Physical Difficulty
Cultural rating
Wildlife expectation
This is the most extensive reserve in the Peruvian Amazon region. It is in the Loreto region, and encompasses parts of the provinces of Requena, Alto Amazonas and Ucayali. It includes the basins of the Pacaya, Samiria and Yanayacu-Pucate Rivers. It covers an area of 2,080,000 hectares, and protects the ecosystems of low jungle. It also helps to promote genetic diversity as it serves to protect species in danger of extinction (the black lizard, the river otter, and the paiche fish). Studies of the local flora and fauna are encouraged here.
Pacaya Samiria is an ideal place for nature tourism. Here there are more than one thousand animal species, and there are 965 native plant species. It is possible to practice live-in tourism in a native community. Within the reserve there are many native and mestizo communities that live off the abundant natural resources of the reserve. You could go trekking, camping, caving, bird-watching, and observe the local flora and fauna.
The most popular spot to visit is the El Dorado Lagoon. Because of the large quantity of wildlife in this area, many people consider this to be the heart of the reserve.
The best way to get to know the reserve is to follow either one of the following 3 tourist routes: The Cuenca Yanayacu-Pucate route; the Lower Basin and Middle Basin of the Samiria River route; or the Lower Basin of the Pacaya River route.
Special features of our Amazon Luxury and Machu Picchu:
Type of Tourism: Family, Naturalist & Geographical
Places To Visit: Lima, Amazon, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco
Duration: 12 Days and 11 Nights
Type of Service: some tours are small group (amazon) service tours and other tours are private
Accommodation: 5 star hotels at every destination that you will visit. These hotels had been carefully chosen and we can guarantee that you will feel comfortable and pampered
At the moment you arrive in Lima, a team member of Valencia travel will be waiting for you at the airport and take you, on private transport, to your hotel. Then you will have all day to relax and enjoy the beauty of Lima and its surroundings.
After Breakfast, a representative of Valencia Travel Cusco will pick you up from the hotel (time to be confirmed) and take you to the airport where you will take your flight to Iquitos. Your Amazon adventure begins when members of the crew greet you at the airport in Iquitos. We’ll then set off in our private transport to Nauta, a small river port town on the banks of the Marañón River.
Once we arrive in Nauta, you’ll have a VIP greeting a...
Our day begins with a trip to Fundo Casual, where we’ll find a trailhead that takes you into the depths of the jungle. As you walk, your guide will point out all the creatures you can see, as well as interesting trees and medicinal plants.
Afterwards, we will start crossing through the Yanayacu and Pucate rivers, into one of the best preserved and protected areas of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve.
At Yanayacu-Pucate, we’ll see numerou...
We’ll start the day by heading off in our river skiffs. The skiffs carried by the Delfin III let us explore tributaries and other locations otherwise inaccessible to the Delfin. Traveling in these smaller boats also gives us the best chance of seeing more wildlife. We’ll take our skiffs along the Samiria River and its tributaries, where an abundance of wildlife hides in the deep rainforest, including blue and yellow macaws, scarlet macaws, toucans, umbrella birds, monkeys,...
In the morning we’ll visit the community of San Francisco, from where we will take a short skiff ride and jungle walk to meet local villagers who have called the Amazon their home for generations. Here we will also visit a market featuring amazing arts and crafts from the local women.
We’ll also take the skiffs along the Marayali River, where we should be able to see sloths and iguanas. Recently, this area has also become a favorite hangout for Amazonia...
Our final day on the Amazon is always tinged with sadness as we head back to the port in Nauta to disembark. When we arrive in Nauta, our staff back on dry land will be waiting for you, and they’ll drive you back to Iquitos. But the trip isn’t quite done yet! On our way from Nauta to Iquitos, we’ll visit the River Mammals Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (ACOBIA) where you will have the opportunity to meet orphaned baby manatees, which are quite possible the cutest, ...
After your arrival to Cusco, your cultural excursion will begin when we pick you up in Cusco and drive you out to the Ccaccaccollo Community. When we arrive, we’ll meet some of the locals who live in the community, which is home to some 50 families. Here, the two main activities are farming and weaving, with the men working the land while the women doing the weaving. The weaving techniques have been passed down from one woman to another for centuries, and today Ccaccaccoll...
We’ll pick you up from your hotel at 08h30 and then set off towards the Sacred Valley. In Pisac, we will visit the colorful traditional market, where you can browse the array of local artisan work and other souvenirs – which of course you can buy to take home with you. We’ll spend about 30 minutes here, and then head up to the ruins of Pisac which sit atop a hill at the entrance to the valley.
At the Pisac archaeological site, we’ll explore the ex...
We will pick you up from your hotel around 08h00 to take you to Moray “The Inca agricultural greenhouse or laboratory.” We will drive for about 1 hour and 20 minutes through the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, through lush yellow fields of wheat, past some villages. Finally, you will arrive at the fascinating display of terraces in Moray. Moray boasts three amphitheatre-like terraces made by the Incas. These terraces, which are carved deep into the earth in a bowl sh...
You´ll wake up early and have a great breakfast at your hotel. Then a local guide will be happy to show you around the impressive gardens of the hotel. There are 180 species of birds native to this area of Peru, from the cock-of-the-rock to a record of 18 different species of hummingbirds. After Breakfast at the hotel you will go exploring the 7th Wonder of the Modern World, Machu Picchu. It is sure to be one of the most memorable experiences of your lifetime.
<...Our Cusco city tour begins in the morning, when we’ll first head to the wonderful Koricancha, next door to Santo Domingo Church. According to the chroniclers who wrote during the period directly after the Spanish Conquest, the Koricancha was the most sacred and most important temple in the Inca Empire. Its walls were covered with gold, and life-size statues of plants and animals – all made of pure gold and silver – decorated its rooms and hallways. Sadly, this wealth...
After breakfast enjoy your last day at leisure before transferring to the airport for your return flight home via Lima.