Southern Andes and Machu Picchu

Upon your arrival at Lima's international airport, transfer and check-in at your hotel. Your guide will provide a brief introduction to the upcoming trip. If the flight schedule allows, we can either visit the colonial districts of the Peruvian capital or explore the 5 hectares of the Lima Botanical Garden, where we will focus on the collection of local species.

Free evening and overnight stay in a charming hotel in the peaceful Miraflores district of Lima.

This morning, we will take the first flight to the ancient Inca capital, Cusco. Upon arrival, we will board our private transport and head to the colonial center of the city, where we will check into our historic hotel and continue with a peaceful visit to the city. Discover the highlights of the colonial and pre-Hispanic architecture and history of the Inca capital. You will visit the Temple of the Sun, Qorikancha, the narrow streets of the city, and its Imperial Inca-style facades, including the famous 12-angled stone. On the "Plaza de Armas," the baroque facades of the city's main churches, built on the ruins of an Inca palace, will leave many in awe. Street vendors, musicians, and artisans fill every street corner, creating a vibrant folkloric atmosphere.

Dinner and overnight in a charming hotel.

From Cusco, we will take a chartered bus through the diverse landscapes of the Sacred Valley of Urubamba to Ollantaytambo. We will immerse ourselves in the region's pre-Inca history with visits to historical sites. Amidst these ancient ruins, Andean vegetation plays an important role in both the landscape and local customs. We will search for species from the Ericaceae, Solanaceae families, and certain orchids adapted to altered zones such as Epidendrum secundum, Cyrtochilum mystacinum, and Aa weddelliana. The rest of the route is dotted with picturesque villages and stunning landscapes. Along lagoons and cultivated fields, we will try to spot other species such as the endemic Sauroglossum aurantiacum, Malaxis excavata, Altensteinia matthewsii, and A. boliviensis. We will continue to the village of Pisac and its ruins, concluding the day with a guided visit to the ruins of Ollantaytambo.

Dinner and overnight in a charming hotel.

Today, we leave Ollantaytambo to ascend the western slopes of the eastern Andes to the Abra Malaga pass. We will botanize from 2800 to 4300 meters in altitude, across different ecosystems along this impressive winding road. This fascinating and extensive botanical exploration will lead us to discover a mega-diverse flora, including Epidendrum secundum, the rare and sacred endemic Masdevallia davisii, and the stunning terrestrial orchid Chloraea reticulata! We will also focus on numerous other botanically significant plants: Tropaeolaceae, Solanaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Rutaceae, Alstroemeriaceae, Cactaceae, Ericaceae, Onagraceae, and more. Depending on the often-changing climate, we will explore different areas at a comfortable pace along this magical road. We return to Ollantaytambo in the late afternoon for a typical dinner, accompanied by Chicha, a fermented corn beer.

In the early morning, a short transfer to the Ollantaytambo train station will allow us to take the train to Aguas Calientes, the last village at the foot of Machu Picchu. Throughout the journey, which follows the Vilcanota River, we will observe numerous Incan ruins as well as a changing vegetation, from arid inter-Andean valleys to subtropical humid forests. Upon arrival at the Aguas Calientes station, we will walk to our hotel. After a brief refreshment, we will explore the forests near our accommodation in search of new orchid species: Comparettia falcata, Epidendrum calanthum, Kefersteinia koechlinorum, Sobralia dichotoma, Pleurothallis cordata, Epidendrum secundum, Lycaste macrophylla, Phragmipedium caudatum, and many others.

Free dinner and overnight in a charming hotel, where we can also enjoy the orchids in the garden.

Early in the morning, we will take a bus up to the archaeological site of Machu Picchu for a private guided tour of this mysterious Inca citadel, discovered in 1911 by American anthropologist Hiram Bingham. We will visit the main square, the Circular Tower, the royal residences, and the Temple of the Three Windows. We will search for Masdevallia veitchiana, a lithophytic species that has become the symbol of Machu Picchu's historic sanctuary, as well as Anguloa virginalis, Cyrtochilum minax, Sudamerlycaste locusta, Odontoglossum lacerum, Phragmipedium caudatum, Sudamerlycaste longipetala, Maxillaria machupicchuensis, Sauroglossum aurantiacum, Schomburgkia weberbaueriana, Sobralia dichotoma, and Telipogon cuzcoensis. Depending on the group's physical condition, we may hike back to Machu Picchu Pueblo through the dense cloud forests for more botanical exploration, including species such as Epidendrum syringothyrsus, Masdevallia barlaeana, and Telipogon antisuyuensis.

We will then return to the train station for our journey back to Ollantaytambo, followed by a transfer to our new hotel in the Sacred Valley.

This day will be marked by spectacular landscapes and striking contrasts. Leaving our accommodation early in the morning, we will embark on an 8-hour journey through the Andes in a private bus, making numerous stops along the way to enjoy the varied scenery, continue exploring the local culture, and especially to botanize. We will stop for a while to explore around the necropolises called chullpas (pre-Incan funerary chambers). We will pass through the picturesque colonial village of Paucartambo and then ascend to the highest point of the Manu Biosphere Reserve, located at around 4,000 meters, before descending into the legendary cloud forests where we will search for various Telipogon species, such as T. bowmanii, T. aff. mesotropicalis, T. salinasiae, T. tayacajaensis, T. tupayachii, as well as Sudamerlycaste heynderycxii, Stelis santiagoensis, Maxillaria argyrophylla, Altensteinia fimbriata, Cyrtidiorchis stumpflei, Barbosella cucullata, Ponthieva garayana, and Cyrtochilum mystacinum. This lush region is where the Andes plunge into the Amazon basin, and the diversity of plant species here is absolutely staggering. We will arrive at the Wayqecha research station at the end of the day.

Dinner and overnight in a comfortable lodge.

We will spend the entire day at the heart of the Wayquecha Reserve. This reserve covers a vast area of beautiful temperate forest. We will explore the various trails of this conservation area at length, searching for the many botanical specialties of the region: Elleanthus aurantiacus, Stenia angustilabia, Gomesa ramosa, Hofmeisterella eumicroscopica, Masdevallia antonii, Trichoceros antennifer, Vargasiella aff. peruviana, and numerous Epidendrum species, including E. quispei, E. secundum, E. subliberum, E. sophronitis, and E. syringothyrsus. In the afternoon, we will walk along the main road, where more open habitats will allow us to make additional observations and take easier photographs. We will also take time to observe some of the typical bird species of the area.

Dinner and overnight in a comfortable lodge.

This morning, we will follow the winding dirt road that descends into a world of forested cliffs, endless waterfalls, and deep gorges. In clear weather, we will witness the breathtaking panorama of cloud forest and mountains giving way to the tropical rainforest plains far below us. Endemic species such as Odontoglossum auroincarum, Kefersteinia candida, Prosthechea hartwegii, and more widespread species like Koellensteinia graminea, Maxillaria gigantea, and Sobralia setigera are found along this road. The lower forests are home to capuchin and woolly monkeys, olingos, kinkajous, and the elusive spectacled bear. It is here that the bird species begin to unfold in many striking forms and colors: the cock-of-the-rock, curassows, toucans, motmots, jays, as well as numerous tanagers and hummingbirds. Beyond orchids, begonias, fuchsias, lichens, mosses, bromeliads, bamboo, and tree ferns are also of great interest to botany enthusiasts.

In this mysterious setting, we will hike to the lek of the incredible cock-of-the-rock to witness the "performance" of this dazzling national bird of Peru. The main road that passes by the lodge is an excellent botanical exploration option, where we will search for Pleurothallis scabrilinguis, Peristeria lindenii, Anathallis rabei, Warscewicziella amazonica, Masdevallia posadae, and a wide variety of Epidendrum species: E. amazonicoriifolium, E. amplum, E. armeniacum, E. ballonii, E. calanthum, E. compressum, E. huamantuparum, E. poeppigii, E. prostratum, E. paniculolateribilobum, E. splendens, and E. strobiliferum. After a well-deserved meal and some relaxation on the veranda, watching the constant display of hummingbirds, we will head back to the main trail to continue adding species to our list around the lodge.

This morning, we will head even further east to enter the lowest Amazonian ecosystems of our journey. We will make frequent spontaneous stops to search for ground species, including Stelis kefersteiniana, Stigmatostalix amazonica, Scaphyglottis prolifera, Rudolfiella peruviana, Notylia peruviana, Chaubardia klugii, and Rodriguezia carnea. We will arrive around midday at the Villa Carmen scientific station (500m), near Pillcopata. After settling into our rooms, we will begin exploring the surroundings of the station in search of the local flora: Bromeliaceae, Annonaceae, Malvaceae, Apocynaceae, Bixaceae, Bignoniaceae, as well as numerous Arecaceae and Heliconiaceae, Burseraceae, Elaeocarpaceae, and others. Before dinner, we will receive a short briefing on the research projects being conducted at the station.

Overnight at the biological station.

The 7,500 hectares of the Manu Biological Station are located in the heart of the Manu Biosphere Reserve and host an incredible array of species within various habitats, including primary and secondary humid forests, foothill forests, riparian ecosystems, bamboo forests, and cloud forest. This biological station promotes sustainable agroforestry and aquaculture in partnership with local indigenous communities (Wachiperi and Machiguenga). We will have the opportunity to visit and explore the vast hydrological valley of Piñipiñi and its various vegetation types, which harbor a wide variety of understory species. If you are curious, a night outing can be arranged to observe many birds and mammals, including potoos, nightjars, tayras, kinkajous, and douroucoulis, as well as opossums.

Dinner and overnight at the same lodge.

This morning, we will begin the gradual ascent back into the Andes. The steep gradient will take us through various altitudinal ecosystems, from the Amazonian plains to the high-Andean forests of Peru! A few final botanical identifications along the long return journey will likely allow us to observe and photograph several complementary species, particularly in the Cusco Valley, such as Altensteinia fimbriata, Malaxis aff. excavata, and many others. The Sacred Valley still has much to explore. We will arrive in Cusco in the late afternoon for our farewell dinner.

Overnight in a colonial hotel in Cuzco.

A free morning before your transfer to the airport for your flight to the capital and your international connection.

Free dinner.