Machu Picchu Extreme Challenge 8 days

Today you will discover the incredible Sacred Valley of the Inca, also called the Vilcanota Valley after the river that flows through it. After breakfast. You will have the opportunity to chat with the local craftsmen and learn about the techniques and appreciate the intricacy of their Peruvian textiles and artwork. This is the perfect place to buy souvenirs for your loved ones back home and contribute to local craftspeople and artisans of The Andes, as well as purchase an intricate and authentic piece of fine textile, with an original beauty that can only be found in this region. We will then head to the archaeological site of Pisac, situated on the mountain top. This magnificent site is composed of many sections of terraces and archaeological structures, built on the hillside of the high mountain. The perfect example of stunning countryside and impressive stonework, which combine to make this spectacular site. We will then head down to the town of Pisaq and its famous handicraft market, where local people sell their variety of handmade products, using techniques dating back to ancestral times. We will then head along the Sacred Valley to the town of Urubamba, where we will stop for lunch and where we will have the opportunity to sample some of the local delicacies, of the Peruvian kitchen including salads, soups, ceviche a variety of main courses and delectable desserts. After lunch, we will visit the impressive archaeological site of Ollantaytambo, quite probably constructed to monitor the entrance into this part of the valley and protect the Incas from possible invasion. We will have the opportunity to walk through its narrow, cobbled streets and gain a better idea about how this site functioned during Inca times, as a strategic military outpost as well as a religious and cultural centre. After the visit, we will then board the train that will take us to Aguas Calientes, at the base of Machu Picchu. On arrival, the hotel representative will be waiting for us to take us to the hotel.

IMPORTANT ADVICE

After a hearty breakfast and the recommended coca tea, we suggest that you just take an overnight bag /daypack to spend the night in Aguas Calientes. (Include money, light clothing, travel documents, camera, repellent, sunhat, sunscreen and personal hygiene products). Your trip will be more comfortable for doing so. The rest of your baggage can remain at your Cusco hotel as you will be returning there tomorrow.

• Overnight: Hotel in Aguas Calientes
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Early in the morning at the agreed time, your guide will collect you from your hotel to head to the bus station for the 30-minute journey up to Machu Picchu. We will zigzag up 400m of road to arrive at the “Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu” also known as “The lost city of The Incas”. On arrival at the citadel with your guide, we will queue at the entrance to Machu Picchu and we will begin our tour of this mind-blowing, archaeological site. For two and a half hours, we will visit the principal sites inside the site such as the Plaza Mayor, The temple of the Sun, The Sacred Sun dial (Intiwatana) the royal quarters, The Temple of the Three Windows, The Temple of the Condor, as well as other important sites inside the citadel of Machu Picchu. After the guided tour, you will be allowed time to take photos, before we return to the town of Aguas Calientes. You will be able to have lunch in one of the many restaurants (lunch is not included), after which we will board the train on our return journey to Ollantaytambo (Depending on the departure time of the train) and we will return along the same road as we arrived, to get to the city of Cusco. In Ollantaytambo, our staff will be waiting with a sign, with your name on it, to take you on the final leg of the journey back to Cusco.

IMPORTANT

From the 1st of January 2019, the rules changed with regards to the Machu Picchu. The visit to the archaeological site will all be in one direction, which means that once you have passed by a certain site, you are not allowed to return. There is no re-entrance to the site, if we leave the site for any reason, we are not allowed to re-enter. The only exception to this new rule is, if you have an entrance ticket to either Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu mountain. Also, if you wish to climb one of these mountains, the guided tour of the main citadel will be reduced to coincide with the mountain entrance time. In the case of Machu Picchu Mountain, your guided tour will be for one hour to allow time for you to climb the mountain; In the case of Huayna Pichu, the tour of the main citadel will be for 2 hours.

IMPORTANT ADVICE

Before you go up to Machu Picchu, we recommend that you leave your overnight bag /daypack at the hotel in Aguas Calientes and only take water, (please remember that Machu Picchu is a plastic free zone so plastic water bottles will be confiscated on entry). passport, cash, entrance ticket, sunhat sunscreen and insect repellent. When you head back down to Aguas calientes, you can collect your overnight bag from the hotel. If time allows, we recommend a visit to the Chávez Ballón Museum, the museum of Machu Picchu. There is a free entrance after midday and you simply need to show your passport. We should also take into account that there is usually a queue for the shuttle bus, to and from Machu Picchu. There is also usually a queue for the train back to Ollantaytambo also, so we will need to allow plenty of time in each case. Your guide will be there to orientate you in the best possible manner.

• Overnight: Hotel in Cusco
• Meals Included: Breakfast

This program is designed for extreme adventure lovers on reed boats and ATVs, exploring a new circuit in the Sacred Valley of the Incas with four unforgettable activities.

OFFERING TO MOTHER EARTH:

An offering to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) to give thanks for all the blessings she provides, an offering to the apus (mountain spirits) of the Piuray basin.

REED BOAT RIDE:

A reed boat ride includes crossing a part of Lake Piuray, where you can appreciate different landscapes, flora and fauna, bird watching, and mythical legends of Lake Piuray and its communities. 1 hour of exploration.

WEAVING DEMONSTRATION:

Reception and weaving demonstration by the native community, where we will learn the ancient wisdom of our ancestors.

ATV ADVENTURE:

ATV ride to the Piuray viewpoint, offering an impressive view of the Peruvian Andes, including the snow-capped mountains of Salkantay, Veronica, Chicon, Pitusiray, Puma Huanca, among other deities known as Apus. A 14 km ride.

• Overnight: Hotel in Cusco
• Meals Included: Breakfast

We will head out bright and early and the pre-arranged time, when we collect you from your hotel to begin our adventure. We will head out of Cusco in a North westerly direction. On the way, we will pass through a number of traditional villages, until we reach Limatambo. From here, we will begin an ascent until we reach the town of Mollepata, where we will stop for breakfast and where we will also return to for lunch. After breakfast, we will continue our journey in car to the village of Soraypampa and your guide will give you information about the flora and fauna, as well as the traditional customs of the area. On arrival, to Soraypampa, we will begin our hike and the guide will explain the correct way to trek through the mountains. He will provide a small snack and walking sticks to help you along the route. The hike takes approximately 2 hours, until we arrive at the stunning Humantay Lake where we can appreciate spectacular scenery and an impressive vantage point of the Humantay and Salkantay glaciers. After a short rest, we will return along the same Trail to Soraypampa, where our car will be waiting to take us back to Mollepata and where a delicious buffet lunch awaits us. We will then continue on our return journey to Cusco City.

• Overnight: Hotel in Cusco
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

On this day, we will visit beautiful Inca towns with their colonial houses. In this unique and enjoyable tour, we will be able to appreciate the treasures that this sacred land holds.

We will start the day by visiting the experimental agricultural terraces of Moray, a group of circular terraces that measure up to 150 meters in depth. According to historians, these constructions served as an important Inca agricultural laboratory since each platform was built with its respective irrigation channels, creating different microclimates. The most striking feature is the difference in average annual temperatures between the upper and lower parts of the depressions, with a difference of up to 15°C.

Next, we will visit the colonial town of Maras, which preserves its Andean traditions and customs. We will admire its beautiful architecture and colonial-style stone doorways.

Finally, we will visit the Maras Salt Mines. These salt mines have been in operation since Inca times and continue to be worked by local farmers today. After the tour, we will return to Cusco and drop you off at your hotel.

• Overnight: Hotel in Cusco
• Meals Included: Breakfast

Early, at the pre-arranged time, our guide will collect you from your Cusco hotel to head out to Collasuyo, found in a Southern direction from the ancient Inca capital, Cusco. This formed part of the important “tawantinsuyo” (the 4 ancient regions of the Incas). Our first stop will be 2 hours out of Cusco, 78 km away, at the Paucarpata (CUSIPATA) community, where we will have a short rest to buy water, snacks, and enjoy a buffet breakfast. After which, we will continue for another hour along the highway until we arrive at our basecamp of Japura (Pitumarca). Here we will get ready for our ATV Rainbow Mountain, which is a gradual 1h30m (15km). Along the way, we will have the opportunity to see the impressive Glaciers, standing at a whopping 4925m. The distinctive varieties of South American camelids. We will arrive to Qosqopata spot where we will Walk for about 30m up to get to the Rainbow moutain.

On arrival at the magnificent Rainbow Mountain, you will have plenty of time to take photos and videos of this enigmatic, coloured mountain as well as the impressive surrounding countryside. We will then begin our descent back towards the base camp for approximately 1h 30m (15km). where our transport will be waiting to take us to the town of Paucarpata, where we will enjoy a well-deserved delicious lunch. After lunch we Will begin our journey back to Cusco City, arriving at 6pm approximately, where we will drop you off at your hotel.

• Overnight: Hotel in Cusco
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Transfer from the hotel to the airport.

End of our services.

Meals Included: Breakfast

NOTE: If your arrival time is after the hotel check-out time, you can use the hotel’s common areas while you wait.