Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 4D/3N		Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 2D/1N		Salkantay - Machupicchu 5D/4N
This is the most popular route trekked by hundreds of visitors each day. This beautiful trail starts at kilometre 82. (so called because it is 82 km along the railroad from Cusco) and takes in many of the Inca ruins including Runcuracay, Sayacmarca. More Classical inca trail ..>>		This is a less strenuous route and starts at kilometre 104 along the railroad from Cusco. The trail climbs up to Wiñay Wayna where you join the final stages of the Classic 4 day hike. From Wiñay Wayna the trek then descends to Machu Picchu. More Short inca trail ..>>		A spectacular 5 day trek that passes beneath the sacred snowcapped mountain of Salkantay. This mountain God (or Apu) was worshipped by the Incas and is still honored by existing Quechua farmers. The trail starts in the Mollepata. More Salkantay Trek ..>>

PIURA AND TUMBES: Travel and Tours in Peru

“Let yourself be seduced by the upper Peruvian North and fall in love with its beaches and natural surroundings.”

If you find yourself lucky enough to travel by land along the coastline from Piura to Tumbes, you will not be able to escape losing yourself in the enchantment of the most beautiful of Peru’s coastal waters. Undoubtedly one of the main attractions along this arid stretch of land is the legendary beach resort of Máncora. It possesses a peculiar combination of surfers, enthusiastic families and regular visitors from all corners of the Globe that one day discovered – or were told about – that the sun never hides itself for every day is summer up here.

Yet, this narrow section of coastline is not limited to just Máncora. Equal to it are other great Piura beaches such as Colán, Lobitos, Cabo Blanco and Órganos, which have much to say and to bequeath to us in terms of nature and pleasure. Nevertheless, if this seems paltry, then you must not forget that Tumbes also faces the Pacific Ocean and has booked its visitors first class tickets for its beaches, such as modern Punta Sal, traditional Zorritos and Puerto Pizarro, where you can enter the mangroves and experience its fantastic wildlife. All of this is deliciously accompanied by Tumbes’ famous seafood tradition that can awe the most demanding palate.

Piura Tumbes Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Tumbes National Reserve - surfing in Cabo Blanco, Órganos, and Máncora - Chulucanas - Catacao - Mancora

The Peruvian North is overflowing with nature and as a consequence, the delight that it gives – from quiet beaches stretching to the horizon to thick mangroves -belts out a hymn to diversity.

Accommodation and tourist services
4 star hotels operate in Piura, Máncora, Tumbes and Punta Sal, besides basic and comfortable lodging at the beach resorts and areas close to the ocean. Also, every city does have public transportation and you can also rent water sports equipment from certain hotels and specialized companies.

Piura Tumbes Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Tumbes National Reserve - surfing in Cabo Blanco, Órganos, and Máncora - Chulucanas - Catacao - Mancora

Routes & length of stay
Tumbes: Puerto Pizarro and the Tumbes Mangroves National Sanctuary.
Tumbes: Zorritos, Punta Sal, Máncora and Cabo Blanco.
Piura: Catacaos and Chulucanas.
Piura: Colán and Yacila.

Piura Tumbes Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Tumbes National Reserve - surfing in Cabo Blanco, Órganos, and Máncora - Chulucanas - Catacao - Mancora

Recommended for Visit in Piura

Handicraft collectors, who will find decorative pottery in Chulucanas and in Catacaos, as well as hats and silver and gold filigree.

Nature enthusiasts, who, upon visiting the Cerros de Amotape National Park, the Tumbes National Reserve and the Tumbes Mangroves National Sanctuary, will discover forests within very different ecosystems and abundant wildlife.
Bird watchers, who will haven a day to remember in Puerto Pizarro and El Angolo.

Water sports lovers, who enjoy surfing (Cabo Blanco, Órganos, and Máncora), sport fishing, diving (Punta Sal and Máncora) and rafting (in the Tumbes River).

People in search of sun, sand, and sea, who will find this in Máncora, Colán, Punta Sal and Zorritos.

Piura Tumbes Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Tumbes National Reserve - surfing in Cabo Blanco, Órganos, and Máncora - Chulucanas - Catacao - Mancora

What to buy?
Many different types of handicrafts are made in Piura. For instance, in Catacaos, artisans work in silver and gold, especially filigree, while those in Chulucanas (in the town of La Encantada) create eye catching pottery, while in Santo Domingo, it is about straw hats. If you go to Huancabamba, flower arrangements that incorporate sea shells are what you will find as well as traditional back-strap weavers who specialize in saddlebags, shawls and ponchos. Craftsmen in Tumbes are known for their wood carvings and works using marine products.

What to eat?
Tumbes is famous for its fresh cebiche de conchas negras (an intensely seasoned dish of scallops, marinated in key lime juice, spicy chili peppers, salt and onions, served with boiled sweet potato and corn), its caldo de bola (a dish featuring bananas that are mashed and formed into a ball, then filled with beef and fried xxx) and its majarisco (green bananas, mashed and fried, accompanied by all sorts of seafood).

There are also many different styles of cebiches in Piura. You can use grouper or mackerel or any other type of freshly caught fish, but essential ingredients are limes from Chulucanas and sarandaja beans. Piura is also the land of the seco de chabelo (a combination of a strong flavored beef jerky with mashed, seasoned and fried banana) and the sudado de cachema (a strong soup made with weakfish and served with large chunks of onions and tomatoes). As you patiently wait for these dishes, fried yuca (cassava) and chifles (fried banana chips) are your hors d’oeuvres. And for dessert, try the sweet natilla (a custard) and to a drink, a cold beer or chicha de jora (corn beer). There are fine restaurants in the cities of Tumbes and Piura as well as in Catacaos and the beaches of Órganos, Máncora and Punta Sal.

Summertime (December to April) is prime mosquito time and the temperatures is always hot; we recommend you to use bug repellent and a good sun blocker, wear a hat and drink plenty of liquid.

Piura Tumbes Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Tumbes National Reserve - surfing in Cabo Blanco, Órganos, and Máncora - Chulucanas - Catacao - Mancora

PIURA BRIEF HISTORY

The most important culture that developed in the Piura region was Vicus, which stood out for its ceramics and delicate work in gold. The Tallanes or Yungas, however, were the first settlers, who migrated from the Sierra. During a period that is still vague, they lived in behetrias, which were primitive settlements without a head or an organization. Later they were conquered by the Mochicas and, centuries later, by the Incas, during the rule of Tupac Inca Yupanqui.

In 1532, Francisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in South America on the banks of the Chira River in the Tangarará Valley. He named it San Miguel de Piura. The founding date is still subject of controversy. However, during the 450th anniversary celebrations, July 15 was adopted as the official date.

In 1534, due to a lack of sanitary conditions, the capital was moved to Monte de los Padres (Morropón); in 1578, and for the same reason, it was moved again, this time to San Francisco de la Buena Esperanza (Paita). In 1588, the permanent attacks of the English pirates and Privateers forced a final relocation of the capital to Piura.

During Colonial times, life went by peacefully. Yet, the raids against the Spanish authorities led by Admirals Borran and Cochrane, members of the libertarian expedition of José de San Martín, woke the longing for liberty in the minds of the local people.

Piura Tumbes Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Tumbes National Reserve - surfing in Cabo Blanco, Órganos, and Máncora - Chulucanas - Catacao - Mancora

BOOKING TOUR TO PIURA PERU

* Important Notice: We recommend a minimum of 9 weeks to notice book the Inca Trail.

Making an Inca Trail trek booking: Since only 500 trek permits are issued per day for the Inca Trail (trek permits are also required for the porters and cooks) it is important to try to make a trek reservation as far ahead as possible. There is no clear rule as to how far ahead is enough to to guarantee you a space since this depends on demand.

CHECK INCA TRAIL AVAILABILITY 2011 - 2012

Reservations for the Inca Trail to Machupicchu.

To make reservations for the Inca Trail you have to carry out the following procedure: The reservations can be made 360 days in advance before entering the Inca Trail, anytime of the year, be it through paper or by e-mail, according to the format (Reservation Card). The Reservation Office will hand a code with the status of "reserved". The staff in charge of doing the reservations at the Reservation and Collecting Office of the Dirección Regional de Cultura del Cusco - INC has to be duly certified.

The reservation is subject to space availability, being the limitation the loading capacity. The applicant will confirm the reservation up until 30 days in advance before entering the Inca Trail, presenting the final group list at the Reservation and Collecting Office of the Direccion Regional de Cultura del Cusco - INC.
The applicant will also pay 50% of the total amount of the group's entrance tickets at the aforementioned office. The Reservation Office will register the pre-payment changing the reservation to a "confirmed" status. Any reservation that has not been confirmed according to the previous clause of the present article will be automatically void. The reservation will change to the "reconfirmed" status after paying off the other 50%, which has to be done anytime 5 days before entering the Inca Trail, at the Collecting Office of the Direccion Regional del Cusco - INC

Regulation of the Inca Trail Network of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu click here

Piura Tumbes Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Tumbes National Reserve - surfing in Cabo Blanco, Órganos, and Máncora - Chulucanas - Catacao - Mancora

INCA TRAIL TO MACHU PICCHU

The most popular trek in Peru is the famed Inca Trail, which is likely a road that the ancient Inca used for sacred pilgrimages. Along the route you can view ruins from the once great Incas, who cherished the Sacred Valley for its beauty and resources. Typically, Inca Trail Peru treks last 2 days, 4 days or 7 days. Cusco, the ancient Inca Empire capital, is where people usually head before taking on the Inca Trail, and if you don’t have your plans figured out, there are numerous travel agencies and adventure guides who can help you pick out the right package. Keep in mind that camping along the way on overnight trips is your only option for accommodations, so if you prefer to sleep in a bed, you might try just hiking the last part of the Inca Trail, which can be done in one day. Regardless of where you start, Machu Picchu is the ending point for the trail, so you will always have a most just reward for your efforts.

Each day up to 2,000 tourists flood the ancient Inca mountaintop city of Machu Picchu in southern Peru. They come to marvel at temples built from perfectly chiseled blocks of granite and pay homage to the sun.
Most of the tourists travel by train from nearby Cusco. Others ride the bus. A few hundred heartier souls arrive on foot after a four-day slog along the famed Inca Trail.

Machu Picchu Under Threat from Pressures of Tourism Can Tourists Save a Peruvian Rain Forest? Inca Traditions Pay Off for Peruvian Weavers "For the average tourist, [the Inca Trail] could be the adventure of a lifetime and a real stretch both physically and psychologically," said Karin Muller, a writer, photographer, and adventurer based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Piura Tumbes Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Tumbes National Reserve - surfing in Cabo Blanco, Órganos, and Máncora - Chulucanas - Catacao - Mancora

PERU HOLIDAYS

Welcome to Our Holidays. we are uniquely placed to offer you the widest possible range of travel options, and to help you plan and book the trip of a lifetime.

Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Inca Trail to Machu Pichu - Trekking Huraz Peru - Short Inka Trail - Peru Treks - Trekking to Machu Picchu

Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Inca Trail to Machu Pichu - Trekking Huraz Peru - Short Inka Trail - Peru Treks - Trekking to Machu Picchu

Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Inca Trail to Machu Pichu - Trekking Huraz Peru - Short Inka Trail - Peru Treks - Trekking to Machu Picchu

Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Inca Trail to Machu Pichu - Trekking Huraz Peru - Short Inka Trail - Peru Treks - Trekking to Machu Picchu

Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Inca Trail to Machu Pichu - Trekking Huraz Peru - Short Inka Trail - Peru Treks - Trekking to Machu Picchu

Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Inca Trail to Machu Pichu - Trekking Huraz Peru - Short Inka Trail - Peru Treks - Trekking to Machu Picchu

Peru Travel agency tours Operator: Inca Trail to Machu Pichu - Trekking Huraz Peru - Short Inka Trail - Peru Treks - Trekking to Machu Picchu

PERU TRAVEl & ADVENTURE MAP