NOTE: In order to receive detailed information about your trip, including when and where you will be picked up on the first day, you must visit our office one day before embarking on your journey.
KEEP IN MIND:
Please bring your passport and the immigration slip you received upon your arrival to Peru.
Cash is the only acceptable form of payment (Dollars or Soles). The type of change (Dollars or Soles) given for payments made in Soles will be determined by the Agency.
The first day: Cusco – Santa Maria: Bicycling (34 miles, 55 km)
(OPTIONAL: RAFTING 100 SOLES OPEN FROM APRIL TO NOVEMBER)
The tour begins at 6 AM with a pick-up location that is set during your meeting with us in our office the day beforehand. From the pick-up location, we will travel to Lorenzo’s lodge where we serve the first breakfast (buffet style) included in the tour. After breakfast, we continue in our private van for 3 hours until we arrive to the Malaga Pass (4,316 meters above sea level) (14,160 feet above sea level).
This is where we begin our bicycle tour down the mountain. Your guide will give a quick informational briefing and provide all riders with the appropriate safety gear before the 3-hour mountain decent (about 34 miles or 55 km) to the town of Huamanmarca. From there, we continue our journey by bus for approximately 30 minutes until we reach the town of Santa Maria, where we have our first lunch and spend the first night in a basic hostel. During this part of the journey, you will experience the beauty of the snow-capped mountains and their fast-changing climate from a dry cold to a humid heat. Upon arrival to Santa Maria, you will have the option to go rafting (level III and IV, during April-November) in the Urubamba River, which crosses through part of the jungle. The rafting price (100 Soles) is not included in the tour.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, basic hostel (4 person max per room)
The second day: Santa Maria – Santa Teresa: Trekking (14 miles, 23 km)
After a delicious breakfast, we will begin our first day of the trekking course to Santa Teresa at 6 AM. The first 2 hours of our tour is an ascent, but there will be various stops in order to learn a bit more about the rich variety of flora and fauna that can be found in the region we are in.
One of these stops will be a family house where we will rest for 20 minutes and supply ourselves with more water and some regional tropical fruit. After resting for a bit, we will cross a section of the Inca Trail that historically connected Machupicchu with the city of Vilcabamba. Here, our guide will explain a bit more about the history of the Incas, as well as the system of communication that existed during that time. At this point, we will also see one of the most impressive views in all of the Huancarccasa Canyon. Afterwards, we will descend to the small town of Quellomayo where we will stop to eat lunch and rest in the near-by hammocks. We then continue 2 more hours on foot to the thermal baths of Cocalmayo, where you will have plenty of time to enjoy the naturally heated water of the baths. After bathing, we will continue on to the final destination of the day, Santa Teresa, and spend our second night in a basic hostel.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, basic hostel (4 person max per room)
The third day: Santa Teresa – Aguas Calientes: Trekking (10 miles, 16 km)
(OPTIONAL CANOPY ZIPLINE: 100 soles)
After breakfast, we will begin the trekking course to Aguas Calientes at approximately 7 AM. We will walk for 3 hours in the Aobamba Valley until we reach the Intihuatana sector, where we pass a government control post and continue the trek. Lunch will be included along the path and we will have the opportunity to see a series of waterfalls and admire the majesty of the mountains surrounding Machupicchu and Haynapicchu. Here you will also have the opportunity to see an astronomical sundial used by the Incans, as well as other constructions such of the Incan citadel of Machupicchu. After 3 hours of walking, we will arrive in Aguas Calientes alongside the train tracks that lead to the small town.
Breakfast, Lunch, dinner, basic hostel (3 person max per room)
The fourth day: Machupicchu
This is the most important day of the tour – the day that we arrive to one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Our last day of the tour begins very early in the morning in order to be able to watch the sun rise over the Incan citadel of Machupicchu. We begin the ascent from Aguas Calientes to Machupicchu at 4:30 AM, with the option of hiking the 1,500 Incan steps or paying a $12 bus fare to reach the citadel.
Once inside the park, your guide will provide a 2-hour tour of the ruins and most important temples within the ancient city. Afterwards, you will be free to explore Machupicchu yourself and maybe even hike Huaynapicchu or Machupicchu Mountain (previous reservations are needed with two months of anticipation, plus a fee of $15. There are only 400 entrance tickets per day to climb these two mountains). On your own time, you will need to return to Aguas Calientes (via stairs or bus) in order to take a return train to Ollantaytambo or Cusco.