Cusco, Short Inca Trail, Machu Pichu & Rainbow Hill (5 Days)

Upon arrival at the airport in Cusco, a representative will be waiting for you to transfer you to your hotel and help you check-in and provide you with the necessary information about restaurants, money exchange offices, etc. The rest of this morning will be free time for acclimatization.

In the afternoon at 13:00 pm, we will start the archaeological City Tour of Cusco, in this tour we will visit the main Cathedral of Cusco, inside it houses a large collection of architectural works of Spanish Baroque style.

Then we will visit the Temple of Coricancha, also known as the Temple of the Sun, where the Spaniards built the Church of Santo Domingo over one of the most important Inca temples.

Then, we will leave the city towards the four archaeological sites, such as Sacsayhuaman, where the Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) is recreated every June 24, the most popular celebration of Cusco, then we will visit Qenqo, Tambomachay, and Pukapukara (famous Baths of the Inca).

The day’s tour ends at approximately 6:30 pm.

At 08h00 in the morning is the departure to the famous Vilcanota River, better known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. On the way, we will stop to have the explanations of our guide the Inca sites and to observe the landscape, the mountains.

We visit the archaeological site of Pisac, with its huge Inca terraces for agriculture, the extensive constructions over the valley such as temples, houses, altars, etc., and then we head to the traditional market (only on market days), there you will have free time to interact with local artisans, or to buy handmade souvenirs.

Then we will continue to the Inkariy Museum, where we will learn about the amazing history of the most important cultures of Peru, where we will see life-size models and mannequins of the pre-Inca cultures such as: Caral, Chavin, Paracas, Nazca, Mochica, Lambayeque and Chumi. Then we will head to Urubamba to enjoy a delicious lunch.

After lunch, we drive to Ollantaytambo, the Inca town with remarkable canals, stone streets, where the Inca architecture is still preserved. We visit the incredible temples with huge blocks.

Finally, we will be transferred to our hotel located in the town of Ollantaytambo and then we will have dinner at a local tourist restaurant (included).

At 5:30 am the guide will give you lunch to carry in your backpack, then we will go to the train station to board the train to kilometer 104.

We will get off at kilometer 104, where the Inca Trail begins (2,000m/6,560 feet above sea level), here we must show your passport at the checkpoint to start the hike. The first hour and a half is uphill, with several shelters along the way to rest. Along the way we will stop at several points to appreciate the view of the Urubamba river valley.
The next hour and a half continues with a slightly steeper climb, passing a waterfall before arriving at the spectacular Inca site of Wiñay Wayna (2,600 m/8,500 ft above sea level). Your guide will tell you all the fascinating history about this beautiful place.

We will continue walking for about 5 more minutes to the resting place and lunch, we will have about 30 minutes to have lunch, rest and use the restrooms before continuing.

After lunch, we will walk mostly on an almost flat stretch to the famous Puerta del Sol, except for a few last steep stairs just a few meters before arriving at the Puerta del Sol. Upon arrival we will have our first incredible view of Machu Picchu.

After a well-deserved rest and enjoy the views, the last part of the hike begins, heading to Machu Picchu Park itself. Along the way we will see a couple of Inca sites with more and more beautiful views of Machu Picchu as we get closer and closer.

When we arrive at Machu Picchu, you will have plenty of free time to take pictures and appreciate the sunset over Machu Picchu and the sunset over the mountains.

Finally we will board a bus from the Machu Picchu park to the town of Aguas Calientes, where we will spend the night in a hotel. Also our dinner will be in a Tourist Restaurant, and the remaining time will be free for you.

To make the visit to Machu Picchu perfect, we will leave early, at 5:00 am to avoid large groups of tourists and enjoy a spectacular sunrise over the mountains of Machu Picchu.

We will go by bus to reach the citadel of Machu Picchu, this short trip takes 25 minutes through some mountainous features and breathtaking views.

Finally we arrive at Machu Picchu, where you will have two hours of explanations with our guide, during the explanation you will visit the viewpoint, the Inti watana located at the top of the citadel, the temple of the sun, the temple of the condor, and other important sectors.

After the visit, you will have free time to explore the rest of the citadel on your own. At the recommended time you should return to Aguas Calientes for lunch and take the train back to Ollantaytambo. From Ollantaytambo, you will be transferred to your hotel in Cusco.

We will leave Cusco around 4:00 am in our private car to the town of Cusipata, this trip lasts 2 hours. We will stop for breakfast at a tourist restaurant. Then we continue in our private transportation to the community of Chillihuani for another hour.

We will begin our hike uphill for approximately 2 hours, during the journey we will have views of red and yellow mountains, also alpacas along the way and if we are lucky we can see condors flying and wild vicuñas.

When we conquer the summit, we will have free time to rest and our tour guide will explain to us all the meaning and origin of the colors of the mountain, and the rest of the time will be free to take pictures and contemplate this beautiful nature.

Finally, we will start our way back, accompanied by the beautiful scenery. We will take our transportation to the town of Cusipata where we will have lunch and then return to Cusco.

Note: if we have time, we will make some stops at interesting places such as the Inca bridge, the archaeological center of Rumi Colca and the Huacarpay lagoon on the way back to Cusco.
If you do not wish to walk, you can rent a horse for 60 Soles one way.