Beginning on the tour at 7:30am, we will start in the direction of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our first stop along the way will be just outside of Cusco at the Ccorao Pass. That is a good vantage point where we can take a brief 10 minute break to get some nice views of the valley below us. We will need to continue on in order to make sure to have time to make it up to the Pisaq ruins, on the mountainside behind the pueblo. We will tour the ruins for about an hour before continuing on the journey down the Sacred Valley. Passing through Urubamba on the way, our next stop will be at Ollantaytambo, a picturesque little Andean pueblo nestled in amongst a number of high mountain peaks. We will also tour the ruins at Ollantaytambo for another hour or so before having our lunch (buffet) at about 2pm.
Afterwards, we will load back up into the vehicle and continue on our way. The next stop will be another great view point known as Malaga Pass, which towers at 4,316m. We will get have some amazing views of the surrounding mountains and valleys from such a great spot. After a brief stop at the viewpoint, we will begin a long descent into the jungle, passing through a number of ecological floors along the way. We will be riding on perfectly asphalted roads for the entire way up until Alfamayo, but then we will have to go on dirt roads from then on until the town known as Santa Maria, which is located at a much lower altitude of 1,575m. We will only briefly be stopping there though, because we will still have to continue on a bit more to the outer jungle town of Santa Teresa, where we should be arriving to at about 6:00 p.m. That is where we will spend the night, in a basic hostel. There are also some hot springs nearby called Cocalmayo that we can go and take a swim in. We will have dinner that night in a tourist restaurant in the pueblo.
Day 2: Machu Picchu
After having an early breakfast at 7:30am, we will get back in our van and back on course in order to make it to the hydroelectric train station by 8:30am. We will need to make it there by that time in order to catch our train to Aguas Calientes, which will last for about an hour, getting us to Aguas Calientes at about 9:30am or so. When we arrive we will be shown to our respective hotels. That is when your Machu Picchu guide will meet you to have a chat about the plan for the day. You will have the option of going up to the site by walking or by bus; you just need to be ready for your guided tour at 12pm (noon). Your guided tour will last for 2 hours minimum, and afterwards you will have some free time to explore around on your own for a while until about 4:30pm. That is the recommended time to go back down the mountain to Aguas Calientes. We will have our dinner together at 7:00pm at a designated restaurant before heading off to our hotels for the night. At dinner time we will also have a chat with the guide about the next days’ plan.
Day 3: Maras Moray – Cusco
We will need to make it back to our train to the Hydroelectric station by 7am. When we arrive to Hydroelectric, we will transfer ourselves back over to our van which will take us back to Santa Teresa for one last 15 minute break. Take the opportunity to get some last minute drinks and snacks that you may want. We won´t be eating again until we have a buffet lunch in Urubamba a few hours later. After lunch, during the final stretch back to Cusco, we will take some time to have a guided tour of Moras, Moray and Chincheros. We will arrive back to Cusco at about 5:00pm approx on the third day.
The service Includes:
Private tourist transport roundtrip from Cusco- Hydroelectric- Cusco
Train from Hydroelectric train station- Aguas Calientes- Hydroelectric train station
02 nights of lodging (w/ private bathroom, hot water 24 hours, suitcase storage at no additional cost)
03 lunches, 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts
01 bus ride- either ascent or descent
Entrance fee to the citadel of Machu Picchu
- Spanish/English speaking professional guide
- 01 bus ride – either ascent or descent
Not Included:
Entrance to the thermal baths (10 soles extra)
Recommended Items to Bring:
Mosquito Repellant
Sun Block and hat
Long sleeve t-shirt
Bathing suit, towel and sandals if you wishes to visit the thermal baths
