Cusco – Sacred Valley – Aguas Calientes

The Sacred Valley tour starts at 8:00 am in Cusco. We will pick you up from your hotel and bring you to the bus, where you will meet your tour guide and travel mates (shared service). We leave Cusco around 8:30 am in the direction of Pisaq, descending to the sacred river Urubamba. With a few stops along the way at various lookout points, we will arrive at Pisaq where you can enjoy discovering the traditional handicraft market. Here, you have enough time to do some local souvenir shopping. Afterward, we continue our trip and drive up the mountain to the Pisaq ruins. Our tour guide will take you around the temples, terraces, and tunnels of this complex while constantly enjoying the majestic view of the sacred river and also the Intihuatana (sun clock).

We then drive along the Urubamba River, passing through a little colorful town where you can observe the descendants of the Quechua people wearing their beautiful colorful ponchos. Our next stop is in Urubamba where will have lunch (we recommend a lunch buffet with Peruvian food). After a short rest, we keep on until we reach Ollantaytambo, one of the last living Inca towns. You will be amazed by this village! You will have some time to explore the impressive Temple of the Sun with its intricate stone worked details, the terraces constructed to sustain the mountain, the temple in the shape of a llama, and its beautiful water fountains.

After exploring the complex, your tour guide will bring you to the train station from where you will take the train at 04:30 pm in the direction of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town). Enjoy the incredible journey of 2 hours on the train with its panoramic windows where you can observe the Urubamba River descending from the high valley down to the cloud forest at 2000 meters. The landscape changes drastically in front of your eyes! You will be amazed to see the tropical mountain ending in a snow carpet and the small waterfalls shimmering on the hills, forming small rivers that flow down to converge at the Sacred River. After these spectacular natural views, you arrive at Aguas Calientes where the warm atmosphere welcomes you with typical jungle sounds.

Our staff will be waiting for you at the gate of the train station in Aguas Calientes and bring you to your hostel.

At 07:00 pm you will receive a short briefing from your tour guide for the next day’s excursion, so please make sure you will be in the hotel at that time.

Accommodation: Hotel Hatun Inti Classic

Machu Picchu – Ollantaytambo – Cusco

The day you were waiting for!

Wake up very early in the morning to have your breakfast (at 04:00 am) and then take the bus uphill to the famous Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. The first bus leaves at 05:30 am and takes a 25 minutes ride.

Optional take the path which is winding up the mountain to reach Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu gate opens at 06:00, so arriving early you will be one of the first visitors of the day, avoiding the crowds. In case you don’t want to wake up early, please take the bus at 7 am.

At 07:45 am your bilingual tour guide will take you around the vast ruins for about 2.5 hours, comprehensively explaining the historical significance of Machu Picchu and its importance in the Inca Empire.

Machu Picchu is the best known of all the Inca Archaeological sites, as it is recognized worldwide as one of the new seven wonders, even though it’s not mentioned in any handwritten Chronicle of the Spanish Conquerors. Experts believe that Machu Picchu has been constructed around the mid-15th century by Inca Pachacuteq and was rediscovered in 1911 by American historian Hiram Bingham.

The guided tour of this fascinating site will be an unforgettable experience, visiting the Main Square, the Royal Quarters, The Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Sun Tower, the Sacred Sun Dial (Intihuatana), and the Burial Grounds.

After the excursion, you can climb up the mountain Huayna Picchu from which you will have stunning views over the whole complex! However, there are only 400 entrance tickets per day. Therefore, please let us know in advance if you would like to do the hike when you do your tour reservation (extra cost of US$ 20.00).

Due to Huayna Picchu being very fast oversold, we are offering Machu Picchu Mountain as a second climbing option. The advantage of this hike is that it is less crowded, but not less beautiful. The cost of this climb is also US$ 20.00 per entrance.

After this, you will have some free time to wander around. Optional you can do some unguided walks to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, which is the traditional end of the Classic Inca Trail (1.30 hours hike both ways), or to the Inca Bridge (1-hour hike). Otherwise, you can simply explore the ruins and enjoy the inspiring atmosphere and breathtaking views.

A frequent bus service takes visitors back to Aguas Calientes (included) at any time. If you prefer, take a walk down through the jungle – it will take you roughly 45 minutes.

You will arrive at Aguas Calientes for a late lunch or to enjoy a dip in the hot springs (not included). In the afternoon at 2:30 pm, you take the train back to Ollantaytambo and then a tourist transport to Cusco.  please let us know so we can book a late train at  4:12 pm (according to the service, it will have an extra cost of US$ 30.00).

Meals: Breakfast