Essences of Cusco 5 Days

DAY 01: ARRIVAL CUSCO – AFTERNOON CITY TOUR ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES  

Upon arrival in Cusco, you will be met by our staff at the airport and transported to your hotel. The rest of the morning is free to rest and acclimatise to the high altitude. The city tour will start at 1:00 pm. On this day, you will have a guided tour of Cusco and its nearby ruins. The city, once a capital of the extensive Inca Empire, has seen many changes since Francisco Pizarro’s men took the city with such apparent ease in November 1533. We explore the city by foot to appreciate its superbly constructed Inca walls and architecturally extravagant colonial churches and palaces. This also includes a visit of Qoricancha, the ancient Golden Temple of the Sun. After this, we will take a short drive to visit the monolithic walls of Sacsayhuaman along with Tambomachay, better known as ‘the bath of the Inca’. Both sites are spectacularly set above the city. In the afternoon you may have time to explore some of the central parts of the city and a chance to look at some of the great varieties of local craft work.

Overnight at: HOTEL 

DAY 02: MARAS AND MORAY  (B)

We will pick you up from your hotel for a trip to the village of Maras and the experimental agricultural terraces of Moray. It is believed that in Moray, the Incas created their own micro-climate to help plants adapt to the altitude. After this, we will make an afternoon visit to the salt mines located near the town of Maras. These mines continue to operate and local people work on them during the day. We return to Cusco in the afternoon.

Overnight at: HOTEL

DAY 03: SACRED VALLEY – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES  (B, L)

Early in the morning we will leave Cusco at 8:00 AM. We will stop at the city of Pisac (or Pisaq), through which the River of Urubamba flows. Here we will enjoy the weekly market where you can buy textiles, pottery and other little crafts. We will then take the bus uphill to the ruins complex of Pisac, an Inca citadel perched on a mountainside. Our journey continues to Ollantaytambo, where we will visit the archaeological complex. In the afternoon, we will travel to Agua Calientes by train, where we’ll spend the night.

Overnight at: HOTEL  

DAY 04: AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO (B)

After a good night´s sleep, we will travel by train and then by bus to the mountain of Machu Picchu. The tour will be guided for 2:30 hours. We will visit the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Sundial, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and the cemeteries. You will have some free time to discover the secrets of that mysterious place on your own.

In the afternoon, we will return to our hotel in Cusco.

Overnight at: HOTEL 

DAY 05: DEPARTURE FROM CUSCO (B)

We will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the airport of Cusco so you can take your flight back home. We at Peru Andes Top hope you enjoyed, like we did, this challenging adventure, with the aim of being able to see you again soon and enjoy another remarkable story together.