Machu Picchu Tour Packages – Cusco Tour Packages

Our representative will meet you at the airport on arrival and will transfer you to your hotel in Cusco city. At 0100 PM, we will be picking you up from your hotel for a detailed Cusco City Tour.

Q’orikancha

Your trip will begin with a short walk to the most sacred Inca site, Qorikancha (Temple of Gold). As the name suggests, the courtyard of this temple was once filled with statues made entirely of Gold.

When the Spanish invaded Peru, they kidnapped the Incan emperor Atahualpa and demanded gold as ransom for his release.

Most of the gold from Qorikancha was paid to the Spanish conquistadors for his release. However the Spanish rulers, true to the colonial form, murdered him on receiving their ransom.

Eventually when the Spanish rulers conquered Cusco, they demolished Qoricancha and built the church of Santo Domingo on its remains. However, they retained the basement of the temple. The architecture here is a true blend of the Inca and colonial form.

After touring Qorikancha, we will be driving you up the hill to the most ionic site in Cusco, Sacsayhuaman.

Sacsayhuaman

Sacsayhuaman is one of the most visited sites off the city of Cusco. The beautiful stone fortress stands up the hill overlooking the city.

The Incas have built this quite skillfully. They accurately carve the massive stones to fit perfectly without using any mortars.

It is a massive complex and houses many significant sites. However, even today, it remains as a mystery on how the Incas carried these large stone blocks here.

Q’enqo

This was the site where the Incas did sacrificing and mummification of corpses.

Tambomachay

Tambomachay served as a spa to the elites of Incas. The natural spring water flows in even today from the nearby hot springs.

Puca Pucara

The name signifies the red color of the rock at dusk. This is an interesting site which is located right in front of Tambomachay. The Inca military used Puca Pucara to safeguard Cusco from any intruders.

The second day of your Machu Picchu Tour Package begins early in the morning at 0400 AM with a transfer from your hotel in Cusco to Cusipata, starting point of the Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain Trek.

We will be stopping for breakfast here. Our trek expert will share some tips on hiking in the Andes and staying safe. After breakfast, we will head to the trailhead to start our hike up the hill to one of the most beautiful attractions of Peru, Rainbow Mountains of Vinicunca.

If you are not willing to hike, you can rent a horse to get to the summit. The two and a half hours hike up the hill will take you through many highland villages and communities tucked amidst the snow capped Andean peaks. You will be spotting herds of Alpacas and Llamas.

The trek up the hill is somewhat challenging but is truly rewarding. We recommend you to pack some snacks and plenty of water to stay hydrated during this high altitude climb. Also, it is imperative that you are acclimatized.

Once we get to the summit, you will have some time to soak in the captivating views of the Andes as our tour guide will introduce you to local traditions and customs. You will also get a peak at the imposing Ausangate peak.

At 6384 meters above sea level (20944 ft.), this sacred peak figures prominently in the Incan mythology.

After relishing the awe-inspiring views of the Andes and the Rainbow Mountain of Peru, we will gradually begin our descent to the starting point of the trek. Here, we will be meeting our driver for our transfer back to Cusco.

Along the way, we will be stopping at a local restaurant for lunch. We will be reaching Cusco city by 0630 PM.

At 0700 AM, after breakfast at your hotel, we will pick you up for an immersive tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, an unmissable destination in your Peru Travel Programme.

We will be embarking on a 45 minutes drive to Chinchero in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Chinchero:

Home to renowned Andean textile weavers, here we will begin our visit with a short stop at a local weaving center. You will witness the extraction of wool from Llamas and Alpacas and then how they process the wool to knit their renowned handicrafts.

After witnessing this, we will be giving you a guided tour of the Inca site here where a white washed church stands today. During the Inca civilization, Pachacutec the Inca emperor, built his summer palace here which was torn down on Spanish conquest and the church that stands today, was built on its remains.

Among all sites in the Sacred Valley of the Icas, Chinchero has the most fertile soil. You will also get an insight into the Incas innovative farming methods here.

Moray:

Our next stop on this tour will be in a nearby village of Moray. Home to the circular farming terraces dug in the ground. These terraces have different levels and each level has different temperatures. The Incas used this as an agricultural laboratory to determine the best weather condition needed to grow a crop.

Maras Salt Mines:

Continuing our Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour, we will be visiting the renowned and the most photographed Salt mines. These geometric pools are built on a slope of a hill and have been existing since the Pre Inca times.

Salt farmers here continue the traditional Solar Evaporation method. They let in natural spring water from the neighboring hot springs into these pools and wait for it to evaporate. When it does, it leaves behind crystals of salt which are manually scrapped out.

Salt here is pinkish in color and has a distinct taste.

Urubamba:

Once you have had the fill of these alluring sites, we will be driving to Urubamba. Here, we will be stopping at a local restaurant to relish a buffet lunch. Restaurants here are owned and managed by local farmers so you can be assured to relish a farm fresh meal for lunch.

Ollantaytambo:

After lunch, we will be driving you to Ollantaytambo, former administrative capital of the Incas. This beautiful town is snuggled between two hills, each home to an Inca ruin. We will be visiting the temple of the Incas here.

This architecturally stunning place was sacred to the Incas. We will be visiting the remains of the main plaza and some ceremonial sites here. This was the very place where the infamous battle of Ollantaytambo was fought between Manco Inca and Hernando Pizarro the Spanish conquistador in 1531.

Although the Incas won the battle, fearing for a much stronger attack they abandoned this place and seeked asylum in Vilcabamba, jungle in Peru.

Aguas Calientes:

After the Sacred Valley tour, we will be driving you to Ollantaytambo train station. Here you will be boarding the tourist train to Aguas Calientes.

The one and a half hour ride offers staggering views of snow capped peaks as the train would snake down through the remote villages to Aguas Calientes in the Amazon.

Once in Aguas Calientes, our representative will meet you on arrival and will accommodate you in an ensuite hotel room for the night.

We will begin the day early in the morning. After having breakfast at your hotel, you will be boarding the 25 minute bus up the hill to the entrance of Machu Picchu.

Our tour guide will meet you here and will assist you in entering the citadel. Your Machu Picchu ticket will be verified here against your original passport here by the local authorities.

Machu Picchu Tour:

Once inside, you will witness the rays of the rising sun shimmering on the Inca walls here. Our two hours guided tour to Machu Picchu would begin with a brief Introduction to the citadel.

We will be visiting the remains of the main square, ceremonial sites, temples, royal quarters, sundial clock and more. After this immersive guided tour, you will have some free time to explore the citadel or simply sit and soak in the views.

If you have booked to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain, our tour guide will be directing you to the respective trail head.

Alternatively, you can hike to the Sun gate. You won’t need any permit and it’s free of cost. This is the point of entrance to the citadel for those hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. You will get a panoramic view of the citadel snuggled between Machu Picchu Huayna Picchu peaks.

After your trip to Machu Picchu, we will be taking the bus back down to Aguas Calientes. Here we will have some free time so you can soak in the waters of the natural hot springs here or have lunch at one of the local restaurants.

At 0400 PM, we will be taking the tourist train back to Ollantaytambo. Our representative will meet you on arrival and will transfer you back to your hotel in Cusco. We will be reaching Cusco by 09:30 PM.

Depending on your flight time, our representative will meet you at your hotel and will transfer you to the airport in Cusco.