Cusco & Salkantay Trek 9 days / 8 nights

Arrive in Cusco / PM City tour

Upon arrival at the Cusco airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the morning will be at your leisure. In the afternoon enjoy a half day tour of Cusco, visiting the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and the legendary Qoricancha, the most important religious center in the Inca time, a temple devoted to worshiping the Sun deity. Your tour includes also the visit to some nearby archaeological sites such as the impressive fortress of Sacsayhuaman; the religious site of Q’enqo; the ancient site of Puca Pucara and finally the water temple of Tambomachay.

Include: Transport, professional tour guide, entrance fees to all sites visited, chosen hotel.

Maras – Moray

In the morning you will be picked up from your hotel to start a half day tour, you will head out on the road that crosses the Sacred Valley of the Incas to reach the important Moray archeological site (3176m/10419ft), where enormous circular and Pre-Incan semi-circular agricultural terraces were constructed to be used as a botanical laboratory for experimenting on plant domestication and foreign crop acclimatization. The area is so large that at least 3000 plant varieties, including potatoes and corn, could have been grown. Next, Maras is located about 4 km from Moray, and is the site of pre-Inca salineras (salt ponds). Each terraced pond is polygonal in shape; salty water emerges from an underground spring, flows into the ponds, and evaporates with the sun. The Maras’ salt mines are still active today and maintained cooperatively by the Maras community. The white salt ponds contrast with the green hills and mountains that surround the mines and the views of the Sacred Valley from here are amazing. The tour will end in the early afternoon at your Cusco’s down town.

Include: Transport, professional tour guide, entrance fees to all sites visited, chosen hotel.

Cusco – Mollepata – Soraypampa (Salkantay trek 5D – 4N begins)

We leave Cusco at 05.30 am in a private transportation and start a scenic morning scenic bus-ride to our trail starting point at Sayapata. Along the four-hour drive, we cross the town of Limatambo (2100m/6888ft), an important point of access to the city of Cusco during the time of the Inca Empire. We leave Limatambo and drive up a beaten track along the right shore of the Apurimac River, to reach Mollepata (2800m/9184ft), where we will stop for last minute supplies, leg-stretching or to use the restrooms at a local restaurant.  Then we will cross Cruzpata (3100m/10168ft) and finally Sayapata, where we meet our wranglers and horses. After a short introduction we start our hike, following the paths of the locals on a soft ascent to our camp at Soraypampa. After lunch, we will visit Humantay Lake, a marvelous lake in the mountains, (3 hours hike) and we will come back to our campsite where the tents will be ready for you as well as your dinner. This will be a cold night so very warm clothes are essential.

Include: Transport, professional tour guide, cooker, entrance fee to Salkantay route, sleeping bag, meals (L, D), horses (5kg per person), wranglers, first-aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle, accommodation (Sky Lodge).

Soraypampa – Huayracmachay – Chaullay

We depart early after breakfast and start a 5-hour ascent, which brings us up to the Salkantay Mountain Pass (4525m/14842ft) where, besides enjoying stunning views of the surrounding glaciers and the snow-capped peaks of the Vilcabamba Range with the south face of Salkantay towering above us, we may also observe chinchillas and condors in their natural habitat. From this point, we start descending towards a more tropical climate and into the so-called cloud forest. Along the route, we can see the remains of an ancient Inca path, which is approximately 6 meters wide. Around 1:00 p.m., we will have our lunch, in the area called Huayracmachay. After a trek of approximately 3 hours more, we will arrive to our camp in Chaullay (2890m/9479ft), a beautiful spot where we will recuperate from the trek and eat dinner.

Include: Professional tour guide, cooker, sleeping bag, meals (B, L, D), horses (5kg per person), wranglers, first-aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle, accommodation (Andean Huts).

Chaullay – Playa Sahuayaco (Santa Teresa)

Today we continue our hike with an easy walk along the Santa Teresa River, enjoying the increasingly lush vegetation, passing waterfalls, passion fruit, coffee, banana and avocado plantations as well as exuberant local flora. We enter spectacled-bear territory and we will probably be accompanied by flocks of parrots as we descend. We pass the waterfalls at Coripacchi, the settlement at Wiñaypoko, the bustling small town of La Playa Sahuayaco where we will stop to have lunch, after that you will have free afternoon to enjoy and relax at Cocalmayo’s hot springs. We will have dinner and camping here.

Include: Professional tour guide, cooker, , sleeping bag, meals (B, L, D), horses (5kg per person), wranglers, first-aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle, accommodation (Jungle Domes).

Important: The entrance ticket and the transport for Cocalmayo hot spring are not included (US$10.00)

Santa Teresa – Hidroeléctrica – Aguas Calientes

This day we will also start at around 7 am. After breakfast we will get ready to continue exploring the roads that were followed by the first expeditionaries who discovered Machu Picchu and other important archaeological complexes. In Santa Teresa all participants will be divided into 2 groups – one who booked the hike to Llactapata and the other who did not. Those of you who reserved Llactapata (with and additional cost) will take a local transportation to Lucmabamba (40 minutes ride) to our start hiking point. Once at the Llactapata entrance, you will start an ascent hike towards the ruins. After three hours, you will arrive at Llactapata where you will have an amazing view of Machu Picchu. Here you will have time to rest and enjoy the scenery. A descending trail will take you to the Hydroelectric where you will eat lunch at a local restaurant. The rest of the group will continue the trek for approx. 3 hours more through the valley until reaching the hydroelectric, where the entire group will come together again. Here we will all have lunch. After a break we will continue walking along the railway enjoying among other things the beautiful waterfalls, coca and coffee farms. This part will take approx. 3 hours. We will arrive in the town of Aguas Calientes, also called Machu Picchu Pueblo, around 4 pm. Here, in the hostel you will spend the fourth and last night. In the evening we will meet together in the restaurant, where a delicious dinner will be waiting for you. Here the guide will give you a briefing about the fourth day and Machu Picchu.

Include: Professional tour guide, meals (B, L, D), first-aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle, accommodation (hostel).

Machupicchu – Cusco

We wake up early and board a bus to Machupicchu where we begin a complete guided tour of the Inca citadel that will take approximately two hours. You will then have free time to walk around, climb up the Huaynapicchu Mountain, where one can experience spectacular views of all of Machupicchu, the valleys and mountains that surround it (please note that there are only 400 visitors allowed per day and also it has and additional cost), or visit the Temple of the Moon or the impressive Inca Bridge. In the afternoon, we meet in the town of Aguas Calientes where, if you like, you can visit and relax in its hot springs. From here we take the train back to Ollantaytambo where we expect our driver to take us back to Cusco.

Include: Professional tour guide, bus ticket Aguas Calientes – Machupicchu – Aguas Calientes, entrance ticket to Machupicchu, meals (B), train ticket Aguas Calientes – Ollantaytambo, (expedition or voyager), transport Ollantaytambo – Cusco, chosen hotel.

Free Day

Free day in Cusco for relax.

Cusco – Lima

You will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight to Lima or your next destination.

Include: Transport hotel – airport.