Cusco Travel

Tour: The Classic Trek of the Incas
(4 Days / 3 nights)

Trip type	:	High altitude walking / moderate grading
Recommended season	:	March to December
Good for	:	Minded travelers interested in archaeology, ancient history, traditional Andean cultures, spectacular scenery, flora and fauna.
Group size	:	Small group. Average 4.5 passengers per departure
Departures	:	Every Monday and Friday.
Bookings	:	Must be done 4 o 5 months in advanced due high demand.

We will depart from Cusco and drive to Urubamba where we have a brief stop, then on to Chillca to start the trek. We will have lunch in Miskay with a half-hour rest, after which we start our trek to the first campsite. Along the way we will visit the extensive Llactapata ruins, a testament to the engineering capabilities of the Incas

Enjoy an early breakfast and start trekking to the highest point of the Inca Trail, where we can see different ecological zones and climatic differences. We will experience the sun and wind of the high Andes as we hike in anticipation to the top. We cross the Warmiwañusca pass at 4200 meters above sea level (13,776'). After lunch, we descend into the valley on to the campsite at Pacaymayo and enjoy dinner and a well-deserved rest.


You will be transferred to Cusco Walk approximately 45 minutes up to reach the second pass at 3850 meters above sea level (12,628'), and visit Runcuracay, small circular ruins overlooking the Pacaymayo Valley below. We descend and proceed to the Sayacmarca archaeological site, reached by a stone staircase and surrounded on three sides by sheer cliff walls. With commanding views of surrounding snow-capped peaks, we make our way through an orchid and moss-draped cloud forest to the third pass and arrive at the impressive ruins of Phuyupatamarca (town in the clouds), passing by six Inca ritual baths and through an Inca tunnel. After lunch we head to Wiñay Wayna where we will spend our last night.


After an early breakfast, we start on the final leg of the trek to Machu Picchu. We will arrive at Inti Punku, from which we will see the Machu Picchu citadel appear before our eyes. After a short hike down to Machu Picchu, we sign in and start on our 3 hour guided visit of the fascinating ruins complex, with its intricately carved steps, altars, walls, houses, portals and terraces. After experiencing the ruins in all their glory, we take the bus down to Aguas Calientes where we will have some free time before we board the return train to Cusco.



More about Machu Picchu

Perched high above a sinuous bend in the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu has lured explorers, poets and pilgrims to its mist-wreathed ridge top ever since its discovery by the American explorer Hiram Bingham in July, 1911.
No one lived here before the Incas. Those mighty empire builders from Cusco discovered this extraordinary place, finding it rich in natural features sacred to their religion. Both inspired and humbled by its dramatic natural beauty, their answer was to create on a vast scale one of the planet's most sensitive and harmonious works of art. The aesthetic genius of its layout and architecture coupled with the durability of its brilliant planning and engineering have given us today this finest of jewels among the UNESCO world heritage sites.
Scholars still argue about the meaning of Machu Picchu: why it was built and what purpose it served, who lived there and when they departed. Most agree that its main intent was spiritual and ceremonial.

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