07days Majestic Peru Inca Trail tours I theTravco

Welcome to Cusco. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting in the afternoon at Hotel Lobby where you’ll meet your tour leader and travel group. Please look for a note in the hotel lobby or ask the hotel reception where it will take place. After this important meeting, get acquainted with this charming city’s intriguing blend of cultures on a guided walking tour with your leader. Check out some of Cusco’s main attractions, as well as its lesser-known sights such as the Qoricancha temple, San Pedro market, the main square, the 12 Angled Stone, Regocijo Square, and San Blas Square. End the walking tour with a visit to the Chocolate Museum where you get to sample a hot chocolate made from local cacao beans. There’s also a small store where you can shop handicrafts and artisanal chocolate products. Don’t miss the opportunity to sample mate de coca (coca tea) while here.

Travel by private bus through the Sacred Valley for about two hours. Known as Wilcamayo to the Incas, the valley has been a source of livelihood to the locals for hundreds of years. You’ll see maize crops covering the terraced valley walls and the sacred river beneath. Stop for lunch in a local community, where you’ll also get the chance to learn about their traditional lifestyle and maybe wrap your tongue around a few words of the Quechua language. If it’s market day, you’ll have time to browse the local handicrafts on offers, such as beads and ponchos. Continue your journey to the town of Ollantaytambo where we check out the town’s archaeological site – a magnificent example of Inca urban planning – which includes remnants of an Inca city and soaring views over the present-day settlement. Spend the night in Ollantaytambo.

Depending on the travel arrangements you made before the trip, during the next four days you’ll be doing one of the following:

Hiking the Inca Trail (Route 1),

Hiking the Quarry Trail (Route 2)

Staying in Cusco for another two days before taking the train to Aguas Calientes (Route 3).

While away from Cusco, your luggage will be stored at your hotel. If you’re hiking the Inca Trail or the Quarry Trail, the evening before you leave Cusco you’ll receive a small duffle bag to carry your clothes in for the next four days (5kg maximum). Your team of porters will carry these bags for you, together with the food and equipment for the trail. Please note that you won’t have access to these items until the end of each day, as the porters will always be ahead of the group. If you’re traveling to Aguas Calientes by train, you’ll be able to leave most of your luggage at the hotel in Cusco and travel with only a small bag for the excursion by train.

Route 1 Inca Trail:
Today travel by minivan to the 82-kilometer marker and meet your crew of local porters, cooks, and guides. The first day includes uphill trekking to the campsite, which is at 3100m above sea level. On the way, you’ll see the Inca sites of Ollantaytambo, Huillca Raccay, and Llactapata, as well as incredible views of snow-capped Veronica Peak. In the evening, unwind at the campsite with a nourishing meal.

The Inca Trail is within the abilities of most reasonably fit people, but please come prepared, as the trail is 45 kilometers long and often steep. Each day’s journey generally consists of seven hours of walking (uphill and downhill), with stops for snacks and lunch. Trekking usually begins at 7 am (except on the fourth morning) and you reach the campsite around 5 pm. Accommodation on the trek is camping (three nights). Double tents (twin-share) and foam camping mats will be provided. The porters will set up the tents while the cook prepares meals.

Route 2 Quarry Trail:
Make an early start today and drive to Choquequilla, a small ceremonial place where Incas worshipped the moon. Drive to the starting point of the trek, Rafq’a, and meet the horsemen who join us on the hike. After an hour’s walk, reach the small community of Socma. Carry on to the Perolniyoc cascade lookout, an opportunity to stop for photos and a food break. Continue to the campsite, which is 3700 meters above sea level. You should reach the campsite around lunchtime. After lunch, set off to explore the Q’orimarca archaeological site, which once served as a checkpoint to the Incas.

The Quarry Trail is within the abilities of most reasonably fit people. The hike is 26 kilometers long in total and its highest pass is at 4450 meters above sea level. Throughout the trek, horses will carry your gear and camping equipment. The first two nights are spent camping and the third night you will stay at a simple hotel. Double tents (twin-share) and foam camping mats will be provided. The porters will set up the tents while the cook prepares meals.

Route 3 Cusco:
After spending the night in the Ollantaytambo, leave around 9.30 am and take a short drive to the town of Pisac. Pisac is well known for its market. Here you’ll have the opportunity to shop for souvenirs and perhaps try some local Empanadas. Arrive back in Cusco in the afternoon, where your leader will take you to San Pedro Market to buy some things for a picnic the next day.

Inca Trail (3650m) – Quarry Trail

Route 1 Inca Trail:
This is the most challenging day of the trek as you ascend a long steep path (approximately five hours) to reach the highest point of the trail. Colloquially known as ‘Dead Woman’s Pass’, Warmiwanusca sits at a height of 4200 meters above sea level, providing amazing views of the valley below. The group will then descend to the campsite in the Pacaymayo Valley at 3650 meters.

Route 2 Quarry Trail:
This is the most challenging and rewarding day of the hike. A three-hour walk takes us to the top of the first pass of Puccaqasa (approximately 4370 meters high). After enjoying picturesque views of the valley, it’s a short walk before stopping for lunch. Afterward, make the two-hour hike to Kuychicassa, the highest pass of the trek at 4450 meters. From here, descend to the sacred site of the Incas called Intipunku (Sun Gate), with views of the Nevado Veronica mountain. Head to the campsite, only a stone’s throw away and at 3600 meters.

Route 3 Cusco:
Today, take a taxi to Tambomachay, an archaeological site just outside of Cusco. From here you’ll take a short downhill walk (between one to three hours) back to Cusco. On the way, stop to admire some of the archaeological sites, including Puka Pukara, Qinqu Quenqo, and Saksaywaman. Arrive back in Cusco in the afternoon and enjoy some free time to go shopping, or perhaps visit Merida, Mendivil, and Olave art galleries and workshops. Your tour leader will be able to give you some suggestions or point you in the right direction

Route 1 Inca Trail :
Start the day with a climb through the Pacaymayo Valley to the Runkuracay pass (3980 meters). Enjoy views of the snow-capped mountain of Cordillera Vilcabamba before descending for around two to three hours to the ruins of Sayacmarca. Continue over the trail’s third pass to the ruins of Phuyupatamarca (3850 meters), also known as ‘Town Above the Clouds’. Start the two-hour descent down the Inca steps to the final night’s campsite by the Winay Wayna archaeological site.

Route 2 Quarry Trail to Aguas Calientes:
Today’s hike will all be downhill. The first stop is the incomplete Kachiqata quarry, where the Incas were intercepted by the Spanish. Around midday, come to the end of the trek. Explore the cobbled streets of Ollantaytambo before taking the short train journey to Aguas Calientes. This is where you’ll meet up with the travelers in your group who didn’t hike. Visiting the natural hot springs in town is a soothing way to spend the late afternoon. Spend the night in a comfortable hotel before tomorrow’s visit to Machu Picchu.

Route 3 Train to Aguas Calientes:
After a drive to Ollantaytambo (about one and a half hours), catch a train through the winding Urubamba Valley to Aguas Calientes (another one and a half hours). The city is nestled in the cloud forest at the foot of Machu Picchu. For those who want a sneak peek, there is time to visit Machu Picchu independently before a guided tour the following day. Otherwise, you can while away the afternoon in the natural hot springs at Aguas Calientes.

Machu Picchu (2430m)-Cusco Route 1 Inca Trail: This is the last and most exciting part of the route to Machu Picchu. The day starts before sunrise, and breakfast is served at 4 in the morning. When you arrive at the train station, please say goodbye to the porter and start walking at 4:30 in the morning. When the last checkpoint opens at 5 am, you will start the last stop of the hike. One and a half hours. If the weather permits, when you enter Machu Picchu via Puerta del Sol, you can enjoy the unforgettable view of the “Lost City of the Incas”. Route 2: Inca Quarry Path: Depending on the weather, take the 30:00 bus along the winding road to Machu Picchu. The journey takes about 30 minutes. In Machu Picchu (Machu Picchu), with hikers following the Inca Trail. When the sky is clear, you can admire the magnificent view of the ancient city from Puerta del Sol, and then walk through the ruins with a guide. Line 3 train: Take the morning bus to Machu Picchu at 5:30 in the morning. The city was built around 1440 AD. As a rural refuge for the Inca nobles, there is evidence that this land has long been a holy land for the Incas. Temples, palaces and apartments, and post-war leisure.

Your tour comes to an end today and there are no activities planned. As there was little time spent in Cusco at the start of the trip, you may like to stay on for a few extra days to make the most of your visit here. We’ll be happy to assist in booking accommodation (subject to availability). If you decide to stay on, visit some of the sites you didn’t cover during your orientation tour at the beginning of the trip. These may include the Inca ruins of Coricancha, Saqsaywaman, Q’enqo, Pica Pakara, Pisac and Ollantaytambo.