The Best of Cusco

The Inca ruins of Tambomachay.

Our team will pick you up from your hotel at 12:45 p.m. to begin your half-day tour of the city of Cusco.

Known as the archaeological capital of the Americas, Cusco is the oldest city in the Western Hemisphere and was the heart of the Incan empire during the 14th and 15th centuries. Today, Cusco is a blended city, with a mix of ancient pre-Inca & Inca architecture and Spanish/Colonial influences. Today we will have the chance to visit a number of fascinating sites which will allow you to appreciate the city’s extraordinary history and culture:

Cusco Cathedral

The Cusco Cathedral is the main temple of the city of Cusco and is located in the northeast sector of the current Plaza de Armas (main square). Here you will have the chance to admire the cathedral’s architecture and see some famous works of art belonging to the “Cusco School” tradition.

Qoricancha & Santo Domingo Convent

The Qoricancha temple was the primary temple dedicated to Inti, the sun god, and the most important temple in the Inca Empire. The baroque Santo Domingo Convent was later built on top of the Incan temple, but much of the majestic original stonework still remains.

Sacsayhuaman

Sacsayhuaman is an Inca ceremonial fortress located two kilometers north of the city of Cusco. Built with massive megalithic stone walls, Saqsaywaman is considered by many to be the greatest architectural work accomplished by the Inca Empire during its heyday. You will also be able to enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the city of Cusco from the nearby Cristo Blanco lookout point.

Q’enqo

Located about 4 km (15 minutes) northeast of the city of Cusco, this mysterious site is one of the largest huacas (pre-Columbian places of worship) in Cusco and features a number of intricate underground passageways.

Puca Pucara

Puca Pucara, whose name means “Red Fortress” in Quechua, is a fortress composed of large walls, terraces and stairways which shows us an excellent example of Inca military architecture.

Tambomachay

This stunning Inca site consists of a series of aqueducts, canals and several waterfalls running through natural rock formations. This site serves as one of the most impressive examples of the Incas’ ability to manipulate water. Though its exact purpose is unknown, it may have been a place of devotion for a local water cult.

After visiting all of these sites, you will return to your hotel and have the rest of the day free.

The Inca site of Moray, featuring mysterious concentric circles.

Our team pick you up early to head to the town of Maras and begin your day tour. This town has an interesting mix of Inca and colonial influence. We will stop to see the church in the main square.

First we will head to Moray, which is the site of several impressive Inca monuments consisting of terraces built in the shape of concentric circles. The site is believed to have been used for agricultural experiments because of the many different climates achieved at the different levels of the terraces.

From there we will head to Salineras de Maras, an ancient pre-Inca salt mine, where you will see hundreds of salt collection ponds at various stages of production. A natural salt water spring emerges from the adjacent mountain and is intricately channeled to the pools below. The inhabitants of the area have worked and harvested the salt the same way since before the time of the Incas. You can watch them work and even buy a small bag of the fresh salt to take home and use in your kitchen.

After we stop for lunch, our team will transport you back to your hotel in the Sacred Valley.

Agricultural terraces at the ruins of Pisac in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

We will depart at 7:00 a.m. to begin your full-day tour of the Sacred Valley.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas was the center of the vast Incan Empire. This fertile land features an excellent climate and has been a major agricultural region for thousands of years. The extensive ruins stretch from the villages of Pisac to Ollantaytambo before you eventually arrive at the citadel of Machu Picchu.

Today we will have the opportunity to visit the following incredible sites:

Pisac

This site functioned as the Southern Gateway to the Sacred Valley, and is known for its military, ceremonial and agricultural purposes. Here you can admire numerous agricultural terraces lining the mountainside, the most of any site in the Sacred Valley. After visiting the ruins we will walk through the local town of the same name and explore its colorful artisan market before heading to the town of Urubamba for lunch (cost of meal not included in tour).

Ollantaytambo

Our second stop will take us to the Inca Fortress and Citadel of Ollantaytambo, built to guard the Northern entrance of the Valley. It was designed to protect it from possible invasion from the various lower jungle tribes. As you walk through the quaint streets of the town and make your way up the steps of the fortress, you will start to realize what an important strategic Military, Religious, and Agricultural Center it was during the reign of the Inca Empire. This is also the place where the Inca had their last stand against the Spanish before retreating to seek refuge at Vilcabamba.

Chinchero

Next we will stop off at the picturesque Andean Village of Chinchero to visit the Royal Hacienda Ruins of Tupac Inca Yupanqui. We will admire a well-preserved Inca Wall in the Main Square and visit the beautiful Colonial temple built on Inca foundations, featuring a series of mysterious fresco paintings.

After the tour you will head to your hotel in the Sacred Valley to rest for the evening.

The Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, considered one of the new 7 wonders of the world.

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu deserves all the attention that it gets for being an engineering and architectural masterpiece. Visitors will be impressed by the many plazas, temples, houses, storage facilities, sun dials, and stairs that still maintain their structure more than 500 years later despite constant exposure to intense weather and earthquakes. The natural surroundings only add to an already stunning view and no trip to Peru is complete without a visit to this sanctuary.

We will pick you up early in the morning in order to start the tour. You will be transferred to the train station in Ollantaytambo in order to catch the train to Aguas Calientes. From here you will take a short 30 minute bus ride to the gates of Machu Picchu. A professional guide will lead you through the magnificent citadel and share the secrets of Inca architecture and their way of life.

During a tour through this magnificent site, your bilingual guide will explain all about the historical sanctuary of Machu Picchu and visit all the major sites within the lost city. The guided tour will take around 2 hours.

After the tour we will descend to Aguas Calientes, the town named for its hot springs. Here you will have time to eat lunch and shop for some souvenirs before catching the train back to Cusco. You will arrive back at your hotel sometime in the evening depending on your chosen time of departure.

The stunning colors of Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain in Cusco.

Explore the breathtaking multi-colored Vinicunca Mountain on this classic day hike from Cusco. Located at 5,200 meters above sea level, this beautiful mountain and the nearby Red Valley showcase some of the most impressive scenery in the Peruvian Andes.

We will pick you up early from your hotel then head to the Cusipata District (Quispicanchi) south of the city of Cusco, where we will make a stop to get any necessary supplies such as water or energy drinks, snack, cereals, etc.

After this short stop, we will continue our journey where we will observe the multicolored landscapes and crops that are mixed between the mysterious mountains and snowy mountains, Andean animals such as llama, alpaca, sheep, vicuñas and the deep valleys. Shortly thereafter we will arrive at the picturesque town of Chirihuani, here we will enjoy a delicious Andean breakfast prepared by our Chef.

After this we will travel to the starting point of our hike. We will hike for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes up the mountain until we reach the slopes of the Red Valley, the place of access to this mystical place.

We will walk along a path of gradually changing landscapes between mountains of intense colors and small streams of icy water that feed and give life to this valley, as we walk we will observe how the colors around us will change due to the weather, we will arrive at a height of 5,200 meters above sea level.

Here we will have ample opportunity to take pictures, videos, etc. After enjoying the extraordinary views we will undertake the walk back to the starting point, where from which we will travel to the town of Fulawasi, where we will have a delicious buffet lunch prepared by our chef before returning to Cusco in the late afternoon.

One of our representatives will pick you up and escort you from your hotel to the airport for your flight home.