Unforgettable Machu Picchu 8 days

Today, we will visit some of the most interesting sites in Cusco and the surrounding area. We will begin with a visit to the Cusco cathedral found on the Plaza De Armas and is the principal church in this imperial city. It was built on the foundations of the temple of The Inca Wiracocha. The cathedral displays over 300 paintings belong to the Cusco school of art. We will then head on to the Qoricancha which is the Quechua Word for “Temple of Gold”. This was the first temple to be constructed by The Incas, and was originally covered with large amounts of silver and gold. We will next head out of Cusco City to the close by ruins of Saqsayhuaman, famous for its enormous megaliths and giant stones, that weigh over 150 tonnes. During Inca times, it was considered the “Temple of lightening”, in honour to the deity Illapa. We will then head to the nearby ruins of Q’enqo, a religious site dedicated to the Mother Earth where you can still see carved stones and constructions. There is also a sacrificial altar where the Incas were thought to make offerings and sacrifices to The Mother Earth. After this, we will visit the to the impressive Inca fortress of Puka Pukara, which means “Red Castle” in the ancient Inca language of Quechua. Our final visit will be to Tambomachay, where we can appreciate a sacred temple dedicated to an ancient water cult which probably also functioned as a purification bath for the Inca governors. We will then return to Cusco City, where we Will drop you off at your hotel or in the central “Plaza de Armas. 

IMPORTANT ADVICE

 The City Tour will begin in the afternoon. You will have a free morning to acclimatize and drink a coca tea with your breakfast. Wear comfortable walking shoes/boots. We suggest that you visit the Plaza de Armas with its colonial and Inca temples, The Regional History Museum, The Contemporary Art Museum, the Museum of The Qoricancha, and the Museum of popular art. These places will make your trip an even more unforgettable experience and give you the perfect insight into local culture.

Overnight: Hotel in Cusco

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, we will first head to the artisan centre of Awanacancha, where we can see up close the famous llamas. You will also 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

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 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.

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

Today we will visit stunning villages and colonial houses, on this unique and wonderful tour. We will be able to appreciate the hidden treasures of these sacred lands. We will start our day with a visit to the archaeological complex of Chinchero, a beautiful Inca site built with cyclopean stones that rise above and surround the town, with ceremonial sites on the stone terraces. We will also visit one of the textile centres which maintain the weaving traditions still in use today and passed down through the different generations. We will then head to the experimental agricultural terraces of Moray. These groups of circular terraces, measure up to 150 metres deep. According to Historians, these stone constructions were an important Inca agricultural laboratory, due to the irrigation channels and their microclimates inside the circular structures. What is of interest, is the temperature difference between the top and the bottom of the structures which can differ up to 15°C. We will next head to the colonial town of Maras that still maintains its traditional and Andean customs. We can appreciate its impressive and beautiful architecture and its houses with colonial stone frontages. Our final stop will be at The Salineras of Maras. These salt mines are still used to this day to extract salt and the local people have worked the mines every day since Inca times. We will then return to the city of Cusco where we will drop you off at your hotel, marking the end of this tour.

Overnight: Hotel in Cusco

We will collect you from your hotel at 8 a.m. in our private van to head to the town Limatambo along a paved road for approximately 2 hours. Along the way, we will make a stop off at the archaeological sites of Quillarumiyoc and Tarawasi, where our guide will explain all about these lesser-visited archaeological sites. We will then continue to the village of Ancawasi, after which, we will ascend to the village of Chonta. We will enjoy our lunch here with the spectacular view of the Salkantay glacier to accompany us.

After lunch, we will begin our hike for approximately 2 hours along a flat trail to one of the deepest canyons in South America, The Apurimac Canon. Once we arrive at the condor lookout point, we will have the opportunity to observe these magnificent Andean condors in flight and in their natural habitat for about 2 hours. We recommend that you bring you binoculars with you!

We will then return along the trail, hiking back to the village of Chonta once more, where our van will be waiting for us to return to Cusco. Expect to arrive in Cusco at 8pm and we will drop you off at your hotel.

Overnight: Hotel in Cusco

Today we will enjoy an exclusive adventure on a visit to the lesser visited and picturesque South Valley of Cusco.  Valle Sur de Cusco. Our first stop on this tour will be Quispicanchis, where we will visit the impressive archaeological site of Tipón, an important Inca ceremonial site where they worshipped the water cult, one of the sacred natural elements in Andean cosmovision, which circled through channels, terraces and waterfalls. We will then head to the Huari archaeological complex of Pikillacta, belonging to this pre-Inca civilization. We will be able to appreciate pre-Inca constructions very different to those of the Incas. Our final stop will be in the town of Andahuaylillas, where we can visit the fantastic 16th century church nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of The Americas due to its large number of murals painted on its walls and ceilings. The church houses an organ ornately decorated with cherubs and angels carved by the famous Cusqueñian artist Tadeo Escalante. Before we return to Cusco, we will have the chance to visit The Sacred Stone Museum (optional visit) if you so wish. We will then return back to Cusco city where we will drop you off at your hotel.

IMPORTANT ADVICE: Today you will already have acclimatized to the high elevation of the area, which is why we recommend trying the local Cusqueñian cuisine. After the tour, you can sample the oven-cooked Guinea pig locally called “CUY” The Incas ate this delicacy as a regular part of their diet and today, especially for the people of Cusco, Peruvians enjoy this dish on important occasions and celebrations such as birthdays, Independence Day etc.

Don´t miss this opportunity to try other dishes either such as Lomo Saltado, Ají de Gallina, Grilled chicken, and Chicha Morada, the latter being a beverage made from purple maize, spices and fruit.  Pisco Sour is the national drink of Peru, made from pisco, which is an alcoholic drink similar to Italian grappa. Our guide will recommend some of the best restaurants in Cusco for dinner.

Depending on the time of your flight, we will collect you from your hotel and take you to the Cusco airport. This marks the end of our services. 

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS

At the moment you depart for any of the tours, it is important to remember to safe all of the entrance tickets that have been given to you by our staff on the briefing. (BTG, BTP, Ticket Qoricancha, Consetur shuttle bus, etc.). This will help avoid the repeat purchase of any of the tickets. If you lose any of these tickets, you must buy a new one by yourself. Also please be careful with your belongings and check hotel rooms and transport for any personal items you may have left behind.