animals, trapezoids and ruler-straight lines lie across the rocky Nazca plateau, clearly seen only from the air.  Some say it is an ancient calendar.  Others suggest a beacon and runways for alien spacecraft.  Still others believe it was just an ancient culture's way of saying hello to their gods.  Perhaps, while soaring over them, you'll develop a theory of your own. After your flight, you'll be transferred to the bus station in Nazca for the return journey to Lima and back to the hotel.
 

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Depart Lima

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We're off to the Amazon basin this morning! After a short flight, we arrive in the city of Puerto Maldonado and transfer to a motorized dugout canoe for the trip upriver to our jungle lodge.  Our cabins at the lodge have modern bathrooms and comfortable beds with mosquito nets, and the food here is great. Take an afternoon walk through the rainforest with an experienced naturalist guide, come back for dinner, then set off again for a nocturnal jungle canoe ride to spot caiman! 

The next day's activities will include a visit to an oxbow lake to look for giant river otters, monkeys, macaws and other wildlife as well as jungle walks led by an experienced, English speaking guide.  You'll witness an array of medicinal and otherwise interesting flora and fauna, as well as gain some insight into native Amazonian peoples and traditions.
 

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After an early breakfast, we'll take a motorized canoe back to Puerto Maldonado to catch the flight to Lima or Cuzco. 
 

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This morning we're off to Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake at 12,500 feet above sea level. The bus journey today is a beautiful one, through the same valley that the first Incas took to establish their empire in Cuzco.  Puno is a lively and bustling university town with plenty of good restaurants and pubs along its pedestrian mall.  Early to bed, though, as our Titicaca adventure begins tomorrow!
 

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Boats are the transport theme today as we head out across the waters of Lake Titicaca. Our first stop is the islands of Uros, completely constructed out of totora reeds and floating on the surface of the lake. We'll take a walk across the spongy surface of these unique islands and go for a ride in a reed boat before continuing on to the island of Taquile, where we'll spend the night with a local native family. 
 

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The native culture of Taquile is the most intact in probably all of the Andes, with its inhabitants maintaining the same customs and dress as they have for over 1000 years. You will truly feel as though you have gone back in time as you walk the ancient stone paths of the island and observe it's people. Overnight in Puno.
 

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Early morning flight to Lima or Cuzco.