Land of the Incas Tour

Day 1: Cusco Arrival, rest and aclimitation

Welcoming reception, briefing and transfer to your hotel in Cusco. You will have this first day free to rest and acclimate to the altitude. You will enjoy walking the ancient streets of Cusco, appreciate the architecture, the shops, and the restaurants. We recommend that you don’t eat heavy meals on the first day as it may contribute to altitude sickness.

Overnight: Cusco

Day 2: A half-day Cusco City tour with surrounding ruins

You will have the morning to relax or visit artisan shops or museums. In the afternoon, you will visit the city’s highlights. You will start in the Plaza de Armas, the “Warrior Square”. The Plaza was once double its current size. During the Inca reign, it was surrounded by the homes of the Sapa Incas. Your stops will include the Cusco Cathedral (Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus) and the Inca temple of Koricancha.

You will board a bus for the nearby Inca fort of Sacsayhuaman. Sacsayhuaman overlooks the city of Cusco. It was the site of the final great battle between the Inca warriors and the Spanish Conquerors. From there you will visit the ruins of Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cusco

Day 3: A full-day tour of the Sacred Valley, train to Aguas Calientes

You will be met early in the morning at your hotel to begin your journey through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. First up is the camelid farm of Awana Kancha. Awana Kancha is home to llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicuñas. You will see them close up and learn about how the ancient Incas dyed and processed their wool.

Next is the Pisac market where you will find hand-woven textiles and other handicrafts. You will have time to stop for a locally roasted coffee and a meat pie; a typical Pisac breakfast. After spending ample time in the market, you will move on to Urubamba, the most populous city in the Valley.

Urubamba rests on the banks of its namesake river. You will stop for a buffet lunch of local dishes and desserts. After lunch, you will head to the northern-most part of the Valley and visit the ruins of Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was the personal estate of the important Inca Pachacuti.
Finally, you will board the train that will take you to the pueblo of Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu.

Meals: Breakfast, buffet lunch
Overnight: Aguas Calientes

Day 4: A full day in Machu Picchu, return to Cusco

In the morning, you will take a short walk to the station where you will board the bus to the gate of Machu Picchu. You will start your tour at the agricultural terraces where the Incas cultivated crops to feed the citizens of the citadel. You will find the viewing platform where you can take your picture with the mighty city in the background.

Your guide will take you through the site and explain the legends and the meaning of each of its massive buildings. The Inca builders were masters in creating stoneworks that still baffle experts in their precision and size. After your tour, you can continue wandering the citadel or just sit and contemplate its essence.

You will have time afterward to enjoy lunch before boarding the train that will take you back to Cusco.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cusco
Optional: Hike to the summit of Huayna Picchu
Optional: Buffet lunch Sanctuary Lodge

Day 5: A half-day tour of Mara and Moray

You will be picked up from your hotel for the 50 minute (31 m) drive to the village of Maras. Maras sits on a high plateau at 11,500 ft. (3,500 m) to the north-west of Cusco. If the sky is clear, you will be able to view the glacier-capped peaks of the Chicon and Veronica mountains.
You will first visit the Inca archaeological site of Moray. Moray is an open terraced pit that is believed to have been an agricultural laboratory for testing crops at various elevations. These elevations were representative of the many agricultural environments in the Inca Empire that spanned the territory from Ecuador to Chile to the north and south.

Next, you will visit the ancient salt mines that form a miniature city seven miles from Moray. The salt mines consist of over 3,000 small evaporation wells that are owned and operated by local families. The claims to these wells date back to Inca times and before. The water flows from a subterranean stream. The community owners form a cooperative to control the flow and access to the water source and sell the harvested salt in local markets.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cusco

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