Experience An Adventurous Time With This Peru 9-Day Tour

Day 1: Welcome to Juliaca

Meet your private guide at Juliaca airport, who will transfer you to your hotel. Set off with your guide on an introductory tour of the city. Spanish Colonial churches punctuate the skyline around Plaza Bolognesi, and the aroma of grilled corn and meat roasting over an open flame drifts through the streets. Get the first taste of Peru with a sample of the coca leaves the Quechua people have used for more than two millennia to help with the altitude. Explore the city at your own pace.

Day 2: Rafting in Rio Tambopata

Today, your scenic drive takes you out of Juliaca, passing the Andean pasture where herds of alpaca graze on farmland. Ascend the mountain pass nearly 15,000 feet above sea level, stopping to view the vicunas in their natural habitat. As you descend into the rainforest basin, the trees return as a cloud forest, offering unique biodiversity and lush greenery contrasting the Andean Highlands and marking your arrival into the Tambopata National Reserve. It comprises more than 1,000 square miles of protected landscape and encompasses a portion of the Peruvian Amazon Basin.

Day 3: Natural Rio Tambopata

Enjoy some exciting rafting on the gorgeous Tambopata River. The bank winds between small, steep slopes; emerald grasses; and thin, tall trees. The water quickens, carrying the raft near class II rapids. Peek at the edges of the water where a river otter is sliding into the soft current. The freshwater otters can grow to nearly six feet long and hunt for fish, crabs, and snakes found in and around the river. Look into the trees where a group of capybaras sips at the water's edge. The capybara is the world's largest rodent, growing to nearly four and a half feet long and two feet tall, resembling gigantic guinea pigs.

Day 4: Wildlife in Rio Tambopata

Embark on another beautiful day of rafting on the Tambopata River, edging closer into the Amazon Rainforest. The Tambopata River travels 250 miles across southeastern Peru and into northwestern Bolivia. Feel great excitement as you navigate the class IV rapids, and the scenery along the banks begins to change as the river narrows. Soak in the views of grazing spider monkeys, which grow up to 35 inches long and use their prehensile tail to help balance as they swing across branches or reach for berries and nuts at the far ends of the tree.

Day 5: Thrill of the Rapids

Continue your exploration of Rio Tambopata by strolling to Brazil nut trees that grow up to 115 feet tall and bear delectable fruit between December and June. Sample some of the chestnut-colored fruit containing the oval nut and yellow flesh. Peruvians use the seeds to make palm wine and the overall fruit to cultivate palm oil. Then, listen to the cacophonous call of the red howler monkey spreads through the canopy with a guttural and deep yowl that can be heard up to three miles away. Also, spot a giant anteater scurrying into the underbrush.

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Day 6: Wildlife Exploration

Today, stroll into the rainforest terrain of the reserve, where you spot a large and powerful Jaguar, which can grow up to seven feet long and weigh 220 pounds. Then, start rafting, paddle hard with the current, and travel over the class III and IV rapids populating the Tambopata River along the Amazon Basin. When the water is calm, you scour the trees and riverbanks in search of more wildlife, enjoying the periodic meetings with the natural splendor of the rainforest. With over 900 species of birds and more than 1,200 types of butterflies, floating quietly along the water offers a spectacular panorama of colors bursting from the landscape.

Day 7: Exciting McCaw Clay Lick

Enjoy the stunning sunlight spreading over the canopy and shimmering across the emerald trees. Spot, a brown-throated sloth, is camouflaged, shielding herself from predators. The female sloth can grow to over 30 inches long and has curved, three-inch-long claws that she uses to cling to the bark and to move about the trees. Inch closer to the McCaw clay lick, and discover the rare hoatzin which inhabits the riverside forests. The prehistoric-looking bird can plunge more than 30 feet into the water to protect its nest and socializes with up to 40 birds in a single flock.

Day 8: Strolling in Puerto Maldonado

Today, wake up before dawn and go to the McCaw Clay Lick to experience the incredible sunrise views. Spot small beads of red light on the shore and the river's water, which indicate the reflection of a Caiman's eyes. The more tranquil reaches of the Amazon are the perfect place for black caiman to cool in the water during the tropical heat of the day and linger on the shore in the quiet night. Watch from a safe distance as the parrots land on the nearby trees, searching for predators. They swoop down from the branches and form slow circles over the clay lick before landing on the protruding rocks.

Day 9: Departure

Today, your private guide will transfer you to the airport for your international departure.