Peru Tours 2010

Jungle Tour
       Painting the Amazon School and Bicycle Tour

This is our 12th year making tours in Peru. We will tour and visit areas not usually seen by tourists. We encourage our group to meet and get to know many local people. This year we are offering a good mix of different experiences during these tours.

Lon's Photos from Peru 2010

We begin our tour in the city of Lima. The first morning of our visit we will attend a local bicycle race and distribute prizes from our collection of donated equipment. Later that afternoon we will drive to the base of the Andes Mountains and visit the Chosica Girls Home. This is where we have become friends with 14 girls in an orphanage. One of our main activities will be to take the girls on a shopping trip to buy new clothes. Another highlight for the girls is going to dinner at a nice restaurant in town.

The next morning we will drive up to the summit of Ticlio Pass located 60 miles from Chosica. The summit is near 16,000 feet in elevation on top of the "Highest Paved Road in the World". The views are as breathtaking as the altitude. We will have plenty of time to stop for photos and eat lunch at a roadside cafe. We will return to Lima later in the afternoon for dinner in the Colonial District.

The follow day we begin our travel by airplane to the jungle city of Iquitos. This is the start of our working tour based along the Amazon River. We will be painting the school that PAC Tour built there seven years ago. We have a budget to buy paint and supplies from the local hardware store in Iquitos. We do not need to bring many supplies except for our old clothes suitable for working and painting.

We will also have time for 250 miles of road cycling to visit other villages in the area. During the week we will meet and ride with many of the local racers as they prepare for their annual 60 mile race across the longest paved road in the region. We will distribute over 200 cycling jerseys and 300 pounds of components that have been donated by PAC Tour riders this year. We will bring several bicycles that have been donated to the Iquitos bike racers.

These tours tend to be very busy and the time will be filled with lots of projects. We usually eat our meals in local restaurants in the morning and evenings. During the day we will share a meal prepared by the local village.

One of our evening projects will be a party for the local kids who live on the street. We will supply a new set of clothes and a good meal for the kids. During our stay in Iquitos there will be opportunities for several other projects and jungle tours during the week.

What Is Included

Tours include airlines and taxes in Peru, airport shuttles, hotels (some nights are single or double occupancy), breakfast, evening dinners, snacks during three rest stops per day, transportation in Peru by bus, van, boat, and moto taxi, guide fees and commemorative travel shirt or T-shirt.

What Is Not Included

Airlines to and from Peru (Lima). Extra airline baggage fees for bikes on Peru flights ($2 per pound over 50 lbs.) Long term luggage storage at the Lima Airport of $5 per day per bag. $10 per day for bicycle cases. Extra roadside snacks and souvenirs are on your own. PAC Tour gear bags are not included. Participants are requested to limit their luggage to one gear bag of 40 pounds.

Day 1 Oct 16, Sat Fly to Lima, Peru...arrive in the night...sleep in Lima Day 2 Oct 17, Sun Morning bike race in Lima...donate some of the prizes we brought from the United States. Afternoon...visit the Chosica Girls Home and take the girls on shopping trip. Sleep at the Chosica Hotel. Day 3 Oct 18, Mon Taxi Tour up Ticlio Pass to 16,000 feet elevation (60 miles up takes 3 hours)...return to Lima in the afternoon. Sleep in Lima. Option: You may arrive in Lima Monday night if you don't want to go to the bike race or Chosica or Ticlio Pass. (Deduct $200 from the tour price.) Day 4 Oct 19, Tue Fly to the city of Iquitos in the jungle during the afternoon. Evening dinner with local bike racers. Day 5 Oct 20, Wed Visit the Dolphins school located at KM 9...evaluate plan for painting. Option: Ride bikes 12 miles to the school each day....or take buses and moto taxies. Day 6 Oct 21, Thur Buy paint and supplies...begin painting the outside of the school. Day 7 Oct 22, Fri Continue painting the outside of the school...Street Kid Birthday Party at night. Day 8 Oct 23, Sat Begin painting inside of classrooms...school is closed for the weekend. Day 9 Oct 24, Sun Continue painting the inside of the class rooms. Day 10 Oct 25, Mon Finish painting the school...kids return to classes...maybe a ceremony and party at the school. Buy supplies for the Joe Pulley School located at KM 46. Day 11 Oct 26, Tue Flex Day...visit the KM 46 school and deliver supplies. Day 12 Oct 27, Wed 60 mile bike ride to Nauta...stay overnight in hotel. Day 13 Oct 28, Thur Ride back 60 miles to Iquitos. Day 14 Oct 29, Fri Rest day...maybe a boat trip visit to the Bora Indian Native Village. Maybe another Street Kid Party in a different neighborhood. Day 15 Oct 30, Sat Criterium bike race downtown...watch or ride. Day 16 Oct 31, Sun Take bus to Nauta..60 mile tour or race bikes back to Iquitos. This race will be ridden by about 50 serious competitive riders. There is also a Metric Century Division for riders who do not want race but will be trying to complete the distance. Day 17 Nov 1, Mon Return to Lima in the afternoon...nights flights home...or join Machu Picchu Tour.   Nov 2, Tue Flights arrive home in the United States at noon.

Also See Peru Projects.