Introduction

Who is going to go on this trip?	My girlfriend and I
When will we go?	August 2017 – I will be 27
What do I want to accomplish?	Tour Machu Picchu and the Amazon River
My inspiration for the trip?	Fascinated by the Incan ruins at Machu Picchu and the wildlife throughout the Amazon Rainforest
How much will this cost?	$12,500 (34,412.44 PEN)
What’s the duration of the trip?	10 Days

* note all hotels, flights, trains, and other info is based on August 2011.  2017 is very far away and I believe this was the best way I could estimate certain factors of my vacation

Plan

I am going to start my trip off with 3 nights at the Sanctuary Lodge Hotel at Machu Picchu.  Of course I will spend one day with a pass to see the Incan ruins, as well as two other tours to see an ancient Incan bridge and Putucusi Mountain.

Next I am off to the Ucayali River where I will start my 5 day luxury cruise on the Amazon River.  The company already defines the itinerary for this cruise, and I love every aspect of it.  I will get into further details later but some activities include hiking through the rainforest, touring various rivers/creeks/canals of the Amazon, and fishing for piranhas. 

Peru, Travel Tips, and Money

Capital: Lima

Language: Spanish (a good portion also speak Quechua)

Currency: Nuevo Sol

Religion: 98% Christian

Population: 29.5 million

I will always carry cash with me, however it is strongly suggested to carry a credit or travelers check card as well in the case of emergencies.  I will always be very anal about where I carry my money and identification as pick-pocketing is a possibility in Lima.  

There are a few vaccinations I will need to get before going to Peru.

* yellow fever, hep A, typhoid, rabies

The currency exchange rate between Canadian dollars and Peruvian Nuevo Sols can be found HERE.

Currently is is approximately: 1 CAD = 2.75097 PEN     or     1 PEN = 0.363509 CAD

There are many ATM's all throughout the country the dispense nuevo sol as well as American dollars.

Machu Picchu

The mysterious ruins at Machu Picchu are just under 8,000ft above sea level in the Andean Mountains.  It's estimated that this was an estate for the Inca Emperor Pachacuti, and built around 1450.  Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", these ruins weren't internationally known until 1911.  I've always been interested in ancient constructs like Machu Picchu, the pyramids, and the Jiaohe Ruins.  I am very excited for this trip to tour the ruins at Machu Picchu and learn more about Inca history.

There are 16 fountains at Machu Picchu that all still work perfectly today(500+ years later), fed by spring water and have drainage channels in case of flooding.  I plan to have a drink from one of the fountains as most tourists do and learn about the fantastic irrigation system.

Amazon River Explorer Cruise

Aqua Expeditions provides a very unique experience, touring the Amazon River in a luxurious cruise ship.  It is the only one of it's kind and was custom built to tailor to the comfort of guests while still capable of navigating the Amazon.  I will stay in an air conditioned suite with a king size bed, ensuite bathroom and seating area, but most importantly a huge window to view the river and rainforest at any time!

There is also a beautiful dining room, indoor lounge, outdoor lounge, and observation deck at my disposal.  I really like that I can stay in such luxurious living quarters while being able to tour the Amazon River and rainforest.  I will go fishing for piranhas (and over 3,000 other fish), viewing all sorts of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, as well as hiking through the jungle.  I will be photography absolutely every step of this experience.

Itinerary Days 1-5: Machu Picchu

DAY 1 (Friday)

I will spend the entire day flying and won't even land in Cusco until the morning of Day 2.

DAY 2 (Saturday)

I will land in Cusco at about 7:05am, then eventually to Machu Picchu approximately just after noon.  I'll check in to the Sanctuary Lodge Hotel where I'll have a classic standard room with a king size bed. 

That afternoon I will go on a hike to see the Puente Inca (Inca Bridge) which is carved right out of the mountain.  It is only a 35 minute hike from Machu Picchu.

There are two different restaurants as well as room service available where I'll eat all of my meals.

DAY 3 (Sunday)

I will buy a day pass to see the Inca ruins all day and take full advantage of that access to marvel at the ancient ruins and learn about their history.

DAY 4 (Monday)

I am going to go on a 2.5 hour hike to the top of Putucusi which is rated difficult, and I will need to be in good physical shape for this.

M=Machu Picchu     W=Wayna Picchu     P=Putucusi

Once at the top you are rewarded with a special view of Machu Picchu and the long winding road leading up the mountain (on the left).

This will take up the majority of my day and I will most likely relax for the remainder.

DAY 5 (Tuesday)

I check out this day, bus back to Cusco, fly to Lima, and then off to my Amazon cruise!

Itinerary Days 5-10: Amazon Cruise

Aqua Expeditions defines the itinerary for the cruise so the day to day events are not up to me, however I am very excited for everything.  I will be taking the Aqua Expeditions Explorer Cruise (4 nights).  The exact itinerary as detailed by the cruise can be viewed HERE.  I will high light the aspects of each day that I am looking forward to the most.  Throughout the cruise I will be relaxing in my spare time and taking full advantage of the luxurious amenities included (shown in the Amazon River Explorer Cruise post of the blog).  I am extremely excited to see many species that can ONLY be found here in the entire world, and photograph as much as possible!

DAY 5 (Tuesday)

Not too much is happening today, it will be very exciting to start this journey though.  I'll settle into my luxury suite, go through some safety drills, tour the Amazon river, and have a welcome dinner/evening with the other guests.

DAY 6 (Wednesday)

We will go through the Amazon's largest tributary and see slow-moving three-toed sloths, iguanas, orioles, and horned screamers, as well as many other birds.  By lunch we will go on a jungle walk to the town of Magdalena, the home of the giant water lily.

DAY 7 (Thursday)

The most exciting thing about this day is that our tour guide will show us many medicinal plants where many of the world's pharmaceuticals care sourced.  Later we will travel the Pacaya River to see saki monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and heavy howler monkeys.  Once night falls we'll search in hopes to huge caimans.

DAY 8 (Friday)

Early in the morning we'll wake up to see parrots, macaws, toucans, and many different types of monkeys, as well as the infamous pink dolphins!

Right after breakfast we'll get armed with rods and bait to fish for over 3,000 species that inhabit the Amazon.  The key target will be the piranha.

DAY 9 (Saturday)

This is the last day of my cruise and we'll venture back to Iquitos where I'll fly back to Lima and stay the night in a hotel airport.

DAY 10 (Sunday)

My flight home departs Lima at 10:32am, to arrive home in Toronto by 9:50pm while stopping shortly in San Salvador.

Flights, Trains, and Travel

Starting my trip I will fly from Toronto to Cusco, Peru, stopping in Bogota, Columbia.  I will take a train from Cusco to Machu Picchu right away and stay there for 3 nights.  After Machu Picchu I’ll train back to Cusco, and fly to Lima (Peru’s Capital).  The cruise includes a flight from Lima to Iquitos where the 5 day Amazon trip will begin.  Once the cruise ends I will fly back to Lima, and then back home to Toronto, while stopping in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Toronto to Cusco (via Bogota) - leaving Friday August 12, 2011

           Avianca Airlines

           $906/person

           Depart 3:15pm, Arrive 7:05am (16hr 50min)

Cusco to Machu Picchu - Saturday August 13, 2011

           Expedition Train

           $24/person

           Depart 8:00am, Arrive 12:11pm (2hr 11min)

MACHU PICCHU

Machu Picchu to Cusco - Tuesday August 16, 2011

           Vistadome Train

           $35.50/person

           Depart 6:53am, Arrive 10:38am (3hr 45min)

Cusco to Lima - Tuesday August 16, 2011

           Taca Airlines

           $104.50/person

           Depart 12:10pm, Arrive 1:30pm (1hr 20min)

Lima to Iquitos - Tuesday August 16, 2011

           Depart 4:05pm, Arrive 5:50pm (1hr 45min)

AMAZON CRUISE

Iquitos to Lima - Saturday August 20, 2011

           Depart 6:20pm, Arrive 8:05pm (1hr 45min)

Lima to Toronto (via San Salvador) - Leaving Sunday August 21, 2011

           Taca Airlines

           $627/person

           Depart 10:32am, Arrive 9:50pm (10hr 18min)

Total Cost for Travel = $3,395 CAD

Financing and the Costs of this Trip

The total cost of this trip will be $12,500 CAD for two people.

Travel Expenses:         $3,395 CAD     (9346.36 PEN)

Sanctuary Hotel:         $1,959 CAD     (5,392.99 PEN)

Amazon Cruise:          $6,400 CAD     (17,618.76 PEN)

Miscellaneous:            $746 CAD        (2,053.73 PEN)

                                                $12,500             (34,412.44 PEN)

This is rather expensive for two people over 9 nights, which is why I won’t be able to go until five years after graduation.  I will not go on any vacations between graduation and this trip so that I can save a large portion of my disposable income.

Previous Tourist Experiences and My Expectations

As you can see I have been a fair few places around North America, however in the future I plan on traveling to a wider variety of countries.

1993 – Orlando/St. Pete’s Beach, Florida
1995 – Boston, Massachusetts
1996 – Orlando/St. Pete’s Beach, Florida
1997 – Orlando/St. Pete’s Beach, Florida
1999 – Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
1999 – Halifax, Nova Scotia

1999 – Ottawa, Ontario
2000 – San Francisco/Napa Valley, California
2002 – The Humber Valley, Newfoundland
2002 – Halifax, Nova Scotia

2003 – Victoria/Vancouver/Kelowna, British Columbia
2004 – Kananaskis/Calgary/Banff, Alberta
2004 – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
2004 – Quebec City, Quebec

2005 – Banff, Alberta
2007 – Jasper, Alberta

2008 – Mt. Tremblant, Quebec
2008 – St. Pete’s Beach, Florida

2010 – St. Pete’s Beach, Florida

2010 – Brasilito, Costa Rica

I expect to learn a lot about Inca history, the Amazon river, as well as the rainforest and all of its species.  I know nothing of these right now and am excited to embark on this journey in the future!