Peru for Active Photographers

 

Aug 29 - Sept 9, 2010 and Optional Extension Sept 9 - 14, 2010

 

Peru is a fantastic place for photographers. It has an abundance of photogenic people, wildlife and places. You can explore ancient cultures, local villages, rainforests and deserts. You will have an opportunity to hike a portion of the Inca Trail, paddle through whitewater in the Sacred Valley, ride dune buggies in the desert and go paragliding on the coast. And, you will have the pictures to prove it!

 

Peru for Active Photographers is specifically designed for flexible, energetic people that want to have fun experiencing this mystical travel destination while capturing their journey in photographs.  You will start your journey in Lima, the capital of Peru where you will explore the colonial city on a special day to observe and photograph the Santa Rosa de Lima procession, a religious parade honoring the first Catholic saint in the new world and a real Peruvian cultural event.  From Lima you will head south down the coast to the desert where you will have an opportunity to fly over and photograph the famous Nazca lines. 

 

 

 

You will also get to experience sand boarding and ride dune buggies on the giant sand dunes. While you are at the coast, you will take a boat ride out to Ballestas Island to photograph Sea Lions, Penguins and many other birds in their natural habitat. Upon returning to Lima you will have an opportunity to go paragliding from the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This thrilling experience also gives you a unique perch to take aerial photographs of Lima’s beachfront.

 

 

Next you head to Cusco, in the center of the country where you will spend 5 days exploring the Sacred Valley and Inca culture.  First you will visit the weaving villages of Willoq and Patacanach where you can photograph the local people and their houses.  The next day you will hike a small portion of the Inca Trail visiting Inca sites along the way and arriving at the World Heritage site of Machu Picchu. You will have an opportunity to photograph the entire Machu Picchu complex in the late afternoon sun as well as at sunrise the next morning before touring this magnificent site for more detailed photos. You will leave Machu Picchu by train and visit a Chicheria in Ollantaytambo. You will also visit Pisac where you should have the opportunity to witness the arrival of the mayors and the weekly farmers market.  On your last day in the Sacred Valley you will raft the whitewater of the Urubamba River to see the valley from a different point of view. It’s sure to create a lasting memory.

 

For the last part of the tour, you will fly to Juliaca near the border of Bolivia and drive to Puno, the folkloric capital of Peru, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Along the way, you will visit the Sillustani burial site of Inca and Pre-Inca civilizations. You will also visit a small traditional farm to see how they live in this barren landscape. When you arrive in Puno, you will have time to walk around the town and photograph the local people and architecture.

 

When we leave the rainforest, we stop once again in Cusco. This time we will raft the whitewater of the Urubamba River to see the Sacred Valley from a different point of view. It’s sure to create a lasting memory. After a farewell dinner in the center of Cusco we spend our last night in this historic center and fly back to Lima for our return trip home…unless you want to join us for two extra days to visit the fabled Lake Titicaca.

 

The next day you will explore Lake Titicaca. Your private boat will leave Puno early in the morning and head out to Islas Uros and visit Aymara families that live on islands of floating reeds. Next you will visit Isla Taquile where Quechua-speaking families live. You will work off your lunch hiking the mountainous terrain of this island before heading back to Puno. For your last dinner you will see a folkloric show with colorful costumes, music and dancers. The following morning you will fly back to Lima and spend the day in Miraflores until your return flight home…unless you want to visit a rainforest in the Amazon basin while you are here.

 

 

 

You can extend your tour by 5 days and experience another photogenic area of Peru. On the extension, you fly back to Cusco and then over the Andes to the eastern edge of Peru. Here in a protected rainforest, you will spend 4 days exploring the flora and fauna of this unique environment on foot and in boats. Your days at the Manu Wildlife Center will include a visit to the forest canopy, a McCaw clay lick, an oxbow lake, a mammal clay click and numerous hikes through the rainforest. You will have an opportunity to photograph wildlife found in very few places.

 

 

• Tour Cost: $5,900 per person

• Single Supplement Fee: $860 per person

 

• Optional Extension: $1,900 per person

• Single Supplement Fee for Optional Extension: $320 per person

 

For more information, a detailed itinerary and application can be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

 

Peru 2010 Itinerary

 

Peru Application