After your arrival in Cusco, your guide brings you to your hotel. As Cusco is situated at an altitude of 3,430m/11,253ft, you should start this day calmly in order to acclimatize properly. This is a free day. Enjoy the wonderful city of Cusco, stroll up and down the pretty lanes, or take in the culture at the bustling “Plaza de Armas“ sitting in one of the numerous cafés and restaurants.

After breakfast, you go on a half-day city tour. On the tour, you visit the magnificent “Plaza de Armas“ and the beautiful Coricancha Cathedral. Afterward, you continue to the famous “Piedra de 12 Angulos“ and to some impressive ruins close to Cusco, such as the huge “Sacsayhuaman“ fortress. After lunch, you have the rest of the day off to enjoy the exceptional atmosphere of this unique city.

Today you take a day trip to the sacred valley of the Incas. After a nice bus ride to the village of Chequerec, you get on your bikes and start the bicycle tour through the “Valle Sagrado“. On the way, you have a quick side trip to Moray, and then continue your ride until you reach the salt terrace of Pichingote. On the last part of the trip, traveling through the valley to Urubamba, you also have a wonderful view over the snow-capped mountain tops. After this exhausting bicycle tour, you have lunch in Urubamba and have time to recover before the bus takes you back to Cusco.

Today you start the legendary four-day hike along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! Today’s trail is still fairly easy in the beginning, while the incredible panoramic view along the river Vilcanoa is quite impressive. Around noon you reach the first ruins “Patallcacta”, where you enjoy lunch and take a small break before continuing to Huayllabamba. During your hike, you have a splendid view over the Cordillera Urumbaba and the snowcovered mountain, Veronica. You spend the first night in Huayllabamba and prepare for a difficult second day.

(Distance: approx. 10.2km/6.34mi – 3 hours)

After a substantial breakfast, you start the second and most exhausting day of your trekking tour. During the steep climb through dense green cloud forests, you gain altitude until finally reaching the highest point of the Inca Trail, the Warmihuañusca Pass (Dead Women’s pass) at an altitude of 4,200m/13,780ft. Once you reach the top you are rewarded for your efforts with a fantastic view over the valley of this region and can enjoy the extensive and unique landscape. After lunch, you descend until reaching the Pacamayo River (3,500m/11,482ft) where you’ll stay for the night.

(Distance: approx. 8.6km/5.34mi – 7 hours)

Your route leads you past the ruins of Runturacay over the second Runkuracay Pass (4,000m/13,123ft) that you need to cross today. Walking past the picturesque lakes, you finally reach the impressive ruins of Sayacamarca (“unaccessible place”). After completing your last steep climb, you reach the third pass (3,700/12,139ft) which gives you a stunning view of the snowcovered Salkantay and Veronica Mountains. After having seen the carefully restored ruins of Phuyupatamarca, you descend to today’s camp at Wiñayhuayna.

(Distance: approx. 11.9km/7.39mi – 7,5 hours)

Before sunrise, you leave and hike until you reach the famous gate of Machu Picchu “Puerta del Sol“ (Sungate), where you have a truly breathtaking view. Once you reach the ruins, your guide teaches you about the secrets of the world-famous ruins and you will have enough time to explore the ancient Inca city on your own. Around noon you reach Aguas Calientes, where you take the train to Poroy. Here you are picked up and are brought to your hotel in Cusco.

(Distance: approx. 5km/3.11mi – 2 hours)

After a relaxing breakfast, you are taken to the airport or the bus station to start your journey home. However, you can also choose to continue your trip by combining another travel package with this one. It would be our pleasure to help you find the perfect addition to your trip.