This trip gives you the
opportunity to fully explore and relax in the fascinating highland
city of Cusco while enjoying the customs and cultures of present day
and historical Peruvian culture. An exhilarating train journey
through spectacular scenery, from snow-capped mountains into verdant
cloud forest, takes you to the enigmatic Inca site of Machu Picchu.
Alternatively, trek the royal Inca road on our four day hike along
the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Outline
Itinerary
Day 1
Morning flight to the highland city of Cusco
(3400m). Guided tour of the city and outlying sites, time to further
explore on your own.
Cusco is a busy highland city with a fascinating blend of finely
engineered sloping Inca walls and Spanish colonial architecture.
Outside the red-tiled city, beyond the labyrinthine whitewashed
streets are some outstanding examples of sacred Inca architecture;
most notably, perhaps, the monumental temple-fortress of
Sacsayhuaman, (easily accessible on foot), made up of precisely
interlocking stones, many weighing upward of 200 tons.
Further afield, the stunning Sacred Valley can easily be reached. Well worth
visiting are Pisac, with its twice-weekly craft and produce market
and nearby mountain-top citadel, and the fascinating Indian town of
Chincheros.
At night Cusco offers perhaps the best selection of live Andean folk
music to be found anywhere.
Day 2
Free day. You may like to go shopping or further exploring in Cusco, or perhaps venture further afield to visit the Sacred Valley
or go river rafting.
Day 3
Early this morning, you take the colourful train to Aguas
Calientes, the station nearest to the world-famous Machu Picchu,
Lost City of the Incas. A short bus journey, amid these
indescribably beautiful forested mountains, takes you to the site,
perched dramatically on a ridge 400 metres above the Urubamba river.
Because of its remoteness, the site remained protected from the
plundering Spanish colony and when, early this century, it was
rediscovered and cleared from encroaching forest, its structures
were found to be in surprisingly good condition.
Since then, the
enigmatic site has posed many questions and provided few answers.
The ruins are extensive and following your guided tour you have all
day to explore the temples and palaces whose purpose still baffles
archaeologists.
Day 4
Today is free for a return visit, at your leisure, to Machu
Picchu, where you can enjoy the morning tranquility, while further
exploring the site. You may wish to climb Huayna Picchu mountain or
visit the Moon temple. In the afternoon, you take the train back to
Cusco.
Day 5
Early morning flight to Lima and the hotel with time to
explore more of the city. Tour ends Lima.
Extra nights in Cusco from £15, US$25 per person.
Inca Trail option
Day 3 to Day 6 walk the Inca Trail
Day 6 return to Cusco, Day 7 return to Lima. |
