Package 6 Days – Lima & Cusco

After breakfast, we will depart on a three-hour bus excursion to visit the deserts of southern Peru. We will take you up from your hotel early in the morning. Before checking into our hotel in the harbor and leaving for lunch at a typical Paracas restaurant, we’ll set out into the water to view the amazing marine fauna of the Paracas National Park.

We’ll take a bus to a nearby winery in Ica after lunch to enjoy a welcome drink and a pisco and wine tasting. After having lunch on-site, we’ll embark on an afternoon trip through the nearby sand dunes to take in stunning city views. We will proceed by bus to our hotel in Lima in the late afternoon and transfer there the following day for our city tour of Cusco.

Flight from Lima to Cusco and guided tour of the city. We will pick you up early in the morning from your hotel in Cusco to begin your City Tour. First, we will visit the main Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas where you will have the opportunity to see a wide range of paintings from the Cusco School of Art, ancient writings, and works in gold leaf and embossed silver. Once finished, we will continue to the Koricancha or the ”Temple of the Sun” to appreciate its architecture and its perfect stone constructions that are only seen in Inca temples of great importance. Continuing on, we will head to the outskirts of the city to visit the archaeological circuit of 4 sites: Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay. At Sacsayhuaman, you will see its famous carefully carved stones of enormous size. At Q’enqo, you will learn more about the religious importance of this archaeological site in Inca times. At Puca Pucara, you will see an ancient military construction, part of Cusco’s ancient defence system. Finally, at Tambomachay, you will see a temple dedicated to the Water Cult with fountains that still function today.

You will start your fascinating Tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas by leaving Cusco (Qosqo) in the morning. You’ll be accompanied by an expert local guide who will be happy to answer any of your questions. First you will visit Pisac, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero. At midday you will be able to enjoy the best of Cusco´s new cuisine at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the Sacred Valley.

First of all, you will explore Pisac where you will make a brief stop at local crafts market. There you will see an amazing array of handmade goods. Next you will go up to the historical Pisaq Archeological Center located on the mountain above town. At the ruins there are Andean terraces, irrigation canals, drinking water fountains, homes, religious and ceremonial sites, and a cemetery.

After that you’ll travel along the Vilcanota River to Urubamba. Here is where you will enjoy a delicious buffet lunch at one of the premier restaurants in the whole Valley. After lunch you will continue on to the Ollantaytambo Archeological Complex. Discover here the perfection of the Imperial Period Incan stonework. Ollantaytambo is a lovely village that preserves the original design of the Incan planners. Among its most impressive attractions is the spectacular Temple of the Sun. This magnificent fortress was needed to guard the entrance to the Sacred Valley of the Incas including to the Inca Trail to Machupicchu.

Finally, you will see the Chinchero Archeological Center. Also visit a weaving exhibition where local families of weavers will want to meet you. They will demonstrate how they obtain such vibrant colors from natural plant dyes.

From Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley where we’ll board our train (aproximately 06:15) to Aguas Calientes. With beautiful scenery throughout the journey the train journey itself is an experience. Following the course of the river down the Sacred Valley you’ll arrive to Aguas Calientes and head straight up to Machu Picchu for your guided tour. The tour lasts for about 2 hours during which you’ll learn about the Incas and visit all the most important areas of the citadel.

After your tour you’ll have free time to explore the site by yourself. There are various areas that are not included in the tour such as the Inca bridge, you can ask your guide for suggestions. Later in the afternoon you take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes where you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo (aprox. 2 hours) and then carry on by bus to Cusco (another 2 hours).

Your mountain guide will pick you up from your accommodation at a very early hour (about 4:00 am). We will make our first stop of the day at Mollepata to eat breakfast and replenish our energies before continuing on to Soraypampa, which is located at 3920 meters above sea level. This is your chance to learn more about the Sky Camp, which is situated in front of the spectacular, snow-capped Salkantay and Humantay mountains. After a short break, we’ll get ready to start the ascent up to the trail’s highest point, passing through beautiful landscapes encircled by a range of mountains.

The panoramic view of the blue lake at 4200 meters above sea level, or 13779 feet, adjacent to an impressive glacier will undoubtedly astonish you.

After that, their staff will have lunch ready for us when we return to the Sky Camp. At around 5 o’clock, our transport will be waiting for us to head back to Cusco.

To finalize the package we will pick you up at your hotel in Cusco between 4:00 and 4:30 am. After there, we will begin our tour of the South Valley. Reaching the settlement of Hanchipacha, where we will stop for breakfast, will take about 3 hours. Afterwards, we will continue driving for another 15 minutes to the village of Quesiuno (4,326 m/14,189 ft), from where we will begin the approximately three-hour hike up to Rainbow Mountain (most of the way). On the ascent, we will be able to contemplate the impressive landscape of herds of llamas and alpacas, the Ausangate peak, several red mountains and traditional native houses.

You will have time to explore the area and take photos once we reach our destination, the Rainbow Mountains (5,020 m/16,466 ft), our final destination. We will be here between 30 and 60 minutes (depending on hiking speed and weather conditions).

After contemplating the breathtaking panorama from the summit, we will descend to the community of Quesiuno, the starting point of our hike, which takes about two hours, and then take a vehicle to the hamlet of Hanchipacha for lunch.