DAY 01 – WELCOME TO LIMA, PERU
Upon arrival in Lima, you will be met by our representative and driver at Jorge Chavez International Airport, who’s will be transferring you to your hotel in Miraflores, Lima.
Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures and provide you with a detailed itinerary, vouchers covering all the services included in your tour, and additional information on the organization of your Peru trip.
Meals Included: None
DAY 02 – LIMA COLONIAL CITY TOUR, LARCO MUSEUM & DINNER SHOW
Get ready for a busy morning, starting with a guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in Lima, the “City of Kings”. The tour includes Lima’s Historical Center, Casa Aliaga, passing by Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the City Hall, the Cathedral and its Religious Art Museum, as well as San Francisco Monastery and its famous underground crypts are known as the Catacombs.
We continue to the Museo Larco a housed in an exquisite 18th century vice-royal mansion, built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The museum’s galleries exhibit the finest and most magnificent gold and jewelry treasures from Ancient Peru and the renowned erotic collection, one of Peru’s most celebrated attractions.
Then, spend a night out at La Dama Juana Restaurant, where you’ll enjoy a tasty Peruvian buffet and folkloric dancing.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 03 – TRANSFER IN CUSCO + ARCHEOLOGICAL CITY TOUR
Upon arrival at Cusco Airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Our representative will provide you with a detailed itinerary, entrance tickets covering all the services included in your tour, and additional information on the organization of your Machu Picchu experience.
Half-Day Archeological Cusco City Tour
This afternoon you’ll enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of Cusco, with your guide to the first ruin site (Tambomachay). As you walk to and visit each archaeological site, your guide will explain the history, architecture, and local traditions. The four sites are Tambomachay, Puca Pucara, Q’enko, and Sacsayhuaman. After exploring the last ruin site, you will walk down to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco City. With examples of Inca history and architecture. Visit the city’s most important historical monuments that reveal the influence of different cultures: The Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral dating from Spanish vice-royalty times, built with great slabs of red granite renaissance style in contrast with the baroque style silverwork of its interior and, the Santo Domingo church built upon the foundations of the Inca temple Qorikancha, dedicated to worship the Sun God.
Meals Included: Breakfast
DAY 04 – CUSCO – MOLLEPATA (MARCOCCASA) – SORAYPAMPA
We will leave Cusco at 5:30am and head towards Marcoccasa (3400m/11154f), passing the village Mollepata (3000m/9843f). In Marcoccasa we will meet the horsemen and the rest of the group and start our trek. We start hiking within a magnificent valley, surrounded by the most important snow-capped mountains such as the Humantay (5217m/17116f) and the Salkantay (6264m/20551f). Our campsite will be at Soraypampa (3900m/12795f).
- Climate: cold Transport time: 3hrs
- Hiking time: 6 hours
Optional: After having lunch in Soraypampa (3900m/12795ft), we strongly recommend hiking to Laguna de Humantay where you are able to discover the beautiful view of Hu-mantay Lake (4220m/13845ft) and Humantay snow-covered.
- Hiking time from Soraypampa to Humantay lake: 2 hours.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 05 – SORAYPAMPA – SALKANTAY PASS – CHAULLAY
After breakfast we will set off towards the Salkantay Pass (4600m/15092f) which offers an exceptional view of the Salkantay snow-capped (6264m). Thereafter we will descend again and will have time to enjoy the increasing vegetation of the ecosystem. Our campsite will be in Andenes (3300m/10826ft), amidst the tropical forest.
- Climate: cold and warm with mosquitoes Hiking time: 8 hours
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 06 – ANDENES – WIÑAYPOCO – LA PLAYA – LUCMABAMBA
The third day is dedicated to the region’s flora and its plantations. After descending to a dimmed forest and enjoying the diversity of species of orchids, bromeliads and many other plants, we will see coffee-, cacao- and fruit-plantations. Moreover, we will have the pleasure to meet local families of Wiñaypoco (2650m/8694f), La Playa (2100m/6890f) and Lucmabamba (2000m/6561ft). Our campsite will be in Lucmabamba.
This afternoon you stay in contact with a local rural family from the forest in which you will have the opportunity to witness the cultivation and processing of coffee.
Depending on the variety, it takes approximately 3 to 4 years for newly planted coffee trees to begin to bear fruit. The fruit, called the coffee cherry, turns a bright, deep red when it is ripe and ready to be harvested. Due to the botanical characteristics of the cof-fee tree and the fact that coffee is often grown in mountainous areas, widespread use of mechanical harvesters is not possible and the ripe coffee cherries are usually picked by hand, a labour-intensive and difficult process. We will show and explain to you the complete process from the tree to the cup of coffee. You will also have the opportunity to ask the locals your own questions about the process of cultivation.
- Climate: warm during the day with mosquitoes Hiking time: 6 hours
Note: According to the group’s wishes it is possible to change the itinerary a bit and visit the hot springs in Santa Teresa (1830m/6004f) this afternoon at an extra cost.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 07 – LUCMABAMBA – LLACTAPATA INCA SITE – MACHU PICCHU TOWN
After breakfast, we will hike up on the Inca trail to the archaeological site of Llactapata at 2650m/8694f (Beautiful scenery for discovering flora and evidence of Inca culture). From here we will have an outstanding view over Machu Picchu Mountain and Vilcanota Canyon).
Afterwards we will continue down to Hydroelectric train station (1950m/6398f), where you are able to take the train to Machu Picchu town (2050m/6726f).
Overnight in Machu Picchu town.
- Climate: warm with some insects
- Hiking time: 6 hours
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 08 – SUNRISE MACHU PICCHU TOWN EXCURSION
We will leave our hotel after breakfast at 5:30am and head for Machu Picchu (2400m/7874f) by tourist bus. We will arrive at the citadel around 6:00am. After a guided tour around the archaeological site, including information about life and culture of the Incas, you will have enough time to enjoy Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu (2750m/9022f) on your own. We will leave Aguas Calientes by train either at 2:55pm or at 6:45pm. Until then you will have time to have lunch in one of the nice restaurants. Moreover you can visit the hot springs in Aguas Calientes to relax a bit.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
OPTIONAL
HIKE UP TO HUAYNA PICCHU, the mountain behind Machu Picchu. This hike is strenuous and recommended only for travelers comfortable with heights and who have a good fitness level.
A fair amount of climbing is required. Get fabulous views of Machu Picchu from the top. Total time for this excursion is 2.5 hours. You may want to extend your hike and go to the Moon Temple as well, which is close to Huayna Picchu. This adds an extra hour total to this excursion. Total time for the Huayna Picchu visit, including the Moon Temple, is 3.5 hours. (This hike requires advanced reservations.
DAY 09 – MARAS MORAY TOUR & TRANSFER OUT CUSCO AND FLIGHT BACK HOME
Today you will set off in the direction of the Sacred Valley to the town of Chinchero, an authentic Andean village with lots of character, where we will find the colonial church that houses a large collection of painting from the Cusqueñan School of Art.
Next, continue to the salt fields of Maras and its seemingly never-ending terraces, where salt extracted from springs is stored. The use of Maras Salt dates back thousands of years and is inherited from generation to generation and managed communally.
Continue your excursion to admire the Moray terraces, believed to be a former gigantic agricultural laboratory, an astronomical observatory or a place of worship, or maybe all three. It is thought that Moray was used for plant adaptation to new climatic environments thanks to its circular terraces in immense cone-shaped depressions of 47 to 84 m that resemble giant fingerprints or contour lines.
At the scheduled time you will be shuttled from the hotel to the airport to board your flight back to Lima. Our representative will assist you with check-in procedures and then to your connecting flight back home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
