Cusco, Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu Tour 3 Days

DAY 1: CUSCO CITY TOUR

In the afternoon, we will have a tour of the Imperial City of Cusco, a living museum and UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a mix of Andean and Spanish cultures. You will be able to see the Cusco Cathedral, which was completed in 1560 after nearly 100 years of construction. Then, we will see Qorikancha, the ancient Inca Palace, and the main worship center of the Sun God. You will also see the fortress is known as Sacsayhuaman and its military Inca architecture, which was created to protect the city. Finally, we will explore the archaeological wonders of Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay before heading back to your hotel in Cusco around 6:30 pm.

• 3* Accommodation: Maytaq Wasin or Waman Qorikancha

DAY 2: CUSCO – SACRED VALLEY (PISAC – MORAY – SALT MINES – OLLANTAYTAMBO) – AGUAS CALIENTES

We will pick you up from your hotel at 7:30 am with our private van and head to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Our first stop is the Manos de la Comunidad, which has a variety of Camelids indigenous to Peru like the llama, alpaca, guanacos and the Vicuna that produces very fine wool and can only be shorn every three years. We visit this farm to pet, feed and take pictures with these animals. Also, in the center are local women dressed in local garments, weaving items using the wool from these animals. As you exit, you will encounter a museum and souvenir shop. The workers are always around to answer any questions, but you never feel pressurized to buy anything.

Then, we stop at the Mirador of Taray to enjoy a beautiful overhead view of the Urubamba valley, which accents the surrounding mountains. Next, we head to the Pisac archaeological site, where you can see the biggest Inca cemetery with more than 2,000 tombs lining the mountain side. We learn more about the value of this site in terms of Agriculture. Explore the many inca farming terraces, food storage warehouses at the top of the hill and the water channels for irrigation purposes.

Then, we start driving towards Urubamba for lunch, passing small farming towns like Coya and Calca before stopping at the foot of Urubamba for a delectable buffet lunch. The restaurant has an impressive spread of different foods and is vegan and vegetarian friendly. There is a variety of fresh vegetables, salads, protein dishes, desserts and tea and coffee. (Lunch is not included)

After lunch, we continue towards the colonial town of Maras, to reach the Pre-Inca salt mines. Enjoy this historical site, that has been mined pre-Inca and continues to be the bread and butter for this small community. The salt stream above feeds the thousands of salt pans, once the water has evaporated the salt is collected and sold. The salt mines are one of the few left in the world that produce a natural pink salt and have not adopted any modern techniques for mass salt mining. The locals have full mining rights and all the salt sold on site belongs to the locals. It still supplies Peru with over 90% of its salt. A great place to grab another souvenir.

Next, we visit Moray, which was an experimental farming site built in the form of an amphitheater, which each level naturally with a different temperature to grow different types of crops. These levels of terraces were carved before the Incas took control of the Sacred Valley and then used by the Incas to research optimal growing conditions for their crops. The Incas brought in different soil samples from other regions, to optimize their research. The locals were still using it for growing their crops, until the 1970s when it was preserved and protected for tourism.

Then, we drive to Ollantaytambo to explore this quaint Inca village and the amazing Inca Ruins on the hilltop above. These ruins are where the Incas fought their last battle with the Spanish conquerors, before they had to retreat and flee into the dense jungle. Most of the structures were unfortunately incomplete. There is a section with a number of boulders that were carved, but didn’t make it to their destination. Another possibility, is that the battle was so intense, it caused a lot of damage to this massive Inca site.

Finally, at around 7pm, we take the train to the small town of Aguas Clientes where we spend the night in our hotel

• Accommodation: Ferre Hotel
• Meal: Breakfast at your hotel

DAY 3: AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO

After an early breakfast at your hotel, we are ready to get an early bus at 5:30am up to Machu Picchu just in time to witness the sunrise. It is a truly mystical site out of history and not something you’ll want to miss! After enjoying the sunrise your guide will provide a guided tour of Machu Picchu, which takes around two hours. You will see many of the most important parts of Machu Picchu Citadel during your tour. 

After the tour, those people that have booked in advance for the extra hike up Huayna Picchu will have time to hike it on their own. When they have had their fill of the incredible views of Machu Picchu, a bus back down to Aguas Calientes will be waiting. Upon arriving at Aguas Calientes lunch is waiting with numerous restaurants to choose from (lunch not included). Depending on your train departure time, there may be some time for shopping, or sightseeing.

The Expedition train will take you back to Ollantaytambo at 2:55pm or 3:20pm, following the spectacular Urubamba River. Close to Aguas Calientes, the canyon is narrow and the river has many beautiful sections of whitewater. Back at Ollantaytambo, your driver will meet you at the exit from the train station to take you back to your hotel in Cusco in our private van. You can expect to arrive at your hotel about 7:00pm.

• Meal: breakfast at your hotel

***IMPORTANT:

• You can upgrade to the Vistadome Train for the same times, 2:55pm or 3:20pm, 4:22pm, or 4:43pm. The cost is $57 USD.
• Early trains can be organized by requested and it has to be done by booking time.
• The Huayna Picchu Mountain Hike depends on availability and let us know about it at booking time.