9 Day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and Titicaca Private Service

9 Day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and Titicaca Private Service

There’s an only place in the world that has it all, magic, history, nature and culture composed of the four elements that forges the spirit of the earth, and sun. A land where the gods are hidden in mountains and stones; where the sons and daughters of the sun are dressed with gold and mortals with scissor hands dance all day...

A ancient and mysterious culture chosen by gods.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive to Cusco.

Pass By: Cusco, Cusco, Cusco Region
After your arrival in Cusco a representative of Valencia travel Cusco will be waiting at the airport for you and pick you up in our private transport and take you to your hotel where you will spend the night. Then you will have all the day to relax and enjoy the beauty of Cusco and it surroundings.

OPTION 1: Half day city tour
(Additional Price: USD 30 per person).
We will pick you up at 1:00pm from your hotel to start the tour and visiting the following places.
The Koricancha: Temple of the sun.
The Cathedral: Marvel of the religious art.
Sacsayhuaman: Majestic place with impressive works in stone, some up to 120 tons.
Q´enqo: (Labyrinth) a religious center dedicated to the adoration of the Earth.
Puca Pucara: (reddish place) that was used as a military control center.
Tambomachay: (Temple of the Water) a center of adoration and worship of water.

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Casa Andina Cusco Plaza or similar

Day 2: Open day at leisure (Extra activities to do)

Pass By: Sacred Valley, Sacred Valley, Cusco Region
OPTION 3: Full day Sacred Valley Tour (Additional Price: USD 45 per person).

After breakfast, we will pick you up from your hotel at 8:00am. This is a full day excursion to the Urubamba Valley visiting the colorful Indian market in Pisac where you will be able to appreciate the mixture of color and tradition and have an opportunity to test your bartering skills, interact with the local craftsmen and purchase their hand-made souvenirs. Pisac is located at the entrance of the Sacred Valley. The Valley is (31km)/ (19mi) from Cusco, and at an altitude of (2,970m)/ (9,700 ft.). Followed by Pisac is Urubamba where we have a delicious buffet lunch at Tunupa restaurant then we continue through to Ollantaytambo, the oldest continuously occupied town on the American continent. The narrow streets of Ollantaytambo, along with their canals, have not changed much from the time of the Inca Empire. They evoke their ancestral inheritance and give you a feeling of what it would be like to live during this time. The last visit will be the Chinchero market. Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow. Its major claim to tourism is its colorful Sunday market which is much less tourist-orientated than the market at Pisac. At the end, we will return you to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco at approximately 6:30 pm.
P.S: Tonight we will have the Inca trail briefing at 7:00pm at the hotel lobby.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Casa Andina Cusco Plaza or similar

Day 3: The Inca Trail Adventure to Machu Picchu begins

Stop At: Inca Trail, Machu Picchu Peru
Total distance to be covered: 12km or 7mi. (5 to 6 hours more or less).
We will meet and pick you up from your Hotel (less than 5 minutes from any hotel in Cusco!) at 4:30am (time to be confirmed at the briefing time) and travel by bus to Piskacucho (you will hear this be called kilometer 82) where the trail starts. There will be a breakfast stop in Ollantaytambo (06:30-7am) to load up on energy (breakfast – not included). On arrival at kilometer 82 (08:30am more or less), we will have some time to organize ourselves (use the restrooms, put on sun cream, mosquitoes repellant, etc) and then it is necessary to show your entrance tickets, passports and (if paying a student rate) the student card at the trails 1st control point. To start the trail (2720m/8923ft), we cross the Vilcanota River and follow its route to the right. The first day is relatively easy (a warm-up on the 'Inca flat' terrain) and we will have great views of the site of an Inca Fortress (‘Huillca Raccay'), the vast and incredible Inca site ‘Llactapata' (officially called ‘Patallacta'), the Urubamba mountain range that divides the jungle and the Andes and the beautiful snow-capped peak of 'W'akay Willca' (5860m/19225ft), known in books as Veronica. Our first campsite (Ayapata) will be one hour and a half up the small village of Wayllabamba (3000m/9842ft) in the temperate green valley of the same name. Temperature at night is usually around 5ºC (depending on the month).
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Camping

Day 4: The Trail Trial! We go over 2 passes...

Stop At: Inca Trail, Machu Picchu Peru
Total distance to be covered: 16km or 9mi. (8 to 9 hours more or less).
After waking up at 5:30am (maybe at 05:00-depending on your Guide) and having breakfast, we will start a steep ascent towards the highest pass (Abra de Warrmihuañusca/'Dead Woman's Pass’ – 4200m/13779ft). On this day a real sense of achievement is felt on reaching the top! After a rest here, we begin the descent to the lunch stop which is located at Pacaymayu (3550m/11646ft). On the way up to the pass we will be able to see lots of hummingbirds and other birds. Also we will have the time to appreciate an incredible variety of native plants and trees such as the ´Polylepis´ or Q'ueuña trees which grow in the astonishing cloud forest located at 3650/11972m!! After lunch begins the second 2 hours steep climbing to Runkuraqay pass (almost 4000 meters), we arrive in our campsite by 5 pm. Temperature at this campsite around 4ºC during the nights.
Duration: 9 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Camping

Day 5: Back in the past! Beautiful scenery!

Stop At: Inca Trail, Machu Picchu Peru
Total distance to be covered: 10km or 6mi. (5 hours more or less).
This is the most impressive day (in our opinion!!!) so just keep thinking of that on the ascent on day 2! Again we wake up for breakfast at 6am, and start the day with a gentle climb to visit the archaeological site of ‘Phuyupatamarca’(meaning ‘Town in the Clouds’) and to reach the third highest point on the trail (3680m)). The views from here of the mountains, canyons and surrounding area are spectacular. The Inca site, ‘Phuyupatamarca’, is located a few minutes walking from the third pass and after visiting this, we continue walking (3000 steps!) through the cloud forest and the impressive agricultural Inca site of ‘Intipata’ until we arrive at our third campsite Wiñay Wayna (2680m/8792ft). Today we have only walked about 4 to 5 hours and have arrived to camp by lunch time! A short distance from this campsite is located the Inca site of the same name ‘Wiñay Wayna’ (‘Forever Young’).
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Camping

Day 6: Machu Picchu in Its Glory!

Stop At: Santuario Historico de Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu Peru
Total distance to be covered: 5km or 3mi. (2 hours more or less).
We leave the last campsite at about 5:30am on the final day (breakfast 3:30-4:00am). It is an early start in order to get to ‘Inti Punku’ (‘Sun gate’) (2730m/8792ft) before sunrise. This is the place from where you will have your first dramatic view of Machu Picchu (2400m/7873ft) with the sun rising over it! After some time there, we will walk down the last part of the trail to the spot where you can take the classic photo (picture postcard shot) of this ancient city. Finally we visit Machu Picchu itself!
Walking tour (approximately 2 hours) is given by your guide and after this you can explore the mysterious city by yourselves. You will meet your guide in Aguas Calientes (it can be reached by bus or on foot) for lunch and to be given your train tickets back to Cusco. Train included in all tours is until Ollantaytambo and then bus to Cusco. Your train will leave Aguas Calientes town in the afternoon and you need to be in the train station 30 min before it leaves. (The exactly time will be given you by your tour guide), once in Ollantaytambo town you will have a bus waiting for you to return back to your hotel in Cusco. Allocations or Itinerary are subject to change depending the availability on time of booking.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Casa Andina Cusco Plaza or similar

Day 7: On the way to Puno & Titicaca lake

Stop At: San Pedro Apostol de Andahuaylillas, Calle Tacna No 302, Andahuaylillas 08210 Peru
Sistine chapel of South America: this church is one of the most beautiful examples of Andean popular religious art. (It leaves at 7.30am and arrives at about 5pm.)
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Parque Arqueologico De Raqchi, San Pedro Peru
(Wiracocha God Temple): This was an Inca church of monumental dimensions; 100 meters long, 26 meters wide and 14 meters high. The temple is divided in two naves and each nave shows 11 giant columns - huge!.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: La Raya Pass, Peru
This is the half-way point between Cusco and Puno and also the highest point (4335 meters above sea level). The landscapes here are stunning and typical Andean animals like the llama, alpaca and vicuña are common. It is also the geographic border between the two cultures - Quechua and Aymara.
Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Pukara Archaeological Site, Pucara Peru
This is the most important and oldest ceremonial center of the altiplano. There are interesting lite-sculptures and tombs
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Casa Andina Puno or similar

Day 8: Floating Uros and Taquile Islands.

Stop At: Uros Floating Islands, jr lima 108 Lake Titicaca, Puno Peru
This tour starts at 7:00 a.m. with transfer from your hotel to the port. Then, in a fast motor boat (7:30 a.m.), this will make this a pleasant trip (35 feet long with a covered section in case of rain or cold weather, comfortable bus seats and fully equipped, toilet). The floating UROS islands are located within the bay of Lake Titicaca only 14 km away. far from the city (20 minutes of navigation). The towns of the Uros were simple fishermen and hunters of birds and preferred to remain isolated of the most advanced civilizations. Your search for isolation may be one of the reasons why you decided to live in mobile homes on the lake. When the Spanish chroniclers encountered the Uros at the end of the 16th century, the people of UROS still lived in the lake in small boats of reeds that they used as floating houses. Only in the early 1960s, the Uros began to build small artificial islands with reeds for their homes. We visit the Uros Islands. Stamping them looks a lot like a water bed (but it's pretty safe). We see the houses, the islands and we know their friendly inhabitants. The people of Uros are descendants of one of the oldest South American groups. Traditional boat rides with local fishermen can be organized. Visit two of the 30 islands, then share an intercultural activity with the locals, see their houses and learn about the construction of the floating cane islands. Then continue to the island of Taquile.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca, Puno 21510 Peru
TAQUILE: We received an hour and a half from the island of Taquile while we received lectures on the origins of the Inca culture, Quechua language lessons and more. Upon arrival, we will have the possibility to enjoy the spectacular views offered by Lake Titicaca, reach this unique place, by the southern part of the island (09.45 a.m.), the least visited area of the Island of Taquile. Have at least 4 hours to explore this paradise, enjoy a pristine sandy beach. And walk for 1 hour on a pre-Inca trail (gentle and gradual walk) with breathtaking landscapes, while learning about the flora and fauna of the island. Lunch at local restaurant. The members of the community will show us their dances, textiles and unique cultural expressions. The island of Taquile is the home of an authentic community that preserves the Inca laws and the social system. But due to inadequate management of tourism is affected and this trip helps to encourage the life of the community. Later, at approximately 1.50 pm. We will walk towards the main port. At 2.30 p.m. We will leave to return to Puno, we will arrive at 4:00 p.m. and then we will move to the hotel.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Casa Andina Puno or similar

Day 9: Depart from Puno

Pass By: Puno, Puno, Puno Region
After breakfast, depending your flight itinerary we will take you to Juliaca (JUL) airport to take your plane back to Lima and take your connection flight to home



Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.