Cusco Active
Day 1 Lima is Peru’s capital city, situated on the Pacific coast and home to more than 10 million people. It is an enormous sprawling city located in the centre of Peru’s desert coastline and almost impossible to avoid when visiting Peru.
However, Lima is a city worth visiting - its food, restaurants and live music scene are excellent, the people are friendly and hospitable and it houses some of the best museums in Peru.
Day 2 Archaeological capital of South America, Cusco and the surrounding region contain a wealth of archaeological and cultural treasures unequalled in the Old World.
Cusco is also a lively and exciting city boasting a wide range of restaurants and an active nightlife to suit everybody. Nowadays Cusco's main source of income is tourism, but it remains an important market town for the many farming communities that surround it. Street markets contain a huge range of highland and jungle produce. Cusco is a beautiful city with a unique fusion of Inca stonework and elegant Spanish colonial architecture.
Day 3 The attractions of the Cusco area are numerous. Today you have a half-day city and sites tour.
Day 4 Mountain bike trip through Maras and Moray, back down into the Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo hotel.
On this mountain bike adventure starting at Chincheros above the Sacred valley you have the opportunity to see the small Andean village Maras, the amazing Inca site of Moray and Salineras, are extensive terraced salt mine. This trip is suitable for beginners and experience bikers alike. There is a certain flexibility in the routes we take to suit ability. It is approx. 5 hours of biking, with plenty of stops, and 35km.
There is a walking option available for anyone that prefers not to bike. We spend the night in an Ollantaytambo hotel.
On the train line between Cuzco and Machu Pichhu, Ollantaytambo is very much a highland Indian village with a strong community identity and a traditional, though changing way of life. The town has an Inca street pattern, each block having a central courtyard with many houses around it and just one entrance onto the street. The great fortress of Ollanta still stands and is well worth a look around.
Day 5 Set off early today for your half-day of fun grade III-IV rafting trip on the Urubamba, sacred river of the Incas. Full instruction and safety talk are given so no previous experience is necessary. Return to our Ollantaytambo hotel.
The Sacred Valley of the Incas, is the name given to the Urubamba Valley. It’s a scenic valley formed by the erosion of the Vilcanota River. This river is also confusingly called the Urubamba. The part of the valley which is referred to as sacred is around 100kms in which there are numerous villages that were of significance during Inca times, as administration centres or of ceremonial importance. The valley has a much warmer climate than Cuzco, wealthy Cuzqueños often have second homes there for weekends away. It also is extremely fertile, producing some of the best maize in all of Peru. The principal places of interest in the valley are the small towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo.
Day 6 Explore Pisac and the Sacred Valley, return to Cusco.
In the valleys around Ollanta the people make a living from farming and the herding of llamas and alpaca. The weavings of this area are particularly well known and the everyday wear of the local people is still handmade, with special elaborate clothes being made for festivals. The designs are traditional, symbolic representations of flora, fauna, religion, folklore and history, though natural dyes are much less common now than they used to be. There has recently been a revival in the pottery production, once important in the area, to feed the tourist market.
Day 7 Today you’ll be picked up from your hotel by your Inca Trail group. You drive to just beyond Ollantaytambo, to start the trek.
The Inca Trail is deservedly the most famous footpath in South America. It has everything: gorgeous mountain scenery, cloudforest and lush sub-tropical vegetation with numerous species of flowers, a stunning destination (Machu Picchu) and, above all, the Inca remains that give the trail its name. There are Inca paving stones, Inca stairways, an Inca tunnel, and of course the ruins: Runkuracay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, Huiñay Huayna (Wiñay Wayna) and Machu Picchu itself.
We pick you up from your hotel and then travel by bus, via Ollantaytambo, to the start of the Inca Trail.
Trek to Llactapata - the first major ruins on the route. Vast retaining walls have converted the steeply sloping hillside into agricultural terraces: an amazing sight. The trail climbs steeply out of the ruins over a low pass, and the hike up the valley begins to the village of Huayllabamba (3,000m). First night camp.
Day 8 Turns right up the Llullucha valley. A long climb ahead brigs you through very beautiful cloudforest past the meadows of Llulluchapampa and finally to the pass, aptly named Abra de Huarmihuañusqa, ‘Dead Woman’s Pass’ (4,198m). You should be able to pick out the circular ruins of Runkuracay ahead, just below the next pass. The descent is steep but not difficult. Descend to the next designated campsite at Pacamayo (3,600m). Nearby are some huts and toilets with sinks and running water.
Day 9 From the valley floor it will take you about an hour to reach the next set of Inca ruins, Runkuracay, occupying a commanding position overlooking the valley. From Runkuracay you head over the second pass (4,000m). The descent is steep, so take care. The next interesting Inca site is Sayacmarca. These ruins lie about an hour from the top of the pass and the name, which means ‘the Inaccessible or Secret City’, is apt.
From here you walk along superb Inca Road, on a raised causeway over marshy ground and through cloudforest. Just below the next pass, are the impressive ruins of Phuyupatamarca. You carry on descending down steep Inca steps to the hostel nearby the ruins of Huiñay Huayna (Wiñay Wayna). This is the last camping spot before Machu Picchu.
Day 10 We leave Wiñay Wayna early to get to Machu Picchu before sunrise. The trail contours to the first Inca gate, then to the main gate, Intipunku – ‘the Gateway of the Sun’ – and suddenly the whole of Machu Picchu is spread out before you. A magical moment.
Our guided tour takes about 2 hours so by about mid-morning you'll be free to continue to explore the ruins alone.
This leaves you plenty of time at the site or to do one of the other walks nearby. In the afternoon, you descend to Aguas Calientes and your hotel.
Day 11 Free morning to explore further, and take the train back to Cusco to celebrate your achievement, hotel Cusco.
Day 12 Transfer out, fly Lima, tour ends.
OR
You can extend your stay by flying into the Amazon jungle to the Wasai Lodge (or choose any of our Amazon lodges. Explore this wildlife rich forest in the company of expert guides.
Then Return to Lima on the Pacific coast.
OR
Day 12 Today you take the train across the altiplano to Puno.
The altiplano is the vast highland plateau straddling Peru and Bolivia. There are few trees; just ichu scrubgrass, roaming herds of llama and alpaca and scattered potato plots. Lake Titicaca is the major feature of Peru's altiplano. This amazing, deep blue lake at 3838m has a unique charm and supports many Indian communities on its islands and shores.
You travel to the bustling lake-shore town of Puno, the main stopping-off point for visits to the islands on the Peruvian side of the lake.
Days 13/14 You will be picked up from your hotel for the two day trip to the reed islands of the Uros people and Taquile Island on Lake Titicaca. Take your sleeping bags and a jacket – but leave the bulk of your luggage at the Puno hotel. Accommodation is very basic, you will be staying in the houses of the local people, where there is no elctricity. There is running water, but most houses just have one tap.
The Uros are one of the oldest tribes in Peru. They live on floating islands made from Totora reed. Taquile Island is one of the most idiosyncratic and beautiful spots in all of Peru. Located some four hours by boat from Puno, it is only 4km long and on average 1km wide but supports a population of almost 2,000 Taquileños.
By staying overnight on Taquile you have plenty of opportunity to explore the many trails leading around the island, and to experience an island lifestyle unchanged in centuries. After a morning on the island, the next afternoon you return to Puno.
Day 15 Transfer out, flight to Lima, tour ends.
Check our Books and Maps section where you will find a range of literature to help you get the most out of your South American adventure.
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