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6 days/5 nights Program
At 11,200 feet above sea level, Cuzco is the heart of Tahuantinsuyo, Peru's pre- Colombian Empire. Cuzco today is the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America, a fascinating and colorful paradox of the past and the present. Explore Cuzco visiting the Temple of the Sun, the Cathedral and the immense walled complex of Sacsayhuaman. Shop in the picturesque indigenous market located in Pisac and visit the ruins surrounded by the most impressive Inca terraces in all of Peru. Discover the Sacred Valley and see the town of Ollantaytambo where the inhabitants still live much the same way as the Quechuas did during the Inca times. Travel by train following the course of the mighty Urubamba River and spend two magical days exploring Machu Picchu and its surrounding areas. The complex was so well hidden by the towering jungle covered ramparts of the Cordillera Vilcabamba that it was never discovered by the Spaniards. Machu Picchu preserves the most perfect picture of what the Inca world must have been like. However, much of its origins and purpose are lost in time. |
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US$ Price per Person with a minimum of 2 clients based on double occupancy with private guide and transportation. Single supplement charges applied if clients requests single accommodations.
Price per Person (US$) |
2 -3 |
4 or more |
3 stars |
1104 |
912 |
4 stars |
1524 |
1332 |
5 stars |
1722 |
1530 |
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ITINERARY
Day 1
Cuzco – Sacred Valley (Private Services)
Arrive in Cuzco. Meet MVE representative and travel to the Urubamba Valley. On the way to the hotel in the Urubamba Valley, a 60 minute drive from the airport, you will stop along the way to photograph the magnificent views. After arrival at the hotel time to relax and acclimatize to the altitude. Overnight at hotel in the Sacred Valley.
Day 2
Sacred Valley: Ollantaytambo – Pisac (Private Services)
Early morning breakfast. Later you will travel to Ollantaytambo. The most fascinating aspect of this town is visitors have the opportunity to see how the Quechuas lived their lives during the Inca times. The walls, homes, canals and streets have survived intact despite the rigors of time and the Spanish conquest. To reach the fortress overlooking the town, one must walk up some very steep steps (over 200) that make up part of the fortified terracing used for the protection of the complex. The Spaniards lost a battle here and never conquered this area in battle. The most magnificent aspect of this ruins are the six huge stones located at the top of the complex in the Temple of the Sun. This site was never completed.
Lunch
Later in the afternoon drive to the village of Pisac located 20 miles from Cuzco and on the banks of the Vilcanota River. Pisac is a very picturesque town famous for its Thursday and Sunday indigenous market. You will have a chance to visit with locals, take photos, do some shopping or just take in this memorable experience. Later in the day, you will travel to the ruins of Pisac. The ruins are located on a mountain top, 2 1/2 miles away from town and are surrounded by some of the most impressive Inca terraces in all of Peru. These terraces are still being used for farming today. Later in the evening return to the hotel for overnight.
B,L
Day 3
Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu (Private Guide)
After a very early breakfast you will begin your journey to Machu Picchu - the "Lost City of the Incas". After a short drive to Ollantaytambo, you will board the train for the Putucusi Rail Station where upon arrival you will climb a final 2,000 feet by minibus to the site of Machu Picchu. Rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911, Machu Picchu was unknown to the Spaniards. Its reason for existence remains under debate. Some argue it was built and populated by the family of one Inca ruler, Pachakutek; others have proposed the principal function of Machu Picchu was to maintain a reliable supply of coca leaves for the priests and royals of Cuzco. Bingham fostered the school of thought that the city existed primarily for strategic and defensive purposes, but other findings support the hypothesis that Machu Picchu was a university where the children of the leaders of other Andean cultures conquered by the Incas were taken to be instructed and indoctrinated. You are free to wander through the maze of empty plazas, chambers and dwellings saddled atop steep mountainsides, and you will be unable to resist your own speculations at the impenetrable mystery of these stones. After lunch and having time to thoroughly explore the significance of a variety of stone structures and ruins, you will descend to the village of Aguas Calientes. Overnight at hotel in Aguas Calientes.
B,L
Day 4
Machu Picchu – Cuzco (Free Day – Private Services in Cuzco)
You will spend the morning on your own around Aguas Calientes to photograph the market and town or return back to at Machu Picchu, continuing your exploration of the forests around the famous site. You will have the option of retracing the Inca Trail for as far as you like in order to photograph the cloud forest surrounding the ruins and the complex of Machu Picchu from a high vantage point. In the afternoon, you will travel by train back to the city of Cuzco. Overnight in Cuzco.
B
Day 5
Cuzco (Private Services)
Morning open to exploring and shopping. At 11,200 feet above sea level, Cuzco is the heart of Tahuantinsuyo, Peru's pre-Colombian Empire. Cuzco today is the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America, a fascinating and colorful paradox of the past and the present. In the afternoon you will have a guided city tour. You will visit the Inca temple of Koricancha or the Temple of the Sun with walls demonstrating some of the finest examples of Inca stonework in existence. The Santo Domingo church was built over this magnificent temple. During the Inca times its courtyards were filled with life-sized gold and silver representations of all the flora and fauna of the Empire. Pizarro's men looted the temple as part of Inca Atahualpa royal ransom who was held prisoner in Cajamarca by the Spaniards and later killed. An earthquake destroyed the Santo Domingo church in 1950 revealing the Inca walls that were hidden or plastered over.
You will visit the Cathedral located at the northeast side of the Plaza de Armas, which was built in 1550 and contains over four hundred XII century paintings done by the members of the renowned Cuzco School. In the cathedral you will see the Lord of the Earthquakes altar weighing over 52 pounds made of solid gold and studded with precious stones.
You will also explore Sacsayhuaman, located two kilometers from the city of Cuzco, an immense walled complex made up of huge stones distributed in a zigzag pattern in three platforms with an average of 1,181ft in length. These platforms are connected by flights of stairs and doorways also in stone; one of these is 29ft tall and 15ft wide and weighs more than 100 tons. The largest stone block found in Sacsayhuaman stands 27.88ft high and weighs 361 tons. Inca Pachacuti employed 20,000 men for the construction of the complex and it took approximately 50 years to complete. You will also visit the sites of Qenco and Tambomachay. Overnight in Cuzco.
B
Day 6
Cuzco – Out (Private Services)
Morning transfer to airport for flight out.
B
Trip Difficulty: Journey requires moderate walking at high altitude (11,000 feet). Travelers with health conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure should consult their physician before traveling.
Includes: Hotel accommodations based on double occupancy. Meals as specified in the itinerary, B=Breakfast; L= Lunch; D=Dinner. Private guide for the duration of the program in Cuzco and Sacred Valley. Private guide for first day visit to Machu Picchu. Private transportation and transfers in Cuzco and Sacred Valley. Entrance fee to all historic sites in Cuzco, Sacred Valley. First day entrance fee and bus ticket to Machu Picchu. Train to/from Machu Picchu. All private transfers from/to airport.
Not Included: International or domestic airfares, airport departure taxes or visa fees, excess baggage charges. Second day entrance fee or bus tickets to Machu Picchu. Additional nights during the trip due to flight cancellations, alcoholic beverages or bottled water, snacks, insurance of any kind, laundry, phone calls, radio calls or messages, reconfirmation of flights and items of personal nature. Tips.
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