Deepest Darkest Peru

Detailed Itinerary

Day One – Begin your holiday in Peru

We will be waiting at Lima airport to meet you as you arrive in the capital of Peru, the land of the Incas. You will be taken by private transfer to your hotel in the cosmopolitan Miraflores area. After you’ve checked in the rest of the day is yours to explore the area. There are numerous cafes and restaurants within a stone’s throw of your hotel all waiting to introduce you to Peru’s fine cuisine.

Day Two – Into the Amazon

This morning we’ll take you to the airport in Lima for your flight up to the north of Peru, to the jungle city of Iquitos. This noisy, chaotic city is famous for being the largest city in the world that is unreachable by road. Upon arrival at the airport you will be met by some staff from the Muyuna jungle lodge, who will take you to their office in the city centre for a quick briefing. You can leave the majority of your luggage in secure storage at the office, as you won’t be able to take large suitcases into the jungle. You’ll then be transferred to the port where you’ll board a boat and head into the deep Amazon jungle… The journey upriver takes just over 3 hours, and you’ll see the stilted cabins of the Muyuna Lodge as you approach. Upon arrival you’ll be helped to your room by the lodge staff and welcomed with a buffet lunch of traditional northern Amazonian cuisine.

This afternoon you’ll take a boat trip to Lake Sapote, where many different bird species can be observed, including a variety of parrots, jacanas, kingfishers, herons, panguanas, partridges, pigeons, cormorants, horned screamers and orneros. Of course, your knowledgeable guide will be on hand to help you identify these different birds! You’ll then continue into the Moena Lagoon, where you’ll hopefully be able to spot sloths and squirrel monkeys in the trees on the banks. As the sun sets you’ll head back to the lodge for an evening meal, surrounded by your noisy nocturnal animal neighbours! There is an optional night-time boat ride later, on the lookout for caimans, which you can join if you like. (Breakfast/Dinner/Lunch included)

Day Three – Muyuna Lodge

After an early breakfast, it’s time to put on your walking boots as you head into the jungle with the lodge guides. The Leoncito Hike, as it’s known, gives you a great opportunity to learn a bit more about the diverse flora and fauna of the Amazon Rainforest. You’ll also be on the lookout for more mammals, including the pygmy marmoset and tamarin monkeys, who prefer the denser jungles. Lunch will be served back at the lodge, and then there’s another boat trip to the lakes of Purua and Corrientes, where you can try your hand at piranha fishing with the local rods. It’s not as easy as it looks, but don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of wildlife to watch as you’re waiting for a bite! This evening you’ll have dinner at the lodge again, before another nocturnal walk. (B/L/D)

Day Four – Lake Explorations

After another early breakfast you will head further into the dense jungle this morning, as you make your way to the remote Laguna Casha. Here, depending on the water levels, you will either walk or take a boat around the lagoon, which is home to many different species of birds and monkeys.

After lunch back at the lodge, you will return to the boats for an afternoon at Lake Juanachi, where you’ll then be able to spend a couple of hours in canoes. This allows you to get really close to the lake’s edges, where many small mammal and bird species can be found. Your guide will, of course, be on hand to point out any particularly interesting species, and to help you make the most of your time on the lake. (B/L/D)

Day Five - Jungle Expedition

This morning, after breakfast, your group will head out on an expedition to one of the deep jungle lakes – Tipashiro, Boca Bufeo or Alto Purura, depending on the water levels and recent rainfall. This is a fantastic experience to venture deep into the jungle, and witness virgin forests, completely untouched. After lunch, you will help establish a base camp from which to explore. This afternoon your guide will take you on a recce of the area, and possibly another jungle hike, in the hope of spotting some of the rarer species who live in these wilder parts of the Amazon. Dinner will be served back in camp, and then you’ll spend a special night surrounded by miles of uninhabited jungle… (B/L/D)

Day Six - Back to Muyuna Lodge

This morning you will return to the lodge, and then you’ll have some free time and a well-deserved lunch. This afternoon will be much more relaxed, as you visit the jungle village of San Juan de Yanayacu. Here, the locals are more than happy to share their way of life, and you can spend time socialising, playing football, or browsing the local handicrafts. Dinner will be waiting for you back at the lodge, and then this evening there will be another nocturnal excursion, this time on the hunt for some of the Amazon’s larger frogs, anaconda’s favourite food... (B/L/D)

Day Seven – Back to Iquitos

This morning sadly marks the last day of your time in the Amazon. After breakfast you’ll take the small boats out back onto the Amazon River, where you can take a dip in the cool waters and hopefully be joined by some river dolphins! The pink species are the rarest, but they are more common here in the Iquitos region, so fingers crossed you’ll be able to see some. After a final lunch at the lodge you’ll return to Iquitos, we’re we’ll take you to your hotel for some well-earned rest! (B/L)

Day Eight – Return to Lima

Iquitos really is like no other place, you can only reach it by air or river and as a result it has a unique character which is pretty special. Bearing that in mind we'll leave you with a free day today to take in the bustle of city life right in the jungle. Then, in the evening we'll pick you up to take you for a flight back over the Andes to Lima for you to enjoy your last night in Peru! (B)

Day Nine – Last Day on Holiday in Peru

We have left the last day of your holiday in Peru free to make sure we can accommodate any international flight time and get you to the airport in plenty of time for your journey home. If you don’t depart until the evening we can organise some extra sightseeing for you and we always make sure you keep your hotel room until you leave for the airport so you can leave your packing until the very last minute if you so desire! (B)

What's Included?

Our standard price for this holiday in Peru is £1695 per person, which is based on two sharing a double or twin room in our standard hotels, and camping in the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve.

That price includes all your accommodation, internal transport, transfers, tours, guides, equipment and entrance fees. It also includes all your meals in the jungle, and breakfast every day.

We don't have any "local payments" or sneaky charges: everything you have read about on this itinerary is included in that price. And because everything we do is tailor-made, we don't have fixed departure dates or minimum numbers for our trips. Outside of national holidays or other special events, this price is valid for the whole of 2020.

International flights

So with the exception of a few meals, everything on your holiday is included. What we don't include as standard is your international flights, because with these you have a huge range of options depending on the date you want to travel, the route you want to fly, and your preferred departure airport in the UK.

We aren't tied to any particular airline, and we will be delighted to discuss all options with you, or you can even book the flights yourself if you prefer: it's totally up to you.