Get ready to explore the richness and diversity of Peru on this exclusive 5-night Cusco and Machu Picchu tour. You will begin by discovering the magnificent imperial capital of the Inca empire, Cusco, before exploring the Sacred Valley with excursions to Maras and Moray. You’ll embark on a train journey along the scenic riverbanks of the Vilcanota River on your journey to Aguas Calientes, where you have plenty of time to explore the Machu Picchu archaeological site. Feeling energetic, why not wake up early the next morning and watch the sunrise over the misty ruins of this mountaintop citadel. Your tour concludes with a visit to Ollantaytambo, once the royal estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti, as well as the market town of Pisac before overnighting one final time in Cusco.
Day 1: Welcome to Cusco
We will be waiting for your arrival at the Cusco airport to take you to your hotel. Your guide will organise a welcome meeting with a short briefing on the tour.
Services Included:
Transport: Cusco airport – Hotel
Overnight: Costa del Sol Ramada or similar
Meals: Not included
Day 2: Exploring the Sacred Valley
Our tour to Maras and Moray begins when we pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at around 08h00. First, we’ll head to magnificent Moray, the Inca agricultural laboratory. It takes about 1.5 hours to get there, but we’ll be driving through spectacular Andean scenery, passing by yellow wheat fields, picturesque traditional villages and snow-capped mountains.
Arriving at Moray, your guide will show you around the three amphitheatre-like terraced structures. These terraces, which are carved in a circular series to create a bowl shape, are believed to have been used as a testing ground for various crops, to find the most optimal growing conditions. It’s an incredible sight and gives a real insight into the genius of the Inca Empire.
After exploring Moray we’ll head on to Maras, which is just two miles away. Here we’ll see the amazing salt evaporation ponds, which were used by the Incas and quite possibly by pre-Inca civilizations. More than 3,000 salt pools are carved into the mountainside, which catch highly salty water as it emerges from a spring in the mountain. The ponds catch this water, where it slowly evaporates, leaving just the salt behind. This is collected via a communal process and is most famously used to make sal de Maras, the famous pink table salt. It’s an incredible sight looking down across the salt ponds, which look like they are covered in snow or ice.
After spending time at Maras, we’ll head back to Cusco, where we’ll drop you off at your hotel.
Services Included:
Excursion: Half day – Sacred Valley (approx. 6 hours)
Tour Guide: Spanish/English
Entrance Fee: General Tourism Ticket & Maras
Overnight: Costa del Sol Ramada or similar
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3: Cusco to Machu Picchu
Our tour begins when we pick up you from your hotel in Cusco and then head to the train station to board the train to Aguas Calientes (also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo). The train leaves at approximately 07h50 although the exact schedule does change sometimes. The two-hour train journey is a memorable experience in itself, as we pass through river canyons and rolling hills, then your guide will pick you up from the train station at around 09h15. We’ll then walk to the bus departure point for the short but zigzagging ascent up the road to Machu Picchu.
We’ll then pass through the gates to the Machu Picchu archaeological site. Here you’ll begin your guided walking tour with an experienced and highly knowledgeable guide. Our tour of Machu Picchu will last about two hours and will take you to all the most famous and spectacular parts of the extensive archaeological complex. These include the House of the Guardian, Intihuatana, Temple of the Sun, Sacred Plaza and other key locations. And as we walk around, we’ll have spectacular views across the agricultural terraces of Machu Picchu and across to the surrounding mountains and plunging gorges.
Once we’ve finished our tour of Machu Picchu, you can have lunch (not included), and then we’ll take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes where you can relax.
Aguas Calientes is also surrounded by thermal hot springs, and when we arrive you’ll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy a dip in one of the steaming natural springs. You’ll also have time to walk around the town, exploring the colourful markets and general buzz of this unique Peruvian settlement.
Services Included:
Private Transport: Hotel – Ollantaytambo Train Station (30 minutes approx.)
Train Tickets: Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes (Vistadome)
Bus Tickets Consetur: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes (25 minutes approx.)
Entrance Fee: Machu Picchu City
Tour Guide: Spanish/English
Overnight: El Mapi by Inkaterra or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4: Aguas Calientes – Urubamba
Wake up refreshed and enjoy breakfast in your hotel this morning. You have the morning to spend at your leisure, either enjoying the comforts of your hotel or exploring Machu Picchu a second time!
Optional Service: Wayna Picchu – Cost per person $80
There is time for those whit enough energy to climb Wayna (Huayna) Picchu (at your own expense). For many people climbing Huayna Picchu is one of the highlights when visiting Machu Picchu. Wayna Picchu is the mountain behind Machu Picchu. The climb itself is interesting as you will see how the Inca cut some steps out of the rocks and as you wind around the side of a mountain will see Machu Picchu from different angles.
Optional Service: Wayna Picchu – Cost per person $80
There is time for those whit enough energy to climb Wayna (Huayna) Picchu (at your own expense). For many people climbing Huayna Picchu is one of the highlights when visiting Machu Picchu. Wayna Picchu is the mountain behind Machu Picchu. The climb itself is interesting as you will see how the Inca cut some steps out of the rocks and as you wind around the side of a mountain will see Machu Picchu from different angles.
You have lunch included in your hotel and time to rest until the bus leaves down to Aguas Calientes to take the train back to Ollantaytambo, after around 2 hours you will be in Ollantaytambo where one of our travel representative will pick you up to escort you to your sacred valley hotel.
Services Included:
Transport: Ollantaytambo Train Station – Hotel in Cusco (30 minutes approx.)
Train Tickets: Aguas Calientes – Ollantaytambo (Vistadome)
Tour Guide: Spanish/English
Overnight: Casa Andina Premium or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5: Full-Day Sacred Valley
We will pick you up from your hotel at 08h30, and we’ll reach the wonderful Inca town and the archaeological site of Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti, who conquered the region and built the town and a ceremonial centre. We’ll spend about an hour exploring these magnificent ruins, visiting the amazing Temple of the Sun and seeing massive blocks of rock that were perfectly carved and polished by master Inca stonemasons. Ollantaytambo is also a fine example of Inca agricultural construction and hydro-engineering, with a complex series of stone water fountains, channels and agricultural terraces, the latter organized by elevation to create different microclimates for crop experimentation.
We can witness the extent of the intricate water system when we return to the town, where fast-flowing water channels built by the Incas are still in use today. Walking to the town square, we’ll have great views of the ruins above us, as well as Inca granaries and storehouses built on the sides of the surrounding mountains. Here we can also watch the daily life of Ollantaytambo, where many of the locals still wear traditional dress.
Afterwards, we will head towards Pisac. In Pisac, we will visit the colourful traditional market, where you can browse the array of local artisan work and other souvenirs – which of course you can buy to take home with you. We’ll spend about 30 minutes here, and then head up to the ruins of Pisac which sit atop a hill at the entrance to the valley.
At the Pisac archaeological site, we’ll explore the extensive ruins and enjoy the beautiful views across the valley. You’ll be given a guided tour of the ruins, passing through various structures that once served as homes, storage rooms and temples, and you’ll see Inca altars, carvings, tunnels, caves and the famous Intihuatana, the “hitching post of the sun.” We’ll explore Pisac for about 90 minutes. Alternatively, if you’d like to spend more time in the market in Pisac instead of seeing the ruins, you can talk to your guide and arrange a time and a place to meet when the tour group returns through the market after the ruins.
Finally, you will have a nice experience knowing a bit about the history of the camelids of South America, where and when they were domesticated, the types of animal fibre produced by each one of them, their participation in the evolution of Peruvian culture through cultural objects such as ceramics, metal and others typical of all the pre-Columbian, after this we drive back to Cusco and leave you in your unique hotel there.
Services Included:
Excursion: Full day Sacred Valley (8 hours approx.)
Tour Guide: Spanish/English
Entrance Fee: General Tourist Ticket
Overnight: Costa del Sol Ramada or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6: Cusco to Lima
Don’t worry your time in Peru is not over just yet. We’ll bring you to Cusco airport for your return flight to Lima where once you have collected your luggage one of our representative will be waiting for you at the airport to take you to your hotel.
Services Included:
Assistance: Lima Airport – Hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Jose Antonio Deluxe or similar
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7: Lima The City of Kings and World-Class Museums
The first stop on our Lima city tour is Huaca Pucllana, a huge archaeological site in Miraflores, one of Lima’s most popular districts. Huaca Pucllana was an important ceremonial and administrative centre of the Lima culture, which developed along this part of the Peruvian coast between 200 AD and 700 AD. This sacred place was built from seven staggered platforms surrounded by a plaza and large walls. It’s a very impressive site, and certainly not what you expect to find in lively Miraflores!
After exploring Huaca Pucllana with your bilingual guide, we’ll drive to the historic centre of Lima, which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. We’ll go to the beautiful Plaza de Armas (Lima’s main square) which is surrounded by impressive colonial and Republican-era buildings, many of which have ornate wooden balconies. Some of Peru’s most important buildings surround the square, including the Government Palace, the Cathedral of Lima, the Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace and the Palace of the Union.
We’ll visit the Cathedral of Lima, which was completed in 1649. It’s a huge structure, with a large central nave and 14 side chapels. Inside, we’ll see the sculptures and paintings that decorate the interior. The cathedral is also home to the tomb of the conquistador Francisco Pizarro.
Next, we’ll walk one block to the Convent of Santo Domingo. Founded in the 1530s and completed in 1766, it is one of the most important religious buildings in Peru, and its large bell tower is a landmark in the historic centre of Lima. As we walk around the interior of the convent, we’ll see the beautiful Sevillian azulejos (ceramic tiles) that decorate the walls, dating from 1604 and 1606. There is also a series of paintings that present passages of the life of Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican order, which date to around 1608.
Next, we’ll head to the private Larco Museum, which is one of the best museums in the country. Here you can see a wide range of pre-Columbian art and artefacts, including ceramics, textiles, metalwork and more. The museum is most famous, however, for its incredible – and quite X-rated – gallery of pre-Columbian erotic pottery. These ceramics display sexual acts between men and women, as well as homosexual acts, in at times explicit detail and in various postures. At the end of the tour, we will return to your hotel.
Services Included:
Excursion: Lima City Tour (5 hours approx.)
Local Tour Guide: English/Spanish
Overnight: Hotel Jose Antonio Deluxe or similar
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Lima – Home
Depending on your flight time we will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the airport where sadly it will be time to say goodbye.
Services Included:
Transport: Lima Hotel – Airport
Meals: Breakfast
Tour Inclusions & Important Info
Services Included:
- Transportation throughout the tour
- English speaking guide
- Entrances for all the visits described on your itinerary
- Accommodation in 4* hotels
- Specific meals according to the itinerary
- Vistadome Train service for MachuPicchu
- Sacred valley train service back to Sacred valley
What is Not Included:
- Minimum medical and emergency evacuation insurance
- Trip cancellation insurance or any other travel insurance
- Evacuation: in the event of a serious medical injury, we will coordinate with your travel insurance company to arrange an evacuation
- Visas
- Any activity not described in what is Included
- Meals not described on the Itinerary
- Gratuities
- Optional excursions
