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9 days
Cusco
Nine days of seeing all of Peru’s most popular places. Starting in Cusco and going through the Sacred Valley to walking the Inca Trail and finally finishing at Machu Picchu.
The city of Cusco is located 3400 m/ 11,154 ft above sea level. The history of the city of Cusco goes back to pre-Inca times; when the Incas arrived in the region they found a functioning city, called Akhamama, referring to “chicha de maíz” or corn beer, an ancient drink which has always accompanied Andean man.
The legendary Inka Trail or Qapaq Ñam crossed South America from Quito in Ecuador all the way to La Paz in Bolivia, traversing the Andes mountain range. The section of this trail that we will cover will take us to the magnificent sacred city of Machu Picchu, in a trip where history, geography, local flora and the environment will fill our senses and take our breath away.
This trip combines our most popular tour of the Cultural Cusco tour, with our classic 4 day Inca Trail. Seeing all that Cusco has to offer whilst experiencing one of the worlds most famous hikes.
Please feel free to ask our sales staff about combining other treks with this service too.
Your adventure step by step
Upon arrival at the airport we will meet and transfer you to the chosen hotel. The rest of the morning will be free for a better acclimatization. We suggest to take the morning flights to arrive in Cusco early and have enough time to rest.
Today will be yours to enjoy the city of Cusco and acclimatize efficiently. This is very important before embarking on the 4 day Inka Trail as your body will need time to get used to the altitude so that you will not run into difficulty during the trek.
You will have all of the necessary tickets from the first day at your disposal to use today. Therefore, you can go to any of the sites or ruins with your tickets and walk around on your own. Please ask a member of our team if you would like recommendations on places to go, eat or drink for this day and we will be more than happy to advise.
Today, we need to give you a briefing about the Inca Trail trek. We will arrange with you the best time that our guide can go and visit you in your hotel. Duffel bag will be delivered this day.
Breakfast will be included at the hotel.
This morning we will meet you to start the guided city tour.
This tour includes the visits to the Main Plaza, where the Cathedral is located. This Cathedral is impressive because of its paintings from the Cusco school.
Next you will visit the Temple of the Sun, known as the Qorikancha, this enclosure was one of the most important buildings in the time of the Incas, its walls were covered with gold plates and it was built in honor of the Sun God (Inti).
Lastly you will visit the four ruins surrounding the city of Cusco; Q´enqo, Pukapukara, Tambomachay and Sacsayhuaman, the latter being one of the best architectural works of the Tawantinsuyo (Inca empire).
The tour will usually finish at the main plaza, or if you wish you can stop at Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo, where there is a folk show. Ask your guide about this for more information.
That morning, we will pick you up from the hotel to begin the tour for the day.
You will go to the Sacred Valley of the Inkas, visiting the complex of Pisac on the way, located 33 km/ 20 miles from the city of Cusco. Pisac is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Sacred Valley, as it was during Inka times, the city was built in the form of an animal; Pisac means partridge, and it has the same shape.
There are agricultural terraces built by the Inkas which are still used today. You will also see its famous typical artisans market, which includes crafts made by the local people.
Lunch will then be included at a local authentic restaurant in the Sacred Valley.
After enjoying a buffet lunch you set off for Ollantaytambo (2792 meters above sea level / 9160ft.). This archaeological site was used for many things, and the ritual buildings and terraces stand out. Ollantaytambo was an important fortress, due to its great surrounding walls, it was actually used as a storage city, strategically located in the Sacred Valley. It is a living Inca town, and its narrow stone streets make it an attractive and relaxing place.
Once your tour has concluded you will be dropped off in the Sacred Valley where you will spend the night.
You will be briefed by your tour guide about the following four days Inca Trail and advised what to bring and wear.
This morning you will be picked up from your hotel in the Sacred Valley to begin the first day of the Inca Trail.
You would have prepared your luggage in the provided duffel bags, these will be carried by Pachatusantrek porters for the duration of the trek. Remember to bring your day pack with the essentials that you will need whilst on the trail.
Firstly we begin our trip through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, following the river downstream to the town of Ollantaytambo, where we will stop to stock up on some last minute supplies, before continuing on to Km 82 of the railroad to Machu Picchu. In this area, also known as Piscacucho, we will register with the SHMP authorities, as we will be entering the famous Qapaq Ñam or Great Inca Trail.
We begin our trek following the Wilka Mayu or Rio Sagrado (Sacred River) downstream to get inside the mountains, where we will find archaeological remains, such as Llaqtapata for example, left by the Inkas on their path to the sacred city of Machu Picchu. We will walk through different ecological levels allowing us to observe a variety of local flora and fauna, which were used by the Inkas in different ways. We will stop to enjoy our lunch on the way.
Continuing our trek to Huallabamba we arrive at our campsite, where we will have dinner and spend the night.
A full breakfast will be served that morning in the campsite and snacks and water will be distributed to last the day.
We then leave our campsite, ready to face our first high altitude challenge – the Warmi Wañuska pass. On our way we will appreciate the different ecological levels which dominated the Inka world and led them to build this marvelous path.
From the pass we will be able to see the magnificent geography of the Southern Andes, and we will stop a moment to rest and appreciate the view. Then following a beautiful path we will make our way down to our campsite at Pacamayo, where we will eat and spend the night.
Early in the morning, after breakfast, we begin our walk towards the archaeological site of Runkurakay, nestled among steep peaks.
Continuing our walk uphill we reach the pass of Runkarakay, the last high altitude challenge on our trek to Machu Picchu. We enjoy the ecological level known as Puna along this section of the trail, where the high altitude grass known as Ichu dominates the landscape and surrounds small Andean lakes.
On this trail we also find the archaeological sites of Sayaqmarka and Conchapata.
When we arrive at the campsite of Phuyupatamarka, we will enjoy our lunch, and then have a rest. After resting we can visit the Phuyupatamarka lookout (just 5 minutes from the campsite) and enjoy the sunset amid imposing snow-capped peaks. Dinner and overnight.
We will leave very erarly in the morning, after breakfast to visit the archaeological site of Phuyupatamarka which has a view of the back of the Machu Picchu mountain.
Continuing along this incredible Inka trail, we find ourselves surrounded by native vegetation from the high jungle of the Eastern Andes of Peru.
Our path takes us the site of Wiñay Wayna, now we are getting close to the archaeological site of Machu Picchu.
A short descent along the trail takes us to the Inti Punku and our magnificent first glimpse of the legendary lost city of the Inkas.
Once we enter Machu Picchu, we will have a guided tour around the site and there will be time to explore on your own and take photos.
We will cross Machu Picchu to take our transport down to the town of Aguas Calientes, where we will take the train to Poroy Station, where our transport will be waiting to take us back to Cusco.
Today, you will have the full day to recover and relax. You can take advantage of your hotels facilities or explore Cusco more.
The tickets that were issued on the first day will still be valid, therefore you can take advantage of the many sites and places available within the Cusco area.
Again, please ask our staff for recommendations on places to eat or drink for this free day.
In the morning you will enjoy breakfast at your hotel. You will have the morning to enjoy Cusco on your own. Take advantage of the tickets issued and your hotels facilities.
2 hours before your flight, we will pick you up and take you to the airport.
Services not included
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What you need to be comfortable
Please take note:
Useful information:
Rates for not resident in Peru
Foreigners who are not resident in Peru are exonerated from paying the 18% extra on hotel rates, and must present their Immigration card (given to them upon entrance to Peru) for this. If they do not, the hotel has every right to charge them the aforementioned percentage on top of the published rate.
Group services
Shared service tours can vary depending on the wishes of the group and organization with the service provider. Please check the differences between our shared and private service tours.
Dry temperature (from April to October)
Average of maximum temperature of 25 ºC and minimum of 5ºC
In the months of June and August the temperature could be 0ºC (32 ºF), this the season known as freeze
The climate conditions are:
Freeze mornings, at noon it could be warmer, cold afternoons and windy and very cold nights
Rainy season (from November to March)
Maximum temperatures average of 20 ºC and minimum of 10ºC
The weather conditions are:
Rain at any moment, the weather changes very often. It could be warm in the mornings and windy in the afternoon.
Currency
It is possible to pay with all the credit cards (the majority of commercial places accept them); you can also use soles, dollars or Euros.
It is easy to Exchange dollars to national currency in a very trustable and safe way through banks or exchange houses or at your same hotel
Please remember that when you are traveling in Peru, you have to carry bills of low denomination for extra expenses, tips, taxis, purchases, etc
Safety
The tourist areas are safe, but it is always recommendable to have some care with your personal effects. We suggest you to leave your vIt is recommendable to walk in a safety way inside the city
Once you need a taxi service, please call to an authorized agency, you can ask for this at the hotel front desk.
Altitude sickness
The city of Cusco is located at 3400 meters (11155 feet), this is why it is easy to feel headache, fatigue, short breath. We suggest you to drink coca tea (a millenary plant with medicinal effects. This is a sacred plant in the Andean World.
If you have heart problems please ask to your doctor before your trip to Cusco.
In case of any emergency with this altitude sickness we have a specialized medical stuff.
IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL NOTE
Pachatusantrek is committed to following the principles of ecotourism in our operations, and request the understanding and cooperation of trekkers, especially by not contaminating the waters and in the adequate disposal of non-biodegradable waste. We must also respect the customs and traditions of the local people.
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Hike with us the short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu We offer the best trek of 2 days to the Inka archeological site. Impressive and magical place of Inti Punku (Sun Gate), Aguas Calientes and beautiful train ride back to Cusco city.
