DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN CUSCO
Arrival in Cusco with a transfer to your hotel. A welcome meeting will be organized by your guide for a quick briefing of the tour. The rest of the day can be spent exploring Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, set in the Andes Mountains. Discover Spanish churches and mansions that sit alongside Inca ruins, enjoy the vibrant nightlife and sample Peruvian restaurants!
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DAY 2: FULL DAY WITH FREE TIME
After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Cusco at your ease. The capital city of the Inca Empire is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city.
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DAY 3: TIME TO START OUR ADVENTURE, ON THE WAY TO LARES!
You'll enjoy a delicious breakfast just before we pick you up to go to Calca in the Sacred Valley. Once there, it is your last chance to buy anything you think you could need. On our first day, we will reach 4,265 m (13,992 ft), where we will have an amazing view on the 2 big mountains of Sawasiray and Pitusiray. Then, we go down to 3,207 m (10,521 ft) in Lares, a typical and small Colonial Town. There, we can enjoy the springs, have lunch, and get ready to start again our hiking adventure. We'll take a path to Huacawasi (3,600 m / 11,811 ft). This little town is full of colors, houses mades of adobe, llamas and good vibes!
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DAY 4: HUACAHUASI - LARES HOT SPRINGS
After breakfast starts our trek to Aruraycocha, which highest point is 4,500 m (14,763 ft). The view is just amazing, you can see the beautiful Aruraycocha lake, and then go down towards it. Here, in the conservation area of Mantanay, the vegetation changes. We can observe a typical kind of tree called the Q’euñas around the other lake, Yuraccocha. We'll have lunch on the shore of those lakes. If we are lucky enough, we can see the famous and huge Andean Condor. We'll keep going down to Mantanay village, where we'll set our second campsite at 3,800 m (12,467 ft) high.
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DAY 5: LARES - OLLANTAYTAMBO - AGUAS CALIENTES
Hopefully, you had a nice sleep, because you will need the energy for this last day of trekking. We will head to Yanahuara, located at 2,950 m (9,678 ft). Yanahuara is another beautiful and colorful town located in the Sacred Valley. There, the temperature is warmer. We will also notice that the white-grain corn is harvested. We’ll have our last meal together and say goodbye to our cooks and horsemen to then take a van to Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is an archaeological site, once the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti, who conquered the region. Today, it is a museum due about the Inca ruins. Located in the Sacred Valley is the place where we'll take the train to Aguas Calientes, where we will spend the night.
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DAY 6: MACHU PICCHU IN ITS GLORY - BIG DAY!
Have an early breakfast before your guide picks you up at your hotel at 5:40. We will have a short bus journey to the gates of Machu Picchu, where we will watch the sunrise. After entering the Citadel begins a guided walking tour (approximately 2 hours) of the Citadel complex. After this experience, enjoy some free time to explore the mysterious city at leisure.
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DAY 7: TRANSFER OUT, BYE CUSCO!
After breakfast, enjoy your last day at leisure before transferring to the airport for your return flight home via Lima.
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