TRIP OVERVIEW
TOUR INFORMATION
ITINERARY
GALLERY
TRIP MAP
TRIP OVERVIEW
A visit to Cusco, capital of the Inca Empire, were we will explore Inca ruins and Colonial architecture, visit the fertile Urubamba Valley, which was much valued by the Incas and believed to be sacred owing to its geographic position and mild climate. Here in the Sacred Valley we will also encounter numerous archeological monuments and traditional villages. We will have to opportunity to appreciate the city of Machu Picchu, the most impressive architectural achievement of the Inca culture. It’s a mystical place replete with temples, terraces, and carved water channels, all perched high on a mountain. All of this making Machu Picchu worthy of the acclaim it has achieved since being designated of one of the new seven wonders of the world.
Duration of trip: 6 days / 5 nights.
Places visited:
- Cusco Cathedral, Koricancha, Sacsaywaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and the Tambomachay ceremonial baths
- The Sacred Valley of the Incas including: Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo
- Machu Picchu
TOUR INFORMATION
Trip includes:
- Transfers from/to airport
- 5 nights in a hotel
- 5 breakfasts
- 1 lunch
- All ground transportation in town and to and from the sites we visit
- Train tickets (Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes – Ollantaytambo)
- Bus tickets (Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes)
- Entrance fees to all the included sites
- Tour guide
Trip does not include:
- Meals and food not mentioned in the “included” section
- Flight tickets
- Travel or health insurance
- Visas or vaccinations
Acclimatization
Given that the sites we visit are all located at altitudes lower than Cusco, it is not necessary to do any extra acclimatization to participate in the itinerary indicated above.
Hotels
These are the hotels we will be staying in on this tour: Hotel Bay View in Lima, Hotel Corihuasi in Cusco, and Hotel Pachacutec in Aguas Calientes. In the event that there is no availability, we will change for other of the same category.
Equipment list
We recommend that you bring lightweight clothes, warm clothes and a rain jacket.
Climate
The average daytime temperatures in Cusco are between 13 and 15°C. The climate is warm although at night the temperature sometimes falls to 6°C.
In Machu Picchu the average daytime temperature is between 17 and 19°C.
The best time to visit is between April and October.
Is this trip appropriate for me?
There are no restrictions for this tour, but to eliminate any concerns about potential cardiopulmonary issues, it might be a good idea to visit your doctor to make sure it’s safe for you to ascend to altitudes of more than 3000m.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrival in Lima
Airport pickup and transportation to hotel
Introductory meeting in the hotel with an overview of the trip
Meals included: None
Day 2: Cusco, City Tour
In the morning you will be picked up at your hotel and driven to the airport for your flight to Cusco. You will arrive at the Cusco airport before midday and taken to your hotel. At about 1:00 pm we will begin a tour of the imperial city of Cusco, which will include: The Cusco Catedral, Koricancha, Sacsaywaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, and the Tambomachay ceremonial baths.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 3: Cusco, The Sacred Valley of the Incas – Machu Picchu
After breakfast we will be picked up at our hotel to begin our tour of the Sacred Valley. The sites visited are the following: Pisac, a town famous for its arts and crafts market and for the impressive archeological ruins perched on a mountain high above the town; the city of Urubamba and the valley of the same name, land that was highly valued by the Incas owing to its fertility; and the fortified city of Ollantaytambo, one of the most important sites in Peru and in the Americas as well. Our tour for the day finishes at the Ollantaytambo train station, where we board a train with Aguas Calientes as our destination. Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, we head to to our hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 4: Machu Picchu – Cusco
After breakfast we will walk down to the bus station with Machu Picchu as our destination. Our tour of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary will begin at about 10:00 am. The visit will be guided and we will explore the Mirador (with its famous overview of the site), the Temple of the Three Windows, the Intihuatana, the main plaza, etc. The visit will last until about 3 pm. We then descend back to Aguas calientes by bus, return to Ollantaytambo by train, and finally back by bus again to Cusco and our hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 5: Cusco – Lima
This is a free morning with time to shop for souvenirs. In the afternoon you will be picked up at the hotel and driven to the airport for your flight back to Lima. In Lima you will be picked up at the airport and taken to your hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 6: Lima – back to your point of origin or on to the next tour
At the appropriate time you will be picked up at the hotel and brought to the airport or the bus terminal.
Meals included: Breakfast | lunch
