Description
Sacred Valley Cusco & Machu Picchu
Embark on an unforgettable five-day journey through the heart of the Inca Empire, blending cultural immersion, breathtaking landscapes, and exhilarating adventure. This meticulously crafted itinerary begins in Cusco, the historic capital of the Incas, where ancient history and vibrant modern culture converge. Explore the rich tapestry of this Andean city before delving into the Sacred Valley, a region of stunning natural beauty and profound historical significance.
From the verdant terraces of Ollantaytambo to the awe-inspiring archaeological wonders of Pisac, the Sacred Valley will captivate your senses and deepen your appreciation of Incan heritage. The adventure intensifies with a two-day trek along the legendary Inca Trail, culminating in a dramatic sunrise arrival at the iconic Machu Picchu, where the ancient citadel reveals its majestic secrets.
The journey concludes with a trek to the awe-inspiring Rainbow Mountain, a natural marvel with its vibrant, multicolored strata. This experience promises not just a visual feast but also a profound connection to the earth and the enduring spirit of the Andes. Join us for an extraordinary adventure that blends the best of Peruvian culture, history, and natural beauty into five days of unparalleled exploration.
Tour Location: Cusco City, Sacred Valley, Rainbow Mountain plus 2 days hike the famous Inca Trail
Tour Type: Enjoy a few days at the regions highlights before setting off for the 2 Day Inca Trail
Total Distance of Hike: 15 KM/ 9.3 Miles
Good For: Those who enjoy hiking and have a moderate level of fitness
Difficulty: Moderately challenging hike
Considerations: Permit required for Inca Trail. All entrances are included.
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Cusco + Cusco City Tour
Welcome to the Imperial City of Cusco! Our friendly representatives will welcome you at the Cusco airport and transfer you to your accommodation in Cusco. Please keep in mind that landing at 3,300 m.a.s.l. can have its toll on the body. Do not feel concern if upon arrival you experience some shortness of breath or a small headache. This will all go on time. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you take it easy upon arrival and let your body ease into the altitude by staying hydrated.
Your Cusco City Tour will begin at 13:00 hrs, when we will come to pick you up meet at your hotel lobby. In this tour, you will visit the key sights in the city centre and Inca archaeological sites in the surroundings, including Cusco Cathedral, the Q’oricancha Museum, Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay.
To begin, we will head to Cusco’s Plaza de Armas (main square), to visit the famous Cusco Cathedral. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Cathedral will awe you with its impressive architecture, extensive collection of original art works and all gold-leafing decorating the altars.
Continuing on, we will continue on foot through an ancient Inca-built street from the Plaza de Armas to the Q’oricanca or the Temple of the Sun. At the Q’oricancha, you will be able to compare and contrast the building methods of the Incan culture and the Spanish conquerors. This was the key spiritual center of the Incas, leading to all four quarters of the Inca Empire. There is also a bronze, high altar to be seen.
From Q’oricancha, your group will walk down Avenida El Sol, where you will take your bus for your 25-minute car drive outside the city to visit the most important archaeological sites around Cusco. You will be taken to the majestic Inca site of Sacsayhuaman, with its enigmatic 200-ton monoliths. Here, you will have a guided tour of the site and then free time to explore on your own. From Sacsayhuaman, you will take a five minute bus ride to the Q’enqo Inca site to see its fascinating Incan altars. Following, you will take another five minute drive to Puca Pucara, a small, circular Inca site. The final stop on our tour is Tambomachay, a water temple with impressive water fountains, thought to be used by the Inca for bathing. We’ll then drive back down to Cusco where the tour ends in the main square.
Accommodation: Rumi Punku (3-star hotel)
Meals: None
Tickets: Included
Day 2: Super Sacred Valley
Today´s tour will begin with an early morning pick up, at approximately 07:00 hrs, from your accommodation in Cusco. This tour will be a full day tour in which you will have the opportunity to visit the most important and beautiful sites of the Sacred Valley, including the town of Pisac, Moray, Maras and Ollantaytambo.
From Cusco, we will head to the first stop of the tour, the town of Pisac. This will be approximately a 45-minute car drive. On the way, we will stop at some of the most beautiful lookout points from where to see the Sacred Valley. Once in Pisac, we will arrive at the town’s traditional market for a brief exposure to all local artisans and their colorful merchandise. This stop will be the perfect opportunity for some souvenir shopping. Still in Pisac, we will continue to the town´s main archaeological site, where you will be first introduced to the day´s learnings about the powerful Inca Empire.
After the guided tour in Pisac, we will continue with your tour by heading on a 1-hour car drive to the next town of Urubamba for lunch. Here, you will have the option to choose where to grab a bite to eat.
Continuing on, we will make our way to Moray after lunch. Moray is an archaeological site located in the Sacred Valley and known for its unusual ruins. The site is composed of deep, circular terraces thought to have been agricultural terraces during the Inca Empire. At this site, you will have the opportunity to contemplate the grandeur of such site and will be amazed by the perfection of such construction.
From Moray, the tour will continue to the next stop at the town of Maras. It is here where you will be mesmerized by the naturally occurring salt mines still cultivated to date. This site will be sure to impress you by the thousands of small salt-evaporating on ponds. Be sure to check the small shop offering some of the most soothing baths slats made from the extracted salt in Maras.
To finish off, we will head to the last stop of the tour – the town of Ollantaytambo. Once here, you will explore the town´s archaeological fortress along with one of the most important Sun Temples of the region.
Your tour will end after your guided tour in Ollantaytambo. We will make sure to drop you off at your accommodation here.
Accommodation: Tunupa Lodge)
Meals: Breakfast (at the hotel)
Tickets: Included
Day 3: Inca Trail Hike 2 Days 1 night
Your day will begin with an early morning pick up from your accommodation in Ollantaytambo – at approximately 05:30 hrs. From here, we will head to the train station to catch the 06:10 hrs train headed to Aguas Calientes town. The train tracks follow the Urubamba River and will give you spectacular views of the nearby farmlands, snow-capped mountains and the mighty Urubamba River itself. The train ride will be approximately 45 minutes, and will take us directly to the trek´s trail head, commonly known as KM 104 located at 2,000 m.a.s.l.
Once at the trailhead, we will have some time to get ready for the day´s hike. Here you will meet your trekking chef and porters and will also enjoy breakfast before starting your trek. Be sure you bring your original passport, since this is the very first checkpoint along the Inca Trail. After breakfast, you will visit the first Inca site on this trail, Chachabamba – the first ancient Incan checkpoint for entering to the Inca trail, and will have a brief guided tour to understand its importance. It is also here, where we will take a moment to take group photo for the books!
The hike will begin from KM 104 on a gently uphill trail towards the Classic Inca Trail. If the weather is clear, we will have tremendous views of Machu Picchu,the Urubamba River and other surrounding Inca Sites. There will also be waterfalls to be seen. The trail itself has some flat areas, as well as some short uphill and downhill hikes. It also has steps, arranged in sections that can be narrow in some areas, but not dangerous. After hiking for approximately 3 hours, we will reach the most beautiful Incan site on the Inca Trail, Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young) at 2,600 m.a.s.l. Here you will visit and learn about the sites impressive and water fountains, temples and agricultural terraces. The backdrop of Wiñay Wayna will also be sure to impress you, dropping off a cliff, with beautiful mountains surrounding the area.
From Wiñay Wayna, it will only be a short walk to the lunch spot, where your trekking chef and porters will be ready with cold drinks and delicious, fresh food, prepared by our cook, and served buffet-style. After lunch, there will be time for a short nap.
After lunch, we will continue trekking to the Sun Gate, used by Incas to observe the sunrise from Machu Picchu during the summer solstice, and from where we will see the picturesque landscape of Machu Picchu. This hike will be approximately 1 hour of gradual uphill and downhill hiking. At this location, we will take enough time to breathe in the beauty of the surrounding sights before continuing on with on. From here, it will be another 1 hour hike to the Machu Picchu ruins. Once in Machu Picchu, you can explore the watchtower area where you can get charming pictures of Machu. A big advantage of this hike, is that by the time we reach Machu Picchu, most of the day travelers will have returned home. This will leave the sights of Machu Picchu to be almost empty.
From Machu Picchu, we will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Entrance
Tickets: Included
Day 4: Visit To Machu Picchu
Today will be the most important day of your tour. To get the most out of the day, we encourage every group to have an early breakfast before catching one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu (starting at 5:30 a.m.). The hotel will hold your bags for you while in Machu Picchu. This way, you will only be required to take your personal backpack with all essentials up to Machu Picchu. The bus ride from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu will take approximately 30 minutes.
Once in Machu Picchu, your guide will introduce you the beauty of Machu Picchu. You will head directly to a well-sought out location from where you will watch the sunrise and take photographs. Your guide will then guide you around the main sectors of the citadel, for a total of 2.5 hours. During this guided tour, you will learn some more about the history and culture of the Inca Empire. At the end of the tour, you will have some time to yourself or, if you arranged to hike either extra hike, Huayna Picchu Mountain* or Machu Picchu Mountain, your guide will show you where to begin this hike.
For your return from Machu Picchu, we recommend to begin heading back to Aguas Calientes town by no later than 2 hours prior to your train departure. Your guide will inform you of your train times prior to your return. The train return from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo will take approximately 2 hours. In Ollantytambo, our Alpaca Staff will be waiting for your right by the station´s exit door ready to bring you back to Cusco by car. The car ride to Cusco will be approximately 2 hours and will have you dropped off at your hotel in Cusco.
OPTIONS: *Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain are both additional hikes available once inside Machu Picchu. Either extra hike may be hikes after your guided tour of Machu Picchu and must be arranged ahead of time. Both hikes are subject to availability and at an extra cost of USD $75 per person.
Accommodation: Sussana inn)
Meals: Breakfast (at the hotel)
Tickets: Included
Day 5: Rainbow Mountain
Your day´s trek will begin with an early-morning pick from your accommodation in Cusco at 04.00 hrs. From here, it will be a 3.5 car drive in our private van passing through traditional villages to the trail head. At the trail head, we will stop and enjoy a hearty breakfast, prepared by our trekking chef.
After breakfast, we will begin the hike from Chillca located at 3,700 m.a.s.l., until the famous Rainbow Mountain. This hike will be approximately 4-hours along gradually ascending terrain. Along the way, you will enjoy amazing views of the Andes, glacial peaks, red mountains, rocky hills, and traditional llamas and alpacas grazing along the valley. As you reach the summit of the mountain, you will be able to spot some Andean wildlife too. This is one of the few places in Cusco where you can see wild Vicuñas, the Andean camel. Vicuñas are in the same family as llamas, although they are smaller. Their wool is the most expensive wool in the world.
Once we arrive at the top of Rainbow Mountain, you will have enough time to absorb the majesty of the red mountains that surround this area. You will also see amazing views of the valleys and Ausangate Glacier Peak in front of you. Ausangate is the tallest mountain of the Cusco region (just under 21,000 ft elevation) and is part of the Cordillera Vilcanota Range. While taking in these magnificent views, our staff will bring you some hot drinks and share some information with you about the composition of these mountains and how they became striated in the rainbow of colours.
After taking a few amazing pictures and soaking in the views (perhaps we will even see a few condors floating on the air currents), we will begin our descent back to the trail head. This will be a 2 hour, downhill hike. We will then meet up with our trekking chef and enjoy a delicious, freshly prepared, hot lunch.
After lunch, we will start our return trip back to the Chillca village, to catch our private van back to Cusco. We will drop you off at your hotel at around 4:30 – 5:30 pm.
Accommodation: Book on your own
Meals: breakfast and lunch prepared on site.
Tickets: Included
End of Tour
** All hotels are based on availability. Any changes will be made with your approval. **
Inclusions
Included
Professional Guides: All of our guides studied English and tourism at Cusco National University. They all grew up in this region and have a true passion to teach others about their heritage. They are fun yet professional, and will ensure you are safe and happy.
Hotels: Included in this tour is two evenings in Cusco and one evening in Ollantaytambo. We can easily add extra nights before the tour, if needed. Let our team know if you are interested in extending and we will give you a quote. Rooms are based on double occupancy. There is a surcharge for a single room. Upgraded hotels are always possible. We can also book the tour without any hotels, if you prefer to book them on your own.
Transportation: All your transportation is included on this tour. We will pick you up from your hotel around 1 p.m., on the first morning, and will make sure you are escorted until your are brought back to your hotel, around 8 p.m.the final evening.
Tickets: All entrance fees are included ( BTG boleto turistico for City Tour, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu fe , bus tickets for round from/to Aguas Calientes )
Train Tickets: Train tickets are in Expeditions tourist class , from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes is at 06.00 pm and from Aguas Calientes to Ollanatyatmbo is at 4.20 pm, if you hoping to upgrade to Vistadome train then is $ 75 one way and $100 round trip, 3:37 pm from Ollantaytambo and 4:43 pm from Agaus Calientes to Poroy.
Transfers: No matter which train you take from Machu Picchu to Cusco, the transfer back from train station to your hotel is included
Not Included
Meals: Meals are not included unless otherwise noted but our guides will recommend some good places
Huayna Picchu: Huayna Picchu is the mountain that stands next to Machu Picchu. It is a 45 minute hike to the top. Going back down is quite steep, if you are scared of heights. This is done without your tour guide, after your tour of Machu Picchu. The cost is $75 per person. Arrangements need to be made at least one month in advance, due to popularity. Please understand that weather is out of our control.
Flights: Flying to Cusco can be tricky. Delays occur often and it is not uncommon for flights to be cancelled. Please be sure to arrive in the city at least two days before your trek start date. LAN Peru is the most reliable of the airlines. Avianca and Peruvian Airlines are acceptable companies, as well. You will not be return from your trek until around 8 p.m. on the last day, so be sure your flight is not until the next day, when leaving Cusco.
Gratuities: Tipping is always appreciated and should be based completely on your satisfaction. Although it may not be customary to you, it is of considerable significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels.
Travel Insurance: This is not required, but always recommended. For those of you who live at sea-level, landing in Cusco will take an adjustment period. Most people need one or two days to adjust. In case you have a hard time adjusting to the altitude, it is suggested to have protection for missed tours.
Price
Price:
We can depart any day of the week, as long as permits are available. Please remember, permits are only needed for your start date.
$1605 Per Person
** Single room supplement: $295 Per Person
Student Discount:
$35 Per Student
Student discounts apply to anyone who has a valid UNIVERSITY STUDENT CARD at the time of the trek or who is 17-years-old or younger. For those using an university student card to receive the discount, we need to see a copy of the card at booking. For those booking children 17-years-old or younger, we need a copy of their passport at booking time. Please send all to incaland@gmail.com.
More Information about STUDENT CARD
Additional Items:
Below is a quick list of prices, but check our Additional Options section for more details.
Huayna Picchu
Huayna Picchu is the mountain that stands next to Machu Picchu. It is a 45 minute hike to the top. While this hike is done on your own, your guide will direct you to where this hike begins. This is an additional entrance ticket that we can secure for you with advance notice.
$75 Per Person
Machu Picchu Mountain ( you can only climb this mountain if have extra day to visit Machu picchu )
Machu Picchu mountain is the other mountain that stands above the Machu Picchu ruins. It offers even more stunning views than Huayna Picchu, but takes an hour and a half to reach the top. This is an additional entrance ticket that we can secure for you.
$75 Per Person
Vistadome Train
All our tours include the Expeditions (Tourist) Train. This train is normally booked at 4:22 p.m., leaving Aguas Calientes. The Vistadome train is an upgraded train, that offers slightly larger seats, windows and even some entertainment. Normally the Vistadome train is booked for 4:43 p.m. and travels to Poroy, a train station closer to Cusco. While this is an upgraded fee, we will still include your transportation back to your hotel.
$75 Per Student
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