Day 1 : Lima
Welcome to Lima – your arrival transfer to the hotel is included. Check in and get excited to meet your fellow travellers during a welcome meeting this evening where all families can bond before the Journey ahead.
The Lima Cooking Class comes highly recommended for families with children keenly interested in cooking, and learning more about local cuisine and ingredients. Please note, the pisco sour offered during the cooking class is for adults only.
Sit back and relax during your included transfer from the airport in Lima to your joining hotel.
Welcome Moment - Meet Your Expedition Leader and Group
Lima 1h
Your opportunity to meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Optional Activities - Day 1
Lima Cooking Class (4hrs)
Lima
Get a taste of Peruvian cuisine, visit local markets, sample exotic fruit, select fresh ingredients, and try your hand at preparing unique Peruvian dishes influenced by China, Italy, West Africa, and Japan.
Please note that if you are travelling with a family there is no age restriction on this activity and the cooking class is acceptable for children.
Discover Lima’s cultural and culinary highlights on this half-day guided tour. Visit the Santo Domingo Monastery, walk around Plaza de Armas, marvel at the Bodega y Quadra Museum, and get to know some of Lima's lovely neighbourhoods. Stop to enjoy some authentic Peruvian tapas and be introduced to Pisco Sours during a demonstration and tasting.
Day 2 : Lima/Amazon Jungle
Today, set out to discover a wilder side of Peru. Catch a morning flight to Puerto Maldonado, then continue by motorized canoe along the Tambopata River to your jungle lodge in the Amazon rainforest. Have lunch on board and keep an eye out for wildlife and birds along the way. Upon arrival, settle into your thatched roof lodging, near Tambopata National Reserve, one of the most biodiverse corners of the Amazon. In the afternoon, join a naturalist guide to seek out the rainforest's wildlife, from colourful butterflies to huge spiders, and learn the uses of medicinal and other forest plants through traditional techniques.
En route, spot bird species typical of the local river and forest edge. The Tambopata Rainforest area holds the world record for the most bird sightings in one area.
Local community members make up the majority of lodge staff, including multilingual naturalist guides. Take the opportunity to learn about the area’s rich flora and fauna and locals' extensive use of medicinal plants and other forest plant resources.
The lodge itself combines local architectural style and materials with low-impact, eco-friendly technology. Rooms are simple but comfortable, with mosquito netting for individual beds, flush toilets, and showers (with solar-heated hot water). Please bring a small battery powered lantern or flashlight.
After a brief stop in town to store large luggage, drive to the pier and travel by covered motorized boat to the jungle lodge. Be prepared to protect yourself from the sun and bugs before you get on the boat. It's quite pleasant with the covered roof and breeze, but you can still get sunburned. It's recommended to wear light long sleeves and trousers on the boat.
Plane
Lima - Puerto Maldonado
Leave Peru's Pacific coast behind and fly over the Andes to the Amazon Jungle.
Motorized Canoe
Puerto Maldonado - Tambopata 2h - 3h
Climb in and move swiftly through the water to our lodge, nestled deep in the jungle along the river.
Wildlife-spotting Night Walk
Tambopata
Get the lowdown on local flora and fauna, and grab a flashlight to discover what’s living around lodge grounds. Receive help from the talented, expert naturalist guide to locate heaps of hidden creatures! Keep an eye out for snakes, tarantulas, owls, and poison dart frogs, just to name a few.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Day 3 : Amazon Jungle
Grab your binoculars and head out with a naturalist guide to explore the rainforest's complex ecosystems. Search the forest canopy where colourful toucans, boisterous howler monkeys, and sloths may be spotted. Hike to an oxbow lake, then paddle dugout canoes to glimpse river otters, turtles, and, with any luck, an anaconda or two. This evening, venture out in a motorized canoe to spot the jungle's elusive nocturnal species, caimans–the smaller cousins of alligators, hiding along the muddy banks.
Activities in the rainforest are completely weather dependent and can change based on local conditions. Your Expedition Leader and local guide will review the daily schedule with you.
Jungle Excursions
Tambopata
Enjoy visits to oxbow lakes to learn about the jungle and its inhabitants. Be introduced to the area’s rich flora and fauna by expert naturalist guides, who can teach extensive uses for medicinal and other forest plant resources through traditional techniques. Be prepared to go early morning or evening to avoid the heat of midday. Enjoy a leisurely pace – the trip requires some walking, but nothing too strenuous.
Free time:
Tambopata Afternoon
Take time to relax during the mid-day heat or go for a swim in the river.
Caiman-Spotting Cruise
Tambopata
Head out after dark by motorized canoe to search for caimans on the river banks. Enjoy a lesson on caimans from the expert guide. Take advantage of the keen eyes of the expert naturalist guides – they are truly spectacular at spotting these elusive smaller cousins of alligators hiding on the muddy banks.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Day 4 : Amazon Jungle/Sacred Valley of the Inca
Board a motorized canoe in the early light, skimming along the river to Puerto Maldonado before taking a flight to Cusco. Continue by road into the Sacred Valley, where towering mountain slopes line the path to a cozy restaurant for a lunch of fresh local flavours. Arrive at your hotel with plenty of time to unpack, relax, and breathe in the cool mountain air. As night falls, gather the kids around a crackling campfire for a warm evening of storytelling, listening to local legends that bring the valley to life.
Motorized Canoe
Tambopata - Puerto Maldonado 3h
Return to Puerto Maldonado by motorized canoe to catch your flight to Cusco.
Plane
Puerto Maldonado - Cuzco
Fly up out of the Amazon rainforest to Cusco, the capital of the Inca empire in the Andes Mountains.
Private Vehicle
Cusco - Urubamba 1h30m 52km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Campfire Storytelling and Dinner
Urubamba
Gather the kids around the fire for a storytelling activity complete with delicious plates of food and roasted marshmallows.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Day 5 : Sacred Valley of the Inca
After breakfast, head to the Cuyo Chico Community, a G Adventures-supported project, where local artisans welcome your family into their workshop. Learn traditional ceramic-painting techniques and paint your own clay torito de Pukara bull to take home. Next, visit the Pisac market, where colourful textiles and handicrafts fill every corner. Head to the community-run Parwa restaurant for a farm-to-table lunch prepared with fresh regional ingredients. Return to the hotel for a free evening to relax.
Private Vehicle
Urubamba - Pisac 1h15m - 1h30m 41km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Community Visit with Ceramic Painting Workshop
Pisac 1h30m
Visit a small indigenous community near the ruins of Pisac to hear all about how the traditional ceramics are made. Learn about the significance of the prolific "toritos de Pukará," the small clay bulls that adorn many of the tile rooftops in the Cusco area and in the Sacred Valley, before getting the chance to paint your own.
Cuyo Chico Visit
Pisac - Urubamba
In the rural village of Cuyo Chico in the Sacred Valley, a group of families joined together to create a small business based on their traditional adobe ceramic crafts. Using clay from their surroundings, they mold bowls, plates, and all manner of decorations. Learn about the ceramics process as well as the traditional adobe brick-making that forms the basis of houses throughout the valley, all while taking in a spectacular view of the Pisac Ruins. After the demonstration, peruse the items for sale directly from the artisans in their shop.
Visit a community located at the base of the Pisac ruins that specializes in pottery. Interact with the locals while they give a demonstration and later pick up a craft from their shop.
Visit Pisac Market
Pisac 0h30m - 0h45m
Wander the stalls of the vibrant market in the town of Pisac, filled with handicraft vendors, food stalls and colourful traditional wares and souvenirs.
Parwa Community Restaurant the Sacred Valley
Lamay - Ollantaytambo
Contribute to sustainable tourism in Huchuy Qosqo, a small village of 65 families in the Sacred Valley, by eating at the Parwa Community Restaurant. Learn how the resident-run restaurant was kickstarted by G Adventures and the Multilateral Investment Fund, to become a successful farm-to-table program that boosts the local economy and several spin-off microenterprises.
Private Vehicle
Pisac - Urubamba 1h15m - 1h30m 41km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch
Day 6 : Machu Picchu/Sacred Valley of the Inca
Early this morning, head to Ollantaytambo station to board a scenic train winding through the mountain valley toward Aguas Calientes. Catch the bus up the zig-zagging mountain road to Machu Picchu, perched high above the valley floor. Explore the site alongside a local guide who brings the citadel's history to life for young travellers. Afterwards, descend back to Aguas Calientes by bus and board the return train to Ollantaytambo before settling into your hotel for a peaceful evening after a day of adventure.
Private Vehicle
Urubamba - Ollantaytambo 1h - 2h
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Train
Ollantaytambo - Aguas Calientes 1h30m
Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Local Bus
Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu 0h15m
Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Machu Picchu Guided Tour
Machu Picchu
Set off with the local guide to explore Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Learn about the history and gain insights into this massive mountaintop citadel while wandering through ancient dwellings, stone temples and along sculpted terraces. Feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll.
Local Bus
Machu Picchu - Aguas Calientes 0h15m
Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Train
Aguas Calientes - Ollantaytambo 1h30m - 1h45m 31km
Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Private Vehicle
Ollantaytambo - Urubamba 40h 21km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Day 7 : Urubamba/Cusco
Leave the Sacred Valley behind and travel toward Piuray Lagoon, stopping along the peaceful shores to share lunch. Continue to Cusco as the afternoon unfolds. Tonight, set off for the Cusco Planetarium in the nearby hills. Step inside to explore Incan constellations and the Southern Sky through dynamic projections and stories, then head outside to look through telescopes at the starry Andean sky before returning to the hotel.
Private Vehicle
Urubamba - Cusco 1h30m - 2h 57km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Cusco Planetarium
Cusco - Cuzco
Look to the night sky for a different view of the city. Explore the Cusco Planetarium surrounded by the serene nature of the Llaullipata Ecological Reserve. Enjoy a presentation on the southern sky, contemporary astronomy, and the ancient Incas’ relationship with the cosmos. Check out the on-site museum and use the telescopes to admire the stars (weather-permitting).
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch
Day 8 : Cusco
Set off on a morning walking tour through Cusco's historic centre to see Koricancha, the Twelve Angle Stone, the Cathedral, and the main square. Next, get hands-on at a chocolate workshop, molding your own sweet treats with over a dozen toppings while learning how cacao beans become chocolate. Spend a free afternoon browsing market stalls or resting up. Tonight, gather with your group for dinner to share moments from your adventure.
Chocolate Making Workshop
Cusco 2h
Get familiar with cacao, learn how it grows, how it’s harvested, how it gets made into chocolate, and its importance to the Inca. After, make your own chocolates to take home with you and enjoy a delicious souvenir.
Set off on foot to explore the Plaza de Armas (main square) and discover the vast history of this Incan city. Take in the sights while learning about the Spanish conquest, archaeology, and other historical facts about Cusco. Finally, wander the food and shop stalls in San Pedro Market where all of your senses will come to life. Pick up some souvenirs, from magnets to Pachamama dolls, and try local street fares like salchipapas (fried sausages and potatoes), or empanadas at this authentically Peruvian market.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Dinner
Day 9 : Cusco
Depart at any time.
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
