Tour operator Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA) is offering three different itineraries to Peru encompassing Machu Picchu, which is celebrating 100 years since its 1911 rediscovery by Yale University archaeologist Hiram Bingham.
Dan Austin, ALA’s founder and owner, expects that because of the anniversary and planned observances surrounding the July event, space on these Peru tours will sell out quickly.
The three adventures consist of two multi-sport cultural tours that span nine days. The third is a seven-day trekking/cultural program suited for intermediate to advanced hikers.
The nine-day Peru | Machu Picchu Multi Sport Adventure is ALA’s most popular itinerary. The nearly all-inclusive, per person double occupancy rate (including internal air) is $3,998 ($1,280 single supplement) with departures April 30-May 8, June 11-19, July 16-24, August 13-21 and October 2-16. This upscale trip focuses on the Sacred Valley while splashing on Class II and III rapids, hiking the Inca Trail, planting a tree as part of the United Nations' Plant for the Planet campaign, visits to Indian markets and more.
The second nine-day program, Peru | Amazon to Machu Picchu Adventure explores both sides of the Andes. The nearly all-inclusive, per person double occupancy rate (including internal air) is $4,198 ($1,980 single supplement).
Scheduling of this program is arranged on a custom basis with two or more persons. The first three nights are aboard a small ship that plies the waters through a segment of the Amazon rain forest, with on-water and land safari experiences, sunrise over Machu Picchu and an historical immersion into how and why the Incas accomplished what they did.
The seven-day Peru | Salkantay Lodge to Lodge trip features a less-traveled alternative to the Inca Trail. The nearly all-inclusive per person double occupancy rate is $2,850 ($1,425 single supplement). Scheduling of this program is arranged on a custom basis with two or more persons. This is a lodge-to-lodge journey along the Salkantay Valley to Machu Picchu, an exclusive and highly scenic route that traverses bamboo forests, avocado orchards and coffee plantations en route to Llactapata pass for views--that most people never see--of Machu Picchu from the Southwest. A visit with an Andean family and dip in a natural hot spring are included.
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