Cusco – the Capital of the Incas, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu 4 Days/ 3 Nights

The Sacred Valley tour starts at 08:00 am in Cusco. We will pick you up from your hotel and bring you to the bus, where you will meet your tour guide and travel mates (shared service). We leave Cusco around 08:30 am in the direction of Pisaq, descending to the sacred river Urubamba. With a few stops along the way at various lookout points, we will arrive at Pisaq, where you can enjoy discovering the traditional handicraft market. Here, you have enough time to do some local souvenir shopping. Afterwards, we continue our trip and drive up the mountain to the Pisaq ruins. Our tour guide will take you around the temples, terraces and tunnels of this complex while constantly enjoying the majestic view of the sacred river.

We then drive along the Urubamba River, passing through a little colourful town where you can observe the descendants of the Quechua people wearing their beautiful, colourful ponchos. Our next stop is in Urubamba, where we will have lunch (we recommend a lunch buffet with Peruvian food). After a short rest, we keep on until we reach Ollantaytambo, one of the last living Inca towns. You will be amazed by this village! You will have some time to explore the impressive Temple of the Sun, featuring intricate stonework details, terraces constructed to sustain the mountain, a temple in the shape of a llama, and its beautiful water fountains.

After exploring the complex, your tour guide will bring you to the train station, where you will take the train at 4:30 pm in the direction of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town). Enjoy a 2-hour train journey with panoramic windows, where you can observe the Urubamba River descending from the high valley down to the cloud forest at 2000 meters. The landscape changes drastically in front of your eyes! You will be amazed to see the tropical mountain ending in a snow carpet and the small waterfalls shimmering on the hills, forming small rivers that flow down to converge at the Sacred River. After these spectacular natural views, you arrive at Aguas Caliente, where the warm atmosphere welcomes you with typical jungle sounds.

Our staff will be waiting for you at the gate of the train station in Aguas Calientes and will bring you to your hostel. At 7:00 pm, you will receive a short briefing from your tour guide for the next day’s excursion, so please make sure you are in the hotel at that time.

Accommodation: Hotel Hatun Inti Classic

The day you were waiting for!

Wake up early for breakfast and take the bus uphill to the famous Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. The first bus leaves at 05:30 am and takes a 25-minute ride. (This timing can be changed according to the entrance fee to Machu Picchu)

Optional:  Take the path which winds up the mountain to reach Machu Picchu.

The Machu Picchu gate opens at 06:00, so arriving early will allow you to be among the first visitors of the day and avoid the crowds. However, we may modify the timing when you make your booking.

Upon paying your entrance fee, a private bilingual tour guide will escort you through the vast ruins for approximately 2.5 hours, providing a comprehensive explanation of Machu Picchu's historical significance and its importance within the Inca Empire.

Machu Picchu is the best known of all the Inca Archaeological sites, as it is recognised worldwide as one of the New Seven Wonders, even though it's not mentioned in any handwritten Chronicle of the Spanish Conquerors. Experts believe that Machu Picchu was constructed around the mid-15th century by Inca Pachacuteq and was rediscovered in 1911 by American historian Hiram Bingham.

The guided tour of this fascinating site will be an unforgettable experience, visiting the Main Square, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Sun Tower, the Sacred Sun Dial (Intihuatana), and the Burial Grounds.

We offer optional hikes in Machu Picchu with an additional ticket. (has to be reserved together with your booking)

You can hike up Huayna Picchu (the mountain behind Machu Picchu), from where you will enjoy stunning views over the whole complex! However, there are only 400 entrance tickets available per day; therefore, you must let us know in advance if you want to do the hike so we can reserve your ticket at an extra cost of US$60.00.

Due to Huayna Picchu being very fast oversold, we offer Machu Picchu Mountain as a second optional climb. The advantage of this hike is that it will be less crowded, but not less beautiful! The cost for this hike is also US$60.00 per person.

La Gran Caverna a ceremonial place in Machu Picchu US$ 60.00 per person.

Also, there is another road to  Inti Punku, the SUN GATE, which is the traditional end of the Inca Trail (a hike of 3 hours), US$35.00 per person.

You can visit the beautiful Inca Bridge (a hike of 1 hour). This road will allow you to enjoy other views of Machu Picchu and take many breathtaking pictures. US$35.00 per person.

You will arrive at Aguas Calientes for a late lunch.

At 14:30, you take the train back to Ollantaytambo and then a tourist transport to Cusco.

Please let us know if you want to spend more time in Aguas Calientes, so we can book a late train at 04:12 pm or 19:00 (according to the train service, it may have an extra cost).

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Amaru Group Hostels or similar

According to your flight or bus schedule, we will give you a free walking tour around the city of Cusco so that you can discover the enigma of this city and, at the same time, do some souvenir shopping. Afterwards, we transfer you to the Airport or Bus station.

Meals: Breakfast