Peru: Traveling to Cusco

Donna Mills is a Brownell luxury travel consultant. She is currently traveling in Peru. Read on to learn about her first-hand experiences!

I just arrived in Cusco after spending 3 wonderful days in the Amazon at Explorama's Ceiba Tops Lodge. We traveled by fast boat 1 hr up the Amazon to the lodge which was wonderful.

We were lucky enough to see both the Pink and Grey river dolphin, 2 different types of Tamarjin Monkeys and 120 different birds species. My son was thrilled to get a close look at a baby anaconda and see lots of "friendly and not so friendly¨ spiders.

We traveled by boat to visit with he Yagua Indians (one of only 7 tribes left along the Amazon living their native lifestyle)...we all had a try at blowing a spear through a blow gun!.......We also traveled by fast boat to a small village, and then onto a moto-taxi ( A motor cycle with a three passenger cab attached) to another fast boat that took us even further up the Amazon into one of the tributaries. We then hiked for 45 minutes deep into the forest and experienced an incredible canopy walk that spanned 1/3 of a mile with 14 bridges to a height of 120 feet above the jungle floor...WOW!!!!
What an experience!

And now I am writing from 11500ft at the wonderful Orient Express hotel, The Monasterio. The hotel was built in 1590 and is just gorgeous!...The art work, all 16th century, is magnificent. We feel far from our Amazon experience now as we are enjoying the 5-star luxury of the hotel....Our Junior suite is a loft with beautiful furnishing and also has impressive paintings. The Monasterio is the only hotel in the world to offer rooms that are oxygenated! The oxygen is being pumped into our room so that out bodies will feel as if we are only at around 9000 ft.

Tomorrow off to Machu Picchu on the Hiram Bingham...Buenos Noches.

To contact Donna Mills, click here. To learn more about Brownell Travel or adventures in Peru, click here.