Spectacular 4x4 adventure in Peru: Andes Crossing & Machu Picchu

Lima - Pachacamac Ruins - Paracas national Reserve - Ballestas Islands - Huacachina Oasis - Nazca Lines - Machu Picchu (by train)

Discover the highlights of Peru on this spectacular 4x4 adventure through the country. This intense adventure allows you to sit back and enjoy Peru’s wonderful diversity: the Andean Mountains, the sand dunes of Huacachina Oasis, the Nazca Lines, the fascinating wildlife of Ballestas Islands, and of course an extensive variety of Inca and Pre-Inca culture, including traveling to Machu Picchu.

On our way we will be tasting wine as well as Peru’s world famous Pisco, go sand-boarding, sail to the Ballestas Islands to watch sea lions, fly over the Pre-Inca Nazca Lines and visit Machu Picchu during this fun filled 6 day 4x4 adventure trip. It is a thrilling action-packed 4wd tour to Machu Picchu which you will never forget.

This thrilling 4x4 tour in Peru offers you spectacular landscapes, adventure and access to off-the-beaten track destinations. In addition to the 4x4 tour, Machu Picchu is a highlight of this trip, which is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience that will leave you with lasting memories. Once you’ve finished the 4x4 tour, Cusco is a great place to rest and soak up the local culture of Incas. With this 4x4 trip, Peru is yours to discover!

Please note the fixed departure days for this special offer for 4x4 adventure in Peru.

Description
Trip length:		6 days/5 nights
Trip style:		Sport and Adventure (4x4 adventure)
Location:		Western Coast & The Andes
Physical Challenge:
Departure days:		Every Sunday

Day 1: Lima – Pachacamac – Chincha – Pisco – Paracas Marine Reserve
We will leave Lima in the morning, our target for the day being the Paracas National Reserve, a land of beautiful beaches, sea lions and migratory birds. On our way we will visit the impressive Pachacamac ruins, a Pre-Colombian site with stone palaces and temple pyramids. It gives us an excellent introduction to how both the Incas and the Pre-Incan people lived and worshiped their Gods.

After this we will continue south, and around 1pm we will stop for lunch at the beach. We will go to a small and delightful restaurant – the owner of the restaurant having worked for 10 years in one of the best restaurants in Lima. We will enjoy some of the best typical Peruvian seafood, which is a one of Peru’s internationally recognized dishes.

After this culinary experience we will continue to Chincha, a town where we can find some good Peruvians wines, as well as we will taste some exquisite Pisco, Peru’s emblematic national drink. From here we go to Paracas National Reserve, where we spend the night in a hotel to get a good night’s rest before heading to the Ballestas Islands early the next morning. Meals Included: None

Day 2: Paracas – Ballestas Islands – Nazca
This morning it is recommended to have light breakfast, because we will sail out to the Ballestas Islands on a speed boat. Here we will see many migratory birds, sea lions, penguins and hopefully also the huge Andean Condor, hovering above us.

After this wildlife experience we continue to visit one of the most beautiful deserts in the world: the Huacachina Oasis, where we will get a buggy car to go deep inside of the desert and do sandboarding (same idea as snowboard) in the 300mts high dunes. This is one of a kind experience, so let's enjoy it as long as possible.

On our way towards our next destination of Nazca, we will stop in the charming traditional town of Ingenio to enjoy wonderful "cremolada", a peculiar specialty of the region. It is an icy drink made by 100% fruit juices and no added water.

Later we reach the town of Nazca situated in the middle of the hot desert. We must be in Nazca no later than 4pm to fly over the famous Nazca lines. These Nazca lines are a mysterious surprise to any that see them, and there is still nobody who can explain these geometrically perfect and huge lines which can only be seen from the air.

We will fly with an excellent guide and pilot who will give you the chance to take the best pictures of the lines. Nazca is also a place that has great sunsets, so a wonderful multicolored sunset will write out the end of our hot day at the desert if we are lucky. Meals Included: Breakfast

Please note:
* Flights are secure, but we respect everyone’s decision to take the flight, and for that reason the flight cost is not included in the trip.
** Both sandboarding and the flight over the Nazca Lines depend on the weather conditions, in extreme weather they might not be possible to do.

Day 3: Nazca – Chalhuanca
After a solid breakfast we will continue our action-packed 4x4 adventure with a spectacular day on the road to climb the impressive Peruvian Andes. After climbing the first big mountain chain you will expect there is no any other mountain to climb, but the beautiful mountains just continue, making you feel very small, and maybe starting to understand why the Andean Mountains were sacred to the Inca people.

After very long and entertaining kilometers surrounded by mountains, we will reach a plateau and on the horizon we will see some small lagoons, and inside them red colored flamingos. The red color of the flamingos varies, depending on the season and of how much clay they eat. We will pull over to take some memorable pictures and enjoy the beautiful landscape here.

As we continue our route, we will reach Pampa Galeras Vicuna Reservation where we will have wildlife all around us. These South American camelids animals are friendly but shy, so we try to catch their beautiful silhouettes and curios face expressions on cameras. The hair of the vicuna is the best material for making quality sweaters, it is even better than the famous baby alpaca, but it is also very expensive: a sweater could cost around 800 dollars.

After this we will go to Puquio which is the first big Andean town that we reach. Here most Indians speak Quechua, which is the most prominent of the indigenous languages in the Andes. Depending of the season we can find snow up here, where the people live with no electricity, no portable water, no television nor heater – traditional living in the midst of the Andes in the middle of nowhere but surrounded by the beauty of Nature.

On the last tours we have been lucky to spot the Andean Condor. This bird, which weighs between 9 and 11 kilos, normally flies when the Andes become windy to use their large wingspan to take advantage of the air currents. We hope that we on your tour will be lucky again to see it flying above our heads. Ending the day we arrive at the town of Chalhuanca where we rest at a nice and comfortable hotel located on the banks of a small river. Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 4: Chalhuanca – Cusco
Today after breakfast, we resume our 4x4 adventure towards Cusco by following the river providing us with great views of the river canyon. After a couple of hours we reach Abancay, where we will visit the Saywite ruins. Here we will find a spectacular huge rock, “la piedra de Saywite”; two platforms for ritual ceremonies and a group of rocks with the same fine cuts as the rocks in Machu Picchu. Besides Machu Picchu, only in Saywite you find similar stone cuts but as Machu Picchu is about 150 kilometers away, it is mystery why and how the stones got here. There are also nice Inca terraces in this area, which might have served as an agricultural seed laboratory.

After exploring the area together we carry on our journey to Cusco, reaching this historical Inca capital in the late afternoon. We make a stop on the main square, la Plaza de Armas, a beautiful tranquil square to enjoy a perfect combination of the mystical Andean mountains and colonial architecture. You will see picturesque churches everywhere, charming small rocky streets and friendly local people. After a while of enjoying this amazing spot, we will go to our hotels to rest before going out for dinner together. Tomorrow we will travel to Machu Picchu and see these marvelous ruins, one of the 7 modern wonders of the world. Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 5: Visit the Citadel of Machu Picchu
Very early in the morning we will go to the Porroy Train Station, where we go on a 3 hour beautiful train ride in spectacular surroundings to Aguas Calientes, the gate to visit Machu Picchu. As we arrive to the town of Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes), we make a quick transfer from the train to a shuttle bus for a 20 minute ride up a winding road to the entrance of Machu Picchu. At the entrance you will be met by your guide for your in-depth tour of this world famous archeological site. The tour lasts approximately 4 hours and includes some time to wander off and do some of your own exploring. Use this time to explore the numerous plazas, buildings and spectacular vistas that have captivated so many since Hiram Bingham first brought notoriety to the site in 1911, while developing your own theory as to the purpose of Machu Picchu.

With your inner-explorer satisfied after visiting Machu Picchu, we head back to the town of Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes) to enjoy our lunch before boarding the train for the 3 hour ride back to the city of Cusco where we stay another night at our hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 6: Transfer
After breakfast at the hotel, we provide transfer service to any place that you need to go in Cusco: airport, bus station or the train station. Or maybe you just want to stay another night to enjoy this incredible Inca Capital, without doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Meals Included: Breakfast

Prices are per person and in US Dollar. Prices are subject to change around holidays such as Easter, Christmas, New Year and other local festivities.

The prices are based on hotel allocation of 2 people in double room, 3 people in triple room and 4 people in two double rooms. Only 4 people will fit in a 4x4 thus if your group is larger than 4 another 4x4 will be needed.

*The special offer is based on a party of 4 in two double rooms instead of a quadruple room for the Explorer Package. You must have a minimum of 4 people in your party. Departures that are not on sundays, have an extra cost of $100.

Price Includes:
• 5 hotel nights.
• 5 breakfasts.
• English speaking guides and skilled driver.
• All entrances to tourist sites.
• Transport in Toyota Land Cruiser Vehicle from Lima to Cusco.
• Expert guides skilled to guide each area you visit.
• Insurance in the 4wd in Peru.

Price Does Not Include:
• Lunch and dinner every day
• Flight tickets to fly over the Nazca Lines.
• Transport out of Cusco to your next destination.
• Optional tipping of the staff.

"This was an amazing 4wd adventure tour to Machu Picchu! It feels so much more authentic and real when you arrive to each place really enjoying the scenery and seeing the change in terrain. To visit Machu Picchu was incredible of course, but it made the visit more special because we saw so much of Peru on the way to get there - a spectacular 4wd tour in Peru."

Connie Wright, United States