Peru extensions
In Peru you can have your fill of adventure in an amazing variety of geographical and cultural settings. These are a few of the excellent extensions we can set up for your trip.
Inca Trail
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is one of the world’s great 4-day treks. It traverses an amazing variety of natural environments, taking in many spectacular archaeological sites.
If you don’t want to trek and want a more leisurely trip, we can also arrange a two day train trip and guided tour of the Machu Picchu ruins.
Lake Titicaca & Taquile
Lake Titicaca (3,838m) is like a vast ocean set in the middle of the Andes. It is the largest lake in South America and, at 180 kilometres long, is also the world's highest navigable lake.
Its islands and shores support many Indian communities, including that of the unique and beautiful Taquile Island. Some 3 hours by boat from Puno, Taquile - only 4km x 1km - supports a population of 2,000. What make the island so interesting are its unique customs (far removed from our own and distinct from the rest of Peru). The island is known for the sophistication of its weaving, practised from a young age by both males and females.
The Amazon
Peru boasts, in its Amazonian region, a vast swathe of world-class tropical wilderness with several rainforest and cloudforest reserves which are home to an immense diversity of wildlife.
Accessible by road, air and river, from Lima, Iquitos or Cusco, the Amazon jungle is just a hop away from the highlands and coast. Yet it offers a unique, exhilarating and unforgettable experience, whether you choose to base yourself at a comfortable lodge or enjoy a more demanding camping trip.
The Nazca Lines
Nazca, a small town set in the parched desert of central-southern Peru, is known for the intriguing Nazca culture, and in particular for the mysterious Nazca Lines; huge geometric designs, trapezoids and straight lines many kilometres long, which were etched into the desert by the ancient Nazca people.
Claims as to their purpose range from an astrological calendar to water fertility symbols and sacred paths to extraterrestrial landing sites! A must in order to get the best impression of scale and perspective is to overfly the lines from the Nazca aerodrome.
Arequipa and Colca Canyon
Arequipa (2,325m) is an attractive city full of colonial character and boasting a year-round spring climate.
Situated in the volcanic southern highlands of Peru, it commands impressive views of three nearby
volcanoes, including El Misti (5,821m) and Chachani (6,075m). Its many colonial building were constructed using a light-coloured pumice; worthy of special note is the incredible Santa Catalina Convent.
Arequipa is the ideal base for a 2-day trip to the Colca Canyon. Here you can admire the awesome Andean Condor (wingspan of over 3 metres) and wonderful Canyon landscapes. During the drive there, rare vicuña are commonly spotted. Condors are seen at a point where the canyon is well over a thousand metres deep from rim to river. In the morning, condors can be seen rising majestically on the day’s first thermals.
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