Exploring Peru: Rainforest Ecology and the Inca Empire

Upon arrival at the Lima International Airport, you will be met and taken to your hotel.

Transfer to the airport and fly to Puerto Maldonado. Board a boat to Tambopata River Port and begin the 2.5 hour journey to Refugio Amazonas. En route, pass the Infierno community and enjoy a boxed lunch. Upon arrival, receive an orientation to the area. This evening, search the river's edge for caimans with head lamps and flashlights. For workshops and seminars, local guides with a background in biology and/or research experience are selected as instructors, who then conduct the workshops or lectures in the field in which they specialize.

After breakfast, visit Oxbow Lake by canoe or catamaran. Wildlife here includes caimans, Hoatzins, and Horned Screamers. During the voyage, collect data on macaws, noting the species you see, quantities, and locations. The census is part of an ongoing project to estimate seasonal variations in macaw populations. This afternoon, receive a thorough introduction to tropical ecology and rainforest structure and function. Learn about the forest layers, ecology of gaps, plant adaptations, and the various interrelations between plants and animals.

Early this morning, continue macaw research at the clay lick observation site. Monitor environmental conditions and record the number, species, and behavior of macaws every 10 minutes. Return for breakfast, followed by a workshop on seed dispersal and predation. Count the seeds surrounding an adult tree and examine the relationships between seed distribution and the likelihood of predation or survival. After lunch, head to the pond to sample fish populations. Learn the essentials of the identification key and the ways different fish have adapted to the extreme conditions and seasonal variations of the water. Have dinner at the lodge, then begin a nocturnal insect workshop. Using head lamps, globes, and magnifying glasses, collect species of grasshoppers, praying mantises, and beetles to examine and identify them. Discuss the unique structures, survival strategies, and roles of each species within the ecosystem.

After breakfast, learn about the hardest workers in the rainforest-ants and termites! Look for nests, then weigh and measure pieces to determine the rate that termites can degrade wood and build nests. Stop for lunch, then prepare a paste from the fruit of huito and achiote to draw dark blue and red tattoos on your skin. (The tattoos last several days.) After dinner, begin a nocturnal amphibian inventory using a visual survey method. Register the species, time, location, height, substrate, size, weight, and sex of all amphibian occurrences within the transects.

After breakfast, return to Puerto Maldonado by boat for the flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, transfer to the Sacred Valley, stopping en route at the Awanakancha Center to learn about South American camelids and products made using traditional and modern techniques such as dyeing, spinning, and weaving. Late this afternoon, head to the hotel and have dinner.

This morning, visit a local market in Urubamba. Discuss the importance of the Sacred Valley as a market for the Inca Empire and learn about the fruits and vegetables unique to the region. (If this day is a Sunday, visit the Chinchero market instead.) Continue to Maras, a small town known for its nearby salt evaporation ponds that have been used since Inca times. Visit local houses and farms and meet with local families. Depending on the season and needs of the community, you may help local families with farm work, help create baskets made of corn leaves, and even share a typical lunch. In May and June, you can help in building the Huatias traditional Peruvian earthen oven, which dates back to the days of the Inca Empire. End the day with a Pachamama ceremony, an ancient custom of indigenous Andean cultures. The ceremony, led by a shaman, begins with an offering of small amounts of Andean cereals, grains, and fruits with coca leaves, and ends with the ritual burning of the offering and burial of its ashes to complete the cycle.

Early this morning, transfer to Ollantaytambo for a scenic train ride to Aguas Calientes. Take a short bus ride up to the ruins of Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, arguably the best known and most spectacular archaeological site on the continent. The quality of the stonework and abundance of ornamental sites indicate that Machu Picchu was an important ceremonial center, but archaeologists are still uncovering details. Break for lunch at the famous Sanctuary Lodge, then continue exploring the ruins. Late in the afternoon, take the train back to Ollantaytambo and return to Cusco.

Spend today exploring the areas surrounding Cusco. Begin at Qenqo Amphitheatre, and then visit Sacsayhuaman, a former fortress overlooking Cusco that hosted one of the fiercest battles between the Inca and the Spanish conquistadors. Enjoy superb views at Puca Pucara, followed by a stop at Tambomachay, a site for ritual bathing, also known as Baños del Inca. After lunch at a local restaurant, the afternoon is free to explore Cusco. Dinner is at a local restaurant, followed by a music lesson to learn about Andean music and Inca instruments.

After breakfast, explore Cusco on foot, beginning at the main square to San Pedro Market. Learn about the rows of produce, flowers, and shaman stalls while trying out a few local words. Visit the Temple of the Sun, once one of the most important Inca temples. This golden courtyard was covered with gold and silver sculptures of llamas, corn, babies, and the sun, which were later destroyed by the Spaniards. Have lunch at a local restaurant, then head to the airport for your flight home via Lima. Dinner on own.

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