Machu Picchu & Amazon Honeymoon Package | 10 Days in Peru

Early in the morning, you transfer to Lima airport for the flight to Puerto Maldonado — the gateway to the Peruvian Amazon. The moment you step off the plane, the heat and humidity make it clear: this is an entirely different world from the one you left behind.

From the port, the transfer to the lodge follows the Madre de Dios River by motorised canoe, and the journey is already part of the experience. Within minutes, the riverbanks start showing life: black skimmers grazing the surface, great blue herons standing motionless at the water's edge, hawks, kingfishers, flycatchers. It is a preview of what the next two days hold.

The Amazon eco-lodge is built with local timber and traditional Amazonian architecture, designed to sit inside the forest without altering it. Rooms are open to the jungle sounds, equipped with mosquito nets, and oriented so that the first thing you see each morning is the canopy. The nature guides — most of them from indigenous communities native to the Tambopata region — are available throughout your stay, and their knowledge of this ecosystem goes well beyond what any guidebook carries.

What you will experience in the Amazon

The guided walks follow trails through primary rainforest, moving at a pace that lets you actually see things: medicinal plants used for centuries by local communities, the leaf-cutter ant highways that cross the path, the sudden stillness that means something large is nearby. Sounds shift with the time of day — the jungle at midday is different from the jungle at dusk, and both are different from the jungle at 3am when something wakes you up and you lie there listening.

Activities during the two nights at the lodge typically include night walks with torches, canoe trips along Tambopata River tributaries, birdwatching at dawn, and visits to a clay lick — a natural mineral deposit where hundreds of parrots and macaws gather each morning in one of the most photographed wildlife scenes in South American ecotourism.

On the final Amazon morning, you transfer back to Puerto Maldonado airport for the flight to Cusco. A Tierras Vivas representative meets you on arrival and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free — and given the altitude difference between the two cities, free means exactly that. 

About Puerto Maldonado and the Tambopata National Reserve

The Madre de Dios region — historically called the Inca Gold Amazon for the alluvial gold that drew the first explorers here — covers roughly half of Peruvian territory and remains one of the least disturbed ecosystems on the planet. Puerto Maldonado sits at the confluence of the Madre de Dios and Tambopata rivers, a working river town where regulated ecotourism, Brazil nut harvesting, and small-scale agriculture coexist, sometimes uneasily, with conservation efforts.

The Tambopata National Reserve, where your lodge is located, holds biodiversity numbers that take a moment to absorb: 

• 10,000+ plant species
• 1,300+ bird species
• 200 mammal species
• 1,200 butterfly species
• 90 frog varieties
• 10% of the world's parrot population

Among them: the harpy eagle, the prehistoric-looking hoatzin, tapirs, peccaries, jaguars, ocelots, and the giant river otter — one of the most endangered and most extraordinary animals in the Amazon basin. There are no guarantees of sightings. But knowing they are out there changes the way you walk through the forest. 

Today belongs to your body. Cusco sits at 3,399 metres above sea level — a significant jump from the Amazon basin you left this morning — and altitude affects everyone differently. The standard advice is to rest, drink coca tea, and resist the urge to rush. It is not laziness; it is how you protect the days ahead.

Once you feel ready, step outside. Cusco historic center is one of the few places in the world where Inca stonework and Spanish baroque architecture share the same wall — literally. The city was the capital of the Tawantinsuyu, the Inca Empire, and the Spanish built their colonial city directly on top of it rather than clearing it. Walking its cobblestone streets without a map or a schedule is still one of the most rewarding things you can do here. 

Archaeological sites around Cusco

All four sites are less than 15 minutes from the city centre by vehicle and can be visited in a half-day:1.

• Sacsayhuamán — A military and ceremonial complex built with limestone blocks weighing up to 130 tonnes, fitted together without mortar with a precision that still puzzles engineers. Its three zigzagging walls stretch over 360 metres and have survived every earthquake since the 15th century.
• Q'enqo — A sacred site carved directly into a single massive rock, with channels, altarpieces and underground chambers that archaeologists believe were used for ritual sacrifices and astronomical ceremonies. The geometry is unlike anything else in the region.
• Tambomachay — Known as the Temple of Water, this Inca hydraulic complex still channels clean water through its original stone aqueducts after more than 500 years. The engineering is quiet and precise, and still fully functional.
• Puca Pucara — A red granite watchtower and rest station on the royal road to the Sacred Valley, named for the reddish hue of its stone at sunset. Smaller than Sacsayhuamán but worth the stop for the views alone.
   

Qorikancha: the temple beneath the church

Back in the city, the Qorikancha is the sharpest lesson Cusco offers in what conquest actually looks like. This was once the wealthiest temple in the Inca Empire — the Temple of the Sun, its walls lined entirely in gold sheeting, housing golden statues, a golden sun disc, and sacred offerings to Inti, the sun god. When the Spanish arrived, they stripped every gram of gold and sent it to the Crown as tribute. Then, rather than demolishing the structure, they built the Santo Domingo Church directly on top of the original Inca walls.

Those walls are still there. You can see exactly where the Inca stonework ends and the Spanish construction begins — two civilisations, two different ideas of permanence, sharing the same foundation. The Inca walls, built without mortar and designed to flex during earthquakes, have survived every tremor since. The Spanish additions have needed repeated repairs.

End the day at whatever pace feels right. Tomorrow, the Sacred Valley opens up. 

Today offers two paths. Option A: a private full-day excursion to three of the Sacred Valley's most compelling sites — the salt pans of Maras, the circular terraces of Moray, and the village of Chinchero. Option B: a free day in Cusco to follow the city at your own pace. Your guide will help you decide the morning before, based on how you feel after acclimatization. 

Maras Salt Mines (Salinas de Maras)

The Maras salt mines have been producing salt since before the Inca Empire — the same family plots, the same stone channels, the same technique, passed down for generations and still in use today. Roughly 5,000 individual pools carved into the hillside above the Urubamba Valley are fed by a single underground saltwater spring. When the Andean sun hits the water, it evaporates and leaves behind coarse white crystals — a process that takes about one month per harvest, with each pool yielding a layer of salt some 10 cm deep.

The local name in Quechua is Kachi Raqay — salt deposits. The pools are managed communally, with each family responsible for their own section. Visitors can watch the harvest and, in the right season, take part in it alongside the workers. Seen from above, the terraced patchwork of white, pink, and amber pools against the green valley below is one of the most distinctive landscapes in the Cusco region. 

Moray Archaeological Site

About 50 km northwest of Cusco, at 3,500 metres above sea level, Moray is unlike any other Inca site in Peru. Instead of walls or citadels, what you find here is a series of enormous circular terraces sunk into the earth — the largest depression reaching 30 metres deep — with a sophisticated irrigation system feeding each level.

What the Inca used these terraces for remains genuinely debated. The leading theory is agricultural experimentation: the depth and orientation of the rings creates a temperature gradient of up to 15°C between the top and bottom tiers, effectively simulating different climate zones within a single site. This would have allowed Inca agronomists to test how crops from different altitudes and regions behaved under controlled conditions — a kind of open-air laboratory for domesticating and adapting wild plant species for large-scale cultivation.

Whether or not that interpretation is entirely correct, the geometry of the place is striking from the moment you stand at the rim and look down. 

Chinchero Village

Chinchero sits at 3,762 metres on the windswept plateau of Anta, about 30 km from Cusco, with views across the Sacred Valley of the Incas toward the snow-capped summit of Salkantay on the western horizon. Local tradition holds that this was the birthplace of the rainbow — and on a clear afternoon, with the light the way it gets at altitude, that story is easier to believe than it sounds.

The village has been inhabited since at least the time of Inca Túpac Yupanqui, who used Chinchero as a royal estate. The massive trapezoidal-niche wall that dominates the main plaza is what remains of that period — still standing, still precise, still holding up the colonial church built on top of it in the early 17th century. Inside, the ceiling and walls are painted with Andean floral and religious motifs that have survived four centuries without fading much.

The Sunday market at Chinchero is one of the few in the region still oriented toward local trade rather than tourist retail. Locals arrive in traditional dress — not for the visitors, but because that is how they come to market. The textiles sold here are made by hand using natural dyes and techniques that predate the Spanish arrival. It is worth buying something. 

You return to Cusco in the afternoon. Tomorrow, the Sacred Valley of the Incas continues — this time with Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and the valley floor. 

Today the altitude drops, and you feel it immediately. The Sacred Valley of the Incas runs along the Urubamba River at a lower elevation than Cusco, and the warmer air, broader sky, and patchwork of farmland and snow-capped peaks make it feel like a completely different chapter of the same journey. Private transport picks you up at the hotel and heads straight to the first stop. 

Pisac Archaeological Site & Market

Pisac climbs the hillside in two parts: the archaeological site above, terraced into the mountain with some of the most extensive Inca agricultural platforms in the region, and the town market below, spread through cobblestone streets and central plaza. The guided visit to the ruins takes in the ceremonial sector and the panoramic views over the valley floor — then you descend on foot through the terraces into the town itself, where weavers, potters, and vendors set up their stalls selling textiles, carved gourds, and fresh produce. Worth walking slowly. 

Lunch in the Sacred Valley

Midday stop in Urubamba, the valley's main town, for a buffet lunch at the Tunupa Restaurant — a Sacred Valley institution known for its traditional Andean cuisine served alongside panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Time to sit, eat well, and let the morning settle before the afternoon. 
Ollantaytambo Fortress

Ollantaytambo is considered the finest surviving example of Inca urban planning — a living town where the original street grid, water channels, and stone architecture have been continuously inhabited since the 15th century. The fortress above the town is a different matter: massive defensive terraces rising almost vertically from the valley floor, topped by the Temple of the Sun and its unfinished ceremonial platforms. This was one of the very few sites where Inca forces defeated a Spanish military advance — in 1537, Manco Inca held the fortress against Hernando Pizarro's troops and forced a retreat. Standing at the base of those walls, the logistics of that defense are not hard to imagine. 

Vistadome Train to Aguas Calientes

From Ollantaytambo station, the 15:40 Vistadome train follows the Urubamba River down into the cloud forest toward Aguas Calientes — the town at the foot of Machu Picchu. The panoramic roof windows make the most of a route where the scenery earns attention: canyon walls closing in, waterfalls appearing briefly between rock faces, and the vegetation shifting from high Andean scrub to dense subtropical forest as the train drops in altitude. The journey takes around 90 minutes.

A Tierras Vivas representative meets you at the station and walks you to your hotel. Tonight, rest well. Tomorrow you go up to Machu Picchu. 

This is the day the whole trip has been building toward.

Before sunrise, your guide walks you to the bus station in Aguas Calientes for the short ascent to the citadel. The road switchbacks up through cloud forest, and by the time the gates open at Machu Picchu, the morning mist is usually still sitting in the valley below — which is exactly the right moment to arrive. The citadel appears gradually as you walk in: first the agricultural terraces, then the stone buildings of the urban sector, then the full panorama of the site against the peak of Huayna Picchu rising behind it. It takes a moment to accept that it is real.

The guided tour — circuit options

Your private guide leads a two-and-a-half-hour visit through the Lost City of the Incas, moving at a pace that allows time to actually look at things rather than just pass through them. The tour follows one of the site's official circuits, determined by availability at the time of booking: 

• Recommended Circuit 2 — the classic and most complete route through the citadel. Book as early as possible; daily entry slots sell out weeks in advance.
• Alternative Circuit 1 — a shorter loop focusing on the agricultural terraces and the main plaza. Valid if Circuit 2 has no availability.
• Alternative Circuit 3 — upper sector route with excellent viewpoints over the entire complex. Third option if both above are unavailable.

Optional mountain climbs — extra cost & prior booking required

After the guided tour, those wanting more elevation can climb one of the two mountains that frame the citadel. Both require a separate entry ticket and must be booked well in advance: 

Huayna Picchu (Circuit 3A)
The steep peak rising directly behind the citadel in every postcard of Machu Picchu. Around 45 minutes up, 45 minutes down — vertical, exposed in sections, and requiring a head for heights. From the summit, the citadel below looks impossibly small against the valley and the surrounding ridges. 

Machu Picchu Mountain (Circuit 1A)
The broader, longer climb — around 90 minutes of steady ascent — that reaches a higher elevation than Huayna Picchu and offers wider panoramic views of the full archaeological complex, the Urubamba River valley below, and the mountain chain extending in every direction. 

Afternoon — return to Cusco

After the citadel, you descend by bus to Aguas Calientes for a free afternoon — lunch by the river, a walk through the thermal baths town, or simply sitting somewhere quiet with the morning still in your head. The train back departs from Aguas Calientes station and returns to Ollantaytambo, where a private transfer waits to drive you back to Cusco through the valley at night.

Tomorrow is your last full day in Peru. Use tonight well. 

After Machu Picchu, almost everything feels quieter. Today is yours — no schedule, no transfers, no circuit routes to follow. Cusco at your own pace is a different city from the one you moved through on Day 05, and deliberately so.

A few directions worth considering: 

Barrio de San Blas — the artisan quarter above the Plaza de Armas, a ten-minute walk uphill through increasingly narrow streets. Workshops selling hand-carved woodwork, ceramics, and silver jewellery sit alongside small cafés with views over the rooftops. Worth going without a plan and seeing what you find.
 
Mercado San Pedro — Cusco's main covered market, two blocks from the Plaza de Armas. Stalls selling fresh produce, local cheeses, dried herbs, chicha de jora, and prepared food. It functions as a real market rather than a tourist destination, and the difference shows. Best visited before noon.
 
Cusco restaurants — the city has a serious food scene that tends to get overlooked in favour of Lima. Chicha by Gastón Acurio on Calle Regocijo serves updated Andean cuisine in a colonial courtyard. Cicciolina on Calle Triunfo is the local choice for something quieter. Both require booking ahead.
 
Plaza de Armas — the city's main square is worth returning to at a different hour than Day 05. At dusk, the Cathedral and the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús are lit from below, and the square fills with locals rather than visitors. Sit somewhere with a pisco sour and watch the city do what it does.
 
Textiles & souvenirs — if you did not buy in Chinchero, Cusco has better options than most cities in Peru. The Centro de Textiles Tradicionales on Avenida El Sol sells certified handwoven pieces directly from artisan cooperatives, with documentation of origin. Worth the detour.
The day has no obligations. If none of the above appeals and you would rather spend it at the hotel or walking wherever the streets take you — that is a completely valid use of your last full day in Peru.

A private transfer takes you from your hotel to Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco for your flight back to Lima. From there, your international connection home.

Ten days. The Amazon and the Andes. Jungle river mornings and Inca citadel afternoons. A train through the cloud forest and a dawn entrance to Machu Picchu. Whatever you expected when you booked this Machu Picchu and Amazon honeymoon package — Peru has a way of being more than that.

If you would like to extend your stay in Lima before your international flight — an extra night, a restaurant reservation, a city tour — your Tierras Vivas travel designer can arrange it. Just reach out when you are ready to plan. 

Your 10-day Peru honeymoon at a glance

• 3 domestic flights
• 4 destinations
• 9 nights accommodation
• 2 nights Amazon lodge
• 1 UNESCO World Heritage Site
• 100% private tours & transfers

Private airport meet & greet
A Tierras Vivas representative meets you personally at arrival in Lima, Puerto Maldonado, and Cusco — holding a sign with your names and handling all logistics on the ground.
 
3 domestic flights
Lima → Puerto Maldonado → Cusco → Lima — all included. No hidden booking fees.
 
All airport & inter-city transfers
Private vehicle throughout — no shared shuttles, no waiting for other passengers.
 
9 nights accommodation
7 nights in luxury hotels (Lima, Cusco, Aguas Calientes) + 2 nights at an Amazon eco-lodge inside the Tambopata National Reserve.
 
All entrance fees
Including Machu Picchu entry tickets, Sacred Valley sites, Tambopata Reserve access, and all archaeological sites in the itinerary.
 
Private bilingual guides
Dedicated private tour guides at every destination — Amazon naturalist guides in Tambopata, licensed archaeological guides in Cusco and Machu Picchu.
 
Meals as per itinerary
8 breakfasts · 2 buffet lunches at Tunupa Restaurant, Sacred Valley · 2 lunches + 2 dinners at the Amazon lodge
 
Round-trip
Vistadome train Vistadome panoramic train tickets — Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and return, with panoramic roof windows through the cloud forest canyon.
 
Round-trip shuttle bus
Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu Return bus service from Aguas Calientes up to the Machu Picchu citadel entrance — included both ways.

•  International flights
  Flights to and from Lima are not included. Your Tierras Vivas travel designer can recommend routing options on request.
   
  Pre- and post-tour accommodation
  Any hotel nights in Lima before Day 01 or after Day 10 are not included. Additional nights can be arranged through our tailor-made department.
   
  Airport departure taxes
  International departure taxes from Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima are not included and are payable locally.
   
  Optional mountain tickets at Machu Picchu
  Entry to Huayna Picchu (Circuit 3A) or Machu Picchu Mountain (Circuit 1A) requires a separate ticket and prior booking — not included in the base package. Approximate cost: USD 80 per person for either mountain. Slots are limited and sell out weeks in advance — we recommend booking at the same time as your main Machu Picchu entry.
   
  Meals not listed in the itinerary
  All included meals are detailed in the What's Included section above. Any additional meals, drinks, or dining outside the itinerary are at your own expense.
   
  Travel insurance
  Not included but strongly recommended. A policy covering medical evacuation is particularly important for itineraries that include high-altitude sections and remote jungle areas.
   
  Gratuities
  Tips for guides, drivers, and lodge staff are not included. Tipping is common practice in Peru and appreciated — the amount is entirely at your discretion.
   
  Personal expenses
  Souvenirs, optional activities, laundry, phone calls, minibar charges, and any services not explicitly listed in the itinerary.

Every guide on this private Peru honeymoon is assigned exclusively to you for the duration of their destination segment. You will not share them with other travellers, other couples, or other groups. This is not a detail — it changes the pace, the depth, and the quality of everything you experience.

Amazon naturalist guides
Local guides from indigenous communities native to the Tambopata region, trained in Amazonian ecology, flora identification, and wildlife tracking. Their knowledge of this ecosystem is generational — not learned from a manual. 

Inca archaeology guides
Licensed bilingual guides specialising in pre-Columbian history, Inca architecture, and the archaeology of Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu. Certified by Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR). 

Both guide types are bilingual (Spanish–English), experienced with international travellers, and briefed on the specific character of a honeymoon itinerary — which means they know when to explain, when to step back, and when to simply let a place speak for itself. 

These following hotels are used to accommodate you during your tour:

Accommodation in Lima:

Costa del Sol Lima.

Accommodation in Cusco:

Costa del Sol Cusco.

Accommodation in Machu Picchu:

Tierra Vivas Hotel Machu Picchu.

Please note! If you have purchased pre or post trip accommodation, you might be asked to change your room during your trip.

A kind of luggage you need to take with depends on a kind of tour you plan to undertake, a part of the country you like to visit, a year season and a length of your trip. In general, you should pack as lightly as possible because you carry your own luggage during most of our tours (however, there are not long walking distances – up to 30 minutes). We recommend you to keep weight of your luggage under 10 kg (22 lb.).

Most of travelers use a suitcase. However, a big backpack would be more suitable. In any case, please do not forget a small rucksack that you will need for daily travels (to carry your bottled water, camera, snacks, etc.). It is better to avoid a wheeled luggage and use luggage with shoulder straps.

What Kind of Clothing to Pack to Peru

Clothing to take with you depends on a year season in Peru and a part of country you plan to visit.

When visiting coastline of the Northern Peru and surroundings of Lima, then you need to pack some light cloths (for example, shorts, skirts, dresses, T-shirts), flip-flops, sandals, a head cover as a protection against the Sun (a hat or a cap), sun protection cream, sunglasses, mosquitos repellent and swimsuit, of course.

If you plan to visit Peruvian mountains (Andean mountain range or Altiplano), then we recommend you to take some trousers suitable for hiking, shorts, T-shirts and trekking shoes for the days; and sweaters, fleeces, hats, scarves and warm jackets for the nights. You also should take a sun protection cream, sun glasses and in some cases, mosquito repellent (depending on a route chosen). It is very convenient to have a light rain-gear available in a daypack (e.g. a waterproof poncho or jacket and/or waterproof trousers) as weather changes quickly and rains can suddenly occur. For more details, please check the below link of “What to Bring on the Inca Trail Expedition Tour”.

If you like to see the Incan gold Amazon (Manu, Puerto Maldonado, Iquitos, etc.), then the most important item of your luggage must be a mosquito repellent (20 DEET as a minimum recommended)!! Except that, you should take some light clothing with long sleeves and long trousers (to put into your shoes as a kind of protection against insect). You should not forget some waterproof cloths (especially, if you plan to visit the rainforest during a rainy season), comfortable and closed footwear, long socks and a hat.

What to Bring on the Amazon and Machu Picchu Honeymoon Packages

• Passport: Original and copies
• Travel insurance(+ copies for a case of lost),
• Flight tickets,
• Cash in USD or credit cards,
• Our service voucher (sent by us to you),
• Entry visa and a proof of vaccination (if applicable),
• Day pack (to carry your personal items during daily travels),
• Rain gear (a rain-jacket and a waterproof trousers or a rain poncho - this can be purchased in Cusco),
• Resistible footwear, waterproof trekking shoes are recommended,
• Sandals (for a higher comfort while at a campsite),
• Warm clothes such as a jacket, a fleece (thermal clothing is also recommended for cold nights during camping),
• Hat or a cap (to protect you against the Sun, rain as well as cold),
• Sun cream or sun block,
• After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body,
• Insect repellent– recommended minimum is 20% DEET (please note that no malaria has been reported during this trip!),
• Camera and its charger/batteries (please note that batteries are consumed quickly under cold conditions),
• Flashlight/headlamp + batteries,
• Handkerchiefs and toilet paper,
• Small towel and toiletries,
• Sufficient reserve of underwear,
• Swimsuit (to visit the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes),
• Snacks (biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.)

Please note: we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. The recommendation of taken own snack applies only for customers who like a specific snack that might not be in our menu. Bottled water for the first morning and a water bottle.