Quick answer
This Peru Amazon and Sacred Valley tour has three bases: Lima, then the Sacred Valley below Cusco, then a rainforest lodge on the Madre de Dios River near Tambopata. Flights, three 5-star hotels and guiding are included. Prices start from £3,629 per person based on two sharing, lowest for October and November 2026 departures. ATOL 10713 protected.
Three bases, each with a different job. Lima is for food, the colonial centre and the Pacific, all at sea level. The Sacred Valley is for Inca sites and terraced farmland, with time to adjust to the altitude before anything strenuous. The Amazon lodge is for wildlife, early starts and guided walks with a naturalist.
The pace is steady rather than rushed, with one free day in Lima at the end. It suits couples who like guided days and private transfers between good hotels. It does not suit anyone who wants a beach finish, long lie-ins or a self-drive holiday, because most mornings start early and the guide sets the timetable.
Why You'll Love It
Included
Not included
Day by Day
Land at Jorge Chávez International Airport, where a private driver takes you to Hotel B in Barranco. The rest of the day is free. Barranco is Lima’s arts district, set on the cliffs above the Pacific, with galleries and restaurants within walking distance. Keep dinner early, as tomorrow starts with a morning flight.
A morning flight takes you up to Cusco. You are met at the airport and driven down into the Sacred Valley, rather than staying in the city, to check in at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba. The afternoon is free. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water and leave the pisco sours until tomorrow.
A guided day in the valley. You start at a weaving cooperative to see traditional spinning and dyeing, then drive up to Moray, where the Inca cut circular terraces into a natural hollow. The thousands of small pools at the Maras salt pans have been worked since before the Inca era. Expect short walks on uneven ground.
Pisac comes first, with its craft market in the town on market days and the Inca ruins on the hill above. In the afternoon you drive along the valley to Ollantaytambo, one of the last Inca strongholds against the Spanish, where stone terraces climb the mountainside. You return to the hacienda for the night.
Transfer back to Cusco airport for the flight to Puerto Maldonado. A motorised canoe then takes you along the Madre de Dios River to Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica. After a briefing from your naturalist guide, you head out on a twilight walk to look for the frogs, insects and other animals that appear after dark.
The morning is spent on the lodge’s canopy walkway, where toucans, parrots and monkeys are easier to spot at treetop level. In the afternoon your guide leads a walk on the forest floor, pointing out the plants local communities still use as medicine and explaining how the forest layers depend on each other.
Today’s excursion is a canoe trip on an oxbow lake, a loop of river cut off from the main channel. The still water draws animals that avoid the current, and your guide looks for giant river otters and hoatzin, a prehistoric-looking bird that nests over the water. Go early, when the lake is calmest.
After breakfast the boat takes you back to Puerto Maldonado for the flight to Lima. A driver meets you and returns you to Hotel B. The evening is free for a farewell dinner. Lima has some of the most talked-about restaurants in South America, so ask us to book a table before you travel.
A private guided tour of the city. You drive through Miraflores and San Isidro to the historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for the Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace and the cathedral. The tour finishes at the San Francisco Monastery, where you go down into the catacombs.
A day with nothing booked. The Larco Museum holds one of Peru’s largest collections of pre-Columbian art, and MATE, a short walk from the hotel in Barranco, shows the work of the photographer Mario Testino. Otherwise, take a long lunch and pack slowly for the flight home.
After breakfast a private driver takes you to Jorge Chávez International Airport for your flight back to the UK. Check your bag weight before you leave the hotel, particularly if you picked up alpaca knitwear or pottery in Pisac, as the international allowance is stricter than the shops suggest.
Where You'll Stay
5-star hotel
A 1914 Belle Époque mansion on Avenida Sáenz Peña in Barranco, restored and opened as a hotel in 2013, with Peruvian art hung throughout. It is Lima's only Relais & Châteaux hotel. Breakfast is included each morning. The historic centre is a drive away, which the guided city tour covers. Your room type is confirmed on your quote.
5-star hotel
A contemporary hacienda on a 100-acre estate at Huayoccari, at km 63 of the road linking Cusco, Urubamba, Pisac and Calca. Rooms and private casitas look out at the Andes, and an ecological farm on the estate supplies the kitchen. Breakfast is included. Its position partway along the valley keeps the drives to the guided sites manageable. Your room type is confirmed on your quote.
5-star hotel
Thirty-five thatched cabañas linked by raised walkways, on the left bank of the Madre de Dios River at km 15. The lodge sits in a 17,000-hectare private reserve next to the Tambopata National Reserve, not inside it. All meals are included here. Its standout feature is a canopy walkway 30 m above the forest floor. Your cabaña type is confirmed on your quote.
All prices are per person based on two adults sharing. Includes return flights and accommodation. Click any month to enquire.
| ✈ Flights | Return flights from UK included |
| 🧳 Baggage | 23kg checked baggage |
| 🏛 Hotel | 14 nights accommodation |
| 🚌 Transfers | Private airport transfers |
| ✈ Airport Taxes | All airport taxes included |
| 💳 Deposit | 30% per person to secure booking |
You land in Lima at sea level, then fly up to Cusco at 3,399 m. Instead of staying in the city, you are driven straight down into the Sacred Valley, where Pisac sits at 2,972 m. That drop matters on the first night. The FCDO lists Cusco among the places in Peru where altitude sickness is a serious risk, and medical care is harder to reach outside Lima.
If you have a heart or lung condition, talk to your GP before you book. The Amazon comes second, so the second half of the trip is a descent to lowland forest rather than another climb. If you would rather sleep in Cusco and see Machu Picchu, our Machu Picchu and Cusco itinerary is built around both.
Puerto Maldonado is about 30 minutes by air from Cusco. A short drive takes you to the river, then it is about 45 minutes by motorised canoe to Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica. The boat carries 10 kg of luggage per person. Everything else waits at Inkaterra's office in Puerto Maldonado, and extra bags sent to the lodge cost US$35 each.
The cabañas have mosquito nets, fans and hot water, but no air-conditioning. Electricity is limited and you should not count on internet access. Excursions mean uneven trails, steps and boat landings, and Inkaterra says they are not suitable for wheelchair users. If you need a cooled room and step-free paths, the Brazilian Amazon from Manaus may be the better base.
The Andes are driest from May to September. The FCDO warns that the November to May rainy season can bring rock- and mudslides that disrupt routes in Cusco and Madre de Dios. Inkaterra puts Amazon temperatures at 25 to 42°C, with the heaviest rain from December to March. Between June and September, cold fronts can drop the forest to 10°C, so pack a fleece.
For dry weather in both regions, aim for May to October 2027. November 2026 is a shoulder month, with early rain in the hills before the forest reaches its wettest. The FCDO also expects the 2026–27 El Niño to bring heavy rain, mainly to the northern and central coast, so check its advice before you fly.
NaTHNaC recommends yellow fever vaccination from nine months of age for areas below 2,300 m in Madre de Dios, which covers the lodge. It is not recommended for Lima or Cusco city, and Peru does not ask for a certificate on arrival. Malaria risk in the Amazon basin is low. The advice is to avoid bites, with antimalarials considered only for some higher-risk travellers.
Peru has had a major dengue outbreak in 2026, and Oropouche virus is also circulating. Both spread through insect bites, so repellent, long sleeves and the bed nets do the real work. Book a travel clinic appointment well before you go, and read the TravelHealthPro advice for Peru first.
British citizens do not need a visa for a holiday in Peru, and entry is normally granted for up to 90 days in any 180. Passports need at least six months of validity left on the date you land in Peru. Immigration records your arrival digitally at Lima airport. Rules can change, so check the FCDO entry requirements before you travel.
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