Cusco to Machu Picchu & Rainbow Hill (6 Days)

At the airport in Cusco, on your arrival, our representatives will be waiting to transport you to your hotel and help you check-in and provide you with the necessary information about restaurants, money exchange, etc the rest of the morning will be free to acclimatize.

At 17:30 There is an optional visit to the center of native art, where you will be able to see the traditional dances of our region.

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.

Around 8:00 am after breakfast we will depart to Salineras, where salt has been extracted since Inca times as a means of economic exchange, people still exploit this.

Then we will continue to the archaeological center of Moray, where we can see the magnificent Inca agricultural laboratory, formed by four amphitheaters, circular stones superimposed at a depth of approximately 150 meters. We will also visit Maras, during the colonial times it had its importance because of the large Jesuit community installed there, you can see carved wooden doors that belonged to the priests.

We will then head to the weaving village of Chinchero, where we will see some Inca terraces, used to grow potatoes. We will also see a colonial church on top of the Inca palace. Finally, we will visit a textile center called Tupay where they will explain the process of Andean weaving followed by a delicious lunch prepared by them.

Finally, we will back to Cusco city, where you will be transferred to your hotel.

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 travel by train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes for 2 hours, where you will be transferred to your hotel, and enjoy a delicious dinner at a tourist restaurant, and then prepare for the visit to Machu Picchu.

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.