Breakfast in the hotel. Early in the morning, transfer to airport to take a flight to Cusco. Assistance on arrival in Cusco and transfer to your selected hotel. Free time to take a short rest to be acclimatized to the altitude. In the afternoon, city tour of Cusco visiting the Main Square, the Cathedral and the Temple of the Sun or Korikancha. Then, drive out of the city to visit the Inca sites of Kenko, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara and the impressive fortress of Sacsayhuaman, built strategically on a hill overlooking Cusco; famous for its enormous carved stones joined with astounding precision to form the outer walls. Some of these stones stand over 9m / 30ft tall and weight over 350 tons. You will receive a briefing about the trail by the guide in your hotel.

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your Cusco hotel and transferred to the train station. You’ll take the train through the stunning landscapes of the Sacred Valley to the station at kilometer 104. Here you will begin your hike following the original path of the Incas through the beautiful Andean mountains.

The first Inca ruins you will encounter are those of Chachabamba, a small archaeological complex believed to have once been a guard house to Machu Picchu. From here the trail ascends at a gradual incline for three hours until you reach 8,690 feet (2,650 meters). You will visit the site of Wiñay Wayna, which means “Eternal Youth” in the indigenous Quechua language. The name comes from the perennial orchids that speckle the landscape, making Wiñay Wayna perhaps the most beautiful place on the Inca Trail. It is also the last urban center before arriving to Machu Picchu.

Wiñay Wayna consists of 4 main sectors: the urban sector, located in the lower part and containing more than 20 buildings; the ritual sector; the terraced sector for crops; and the tower sector, which boasts the site’s finest architecture and was probably a place of religious or social importance.

After touring the site and lunching, you will continue on to the Inti Punku or the “Sun Gate,” from where you can see Machu Picchu in all its majesty and grandeur. From Inti Punku you will hike downhill for roughly 30 minutes toward the citadel’s principal ruins, taking in magnificent panoramic views along the way. You will then take a bus into the mountain town of Aguas Calientes, where you will have dinner and spend the night in a comfortable Machu Picchu hotel.

Rise early and head to the bus station for the 20-minute drive up to the entrance of Machu Picchu, where you will embark on a 2-hour guided tour of the citadel. If you choose to breakfast at 5 a.m. or pack a breakfast box, you can reach the citadel in time to see the sun rise over the Inca ruins.

The magnificent handiwork of the Incas is abundantly evident even centuries after it was first set into place by genius engineers. The precision of the carved walls contrasts sharply with the wild, verdant mountains and steep highlands. The city itself can be divided into 3 areas: the urban, agricultural, and adjacent zones. In the urban sector you can find the Temple of the Sun, Royal Tomb, ceremonial fountains, Royal Palace, Temple of the Three Windows, Main Temple, Intiwatana and more. The agricultural sector includes the cemetery and the Funeral Rock. Finally, the adjacent zones include Intipunku, the Temple of the Moon, Huayna Picchu, and the Drawbridge.

You may want to take advantage of Machu Picchu’s spiritual setting to meditate and relax. But the more adventurous can take a 90-minute climb up the nearby peak of Huayna Picchu. On the way down from Huayna Picchu, take the trek past the Temple of the Moon, once a retreat for Inca nobles and priests. The extra trek is not for the faint of heart and must be done with extreme caution. However, the opportunity to see Machu Picchu from another angle is often enough to draw the more adventurous visitor. Note that park officials limit the number of visitors to Huayna Picchu to 400 per day and tickets need to be purchased in advance.

After your day in Machu Picchu, you will take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes to collect your belongings from your hotel and return to Cusco by train, where you will be met for a transfer to your hotel.

Transfer to the airport for your departure to Lima and your connecting international flight. Arrive home full of great memories of the rich tradition of Colonial Lima and the mystical Land of the Incas included Inca Trail.

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