TailorMade Peru: Andes & Beyond

Visit the Ccaccaccollo community centre which G Adventures travellers' donations helped create. See local weaving and dyeing techniques used to create garments and souvenirs, and learn how the Planeterra weaving co-operative has impacted the community. This includes the purchase of alpacas to provide a steady supply of wool, looms, and sewing machines as well as several training courses on production, sales and small business management. After, stop for lunch at the Parwa Community Restaurant. Learn how the resident-run restaurant was kickstarted by G Adventures and the Multilateral Investment Fund, to become a successful farm-to-table program that boosts the local economy and several spin-off microenterprises.

Tour the fascinating hilltop citadel of Pisac, an Incan ruin with plunging gorges, a ceremonial centre, and winding agriculture terracing that's still in use today. Explore the back of the site to see a pocketed cliff across Kitamayo Gorge, which once contained hundreds of Inca tombs. Continue on to tour the town and fortress of Ollantaytambo with a local guide. Take a step back in time at this Inca archaeological site. Learn how the area, overlooking the Urubamba River Valley, was an important stronghold during warfare between the Spanish and Incas.

Depart Ollantaytambo by van to km 82 where the Inca Trail begins. Get your blood pumping on this first day of hiking the Inca trail. You'll trek for 11 km (5-6 hours), this first day is fairly easy and serves as good training for the next few days. Pass rambling rivers and a small village, and enjoy scenic mountain views; it’s just a taste of what’s to come. End the day at Wayllabamba Camp and get ready for another day of trekking ahead.

Trek over progressively spectacular and steeper terrain on your way to Warmiwañusca (aka Dead Woman’s Pass), the highest point of the trek at 4,198m (13,769ft). Be prepared to face strong Andean weather (blazing sun or cold winds) around the pass. Take the hike slow as this is a 12 km day (6h–7h), and drink lots of water along the way – amazing views are waiting as a reward. Enjoy some ample time to rest and relax after reaching the Paqaymayo Camp; most campers arrive around early afternoon.

Wake around 03:30 to hike for 4km (1h30m) to reach the Sun Gate as early as possible. Head to the checkpoint and join the lineup to wait for the gate to open. Catch the first views of the breathtaking ruins of Machu Picchu (fingers crossed for a clear day). Hike down to Machu Picchu (about 45 mins) for a 1.5 hr guided tour of the site. Take time to sit and feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World (in a worldwide Internet poll).

Catch the bus outside the Machu Picchu gate after your visit for a 25-min downhill ride to Aguas Calientes. Eat and relax before the train ride back to Cusco this evening.

Fly to Puerto Maldonado, deep in the lowlands of the Amazon Jungle.

After a brief stop in town to store large luggage, drive to the pier and travel by covered motorized boat to the jungle lodge. En route, spot bird species typical of the river and forest edge. The Tambopata Rainforest area holds the world record for the most bird sightings in one area.

Local community members make up the majority of lodge staff, including multilingual naturalist guides. Take the opportunity to learn about the area’s rich flora and fauna and locals' extensive use of medicinal plants and other forest plant resources through traditional techniques for building, fishing, and hunting.

Head out early to catch the jungle at its wildest (and coolest). Walk slowly through the forest searching for wildlife before heading out on an oxbow lake by canoe. Search for anaconda, the elusive giant river otter, or black caiman. Even if you don't spot these shy creatures, there are plenty of other birds, interesting plants, and other animals about.