One of my most memorable trips- a trip I almost did not make because I was never that much a fan of nature and all i knew about Peru was Macha Picchu and the Peruvian Amazon jungle- began when my wife and a few friends convinced me that this was a place we should go before we start a family. At the end of the ten day trip I was a changed man who loved every moment of the trip- much more than the relaxing vacations I always longed for. I definitely recommend that everyone should try to do this trip at least once. I shall detail the trip by day to give everyone an idea of how to make the most of it. We landed in Lima, flew to Iquitos (port for the Amazon jungle), flew back into Lima, then flew into Cusco (our base for Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Macha Picchu etc.).
Lets start with Iquitos- the port from where we took a boat to the lodge in the amazon jungle. The Heliconia Lodge was about a 2 hour boat ride from Iquitos and took us through the muddy waters of the Amazon- we could see the black and brown shades of the river.
Monkey Island- an island where they re-acclimatize monkeys to the wild before setting them free was an absolute joy- a good initiation for us too to the wildlife we were about to see. The staff at the lodge were very friendly and the food was the freshest I have ever eaten.
Over the next three days, we saw the most exotic of birds (will post pictures), reptiles and hold your breath- pink dolphins- the ONLY place in the world where you can see them. Now i'm someone who is used to a city life and living without wifi is unimaginable in today's times. But it was refreshing- being disconnected from the world, not having to check on your office emails or facebook and actually spending quality time with your friends.
All in all- I had more fun than I expected and I got a renewed perspective of life.