Machu Picchu Holidays & Essential Cusco 7D

Machu Picchu Holidays – Itinerary

Day 1. – Arrival to Cusco – Transfer to the hotel

Upon your arrival to Cusco, you will be greeted by our representative and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest and get acclimated to the altitude, you can also choose to explore some of the ancient Inca Streets in the downtown or places of interest.

• Hotel in Cusco: not included
• Meals: None

Day 2. – Chinchero – Maras – Moray – Salt mines – Cusco.

In the morning around 8:30 am we’ll pick you up in the lobby of your Hotel, we then have a 40 minutes of car drive to arrive to the fertile plain of Chinchero full of farming fields & beautiful landscapes, at Chinchero we will stop to see the locals weaving center and interact with the Native local women. We will continue our drive to the town of Maras, which has nice colonial doorways made of stone, unique around Cusco region, 20 minutes later we will arrive to the Inca ruins of Moray called “the Inca laboratory”. The guide will show us this wonderful place and we will walk around.

We then drive to the Salt mines with beautiful views of Urubamba Mountain range and passing by many farming fields we will arrive to the salt pans of Salineras, where we will be able to observe the fascinating salt mine own by the locals, with more than 3000 pools still in production, since many centuries ago. To finish the tour, we will drive back to Cusco.

• Hotel in Cusco: not included
• Meals included: none

Day 3. -Sacred Valley of the Incas -Pisac Ruins – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes.

We will drive toward the Sacred Valley of the Incas, taking the direct route to Pisac. On the way, we will stop at the Mirador of Taray to take in the view of the Urubamba valley.  The valley has crops that dress the mountains like carpets. We will arrive in the ruins of Pisac to see the great Inca architecture (optional to visit the market of Pisac). Afterward, we will continue to the town of Urubamba to enjoy our lunch.

After lunch we will visit Ollantaytambo, an attractive town of Incan origin with remarkable water channels and stone streets. There is an impressive ceremonial center that pays homage to the water and a fortress that guarded the access to the interior part of the valley. In the afternoon you will have a beautiful train ride to Aguas Calientes.

• Meals provided: Lunch.
• Hotel in AC: not included

Day 4. – Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco.

After your breakfast at the hotel, the guide will pick you up and lead you to the bus station, you then board the bus that will take us to the citadel of Machu Picchu. Where you will have a guided tour of the Citadel, our guide will show us the Main Plaza, the Sun Temple, the Sacred Sun Dial (Intihuatana), the Royal palace, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Main temple, Sacred Rock, warehouses, and all the most important places. It will be a wonderful experience at this wonderful and charming place.

At the appropriate time you will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes, and then you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo. The journey by train takes approximately 1:40 Hours, upon your arrival to the train station, you will have transfer back to the hotel in Cusco

• Meals included: none
• Hotel in Cusco: not included

Day 5. – Cusco – Humantay Lake – Cusco

The guide will meet you at your hotel in Cusco at 4:30am. Then we start driving for 2 hours to the town of Mollepata. Here you will have a short stop for breakfast, in a local restaurant and then you follow a dirt road for 1 hour to arrive to Soraypampa. At the bus parking place, we begin the trek uphill to the famous Lake Humantay.

We hike along a beautiful path which is part of Salkantay trail, mainly uphill. After a short hike you will see a tiny village, where Salkantay trekkers camp, we continue hiking for another hour and a half, ascending 1,250 feet in 2 km up to the mountain slope. After to walk across the last moraine, the Humantay Lake will show up with its beautiful turquoise color. This Lake contains the water melting from the impressive Humantay snow-capped Mountain.

Along the way to Lake Humantay there will be great views of Salkantay Peak, one of Cusco’s tallest mountains, towering 20,600 feet. Very respected and venerated by local people. The equally stunning Humantay Mountain, rising 19,400 feet, is also visible most of the time. Spiritual people and other natives will often leave offerings when reaching the crystal-clear waters of Humantay Lake.  Once we reach the lake-shore, we will have a relaxing moment, enjoying our snacks, and walk around this magical place.

When you feel ready to walk back down, we will descend to Soraypampa. Then you have one-hour drive back to the lunch place. Finally, there will be 2 hours’ drive back to Cusco and we will drop you off at your hotel.

• Meals Included: breakfast & lunch served in a local restaurant
• Hotel in Cusco: not included

Day 6. – Cusco – Llaqto – Rainbow Mountain – Cusco city.

To travel to Vinicunca Mountains, trekkers will be picked up from Cusco hotels at 4:30 am and then we will drive 3 hours through the south valley of Cusco to the trail head at Llaqto (4,626 m / 14,650 ft). On the way to Llaqto village, we will stop and have a delicious breakfast.

After our arrival to the bus parking place, we take some essential things like a jacket, hat and gloves with us. Then start this extraordinary hike uphill on a beautiful gentle path; we will be able to see Llamas and Alpacas. This region is home of some indigenous Andean people who own those beautiful animals. On the way to the Peru colored mountains, we will get some spectacular views of the glaciers. Besides our group there will be a good number of people hiking like us to the Rainbow Mountains Peru.

The hiking time to arrive to the famous Winicunca Mountains is approx. 2 hours (5,100 m / 16,400 ft); after we reach the lookout point, there will be plenty of time to explore the area and admire this spectacular Mountain set top between other colorful hills.

After to enjoy a great moment at the Majestic Apu Vinicunca Peru, you will walk back down to the car parking. In the afternoon after a delicious lunch, you will drive back to Cusco the same way you came, arriving to your hotel around 4pm.

• Meals: Breakfast / lunch served in a local restaurant
• Total distance to go: 8 km / 5 miles
• Difficulty: Challenging
• Hotel in Cusco: not included

Day 7.- Cusco- Flight Back to Lima.

At the scheduled time, we will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to the airport of Cusco. End of Machu Picchu holidays.

• Meals: none

Included in the Cusco & Machu Picchu Holidays:

• Transfers from Cusco airport to your select hotel
• Touristic transportation for all the excursions (cosituc)
• Guided tour to Chinchero, Moray, Salt mine
• Tourist Ticket for archeological sites + Salt mine
• Sacred Valley tour (Pisac ruins, Pisac town & Ollantaytambo site)
• Lunch in Urubamba.
• Expedition class train Ticket to Aguas Calientes round trip
• Entrance fee to Machu Picchu
• Bus ticket up and down to Machu Picchu
• Expert guide for Machu Picchu Tour
• Transfer from the train station to Cusco hotel
• Private transportation to the trail-head of Lake Humantay hike
• Expert mountain tour guide
• Breakfast and lunch served in a local restaurant
• Entrance fees to the park
• Oxygen tank
• Transfer back to Cusco
• Rainbow Mountain day trek (transport, entry fee, guide, breakfast and lunch)
• Transfer to Cusco airport

Not Included in the Cusco and Machu Picchu Holidays:

• Domestic flights (Lima- Cusco/ Cusco- Lima)
• Hotel nights in Cusco & Aguas Calientes
• Meals not mentioned in the itinerary.
• Sodas or alcoholic drinks.
• Tips for guide, driver and transfer.
• Entrance fee to Huayna Picchu
• Horse to ride for Humantay lake and Rainbow mountain

Machu Picchu holidays Reservations