The Treasure of the Incas
The Peruvian Inca culture had enormous treasures of gold artifacts, exquisite jewels made of gold and silver, but also the discoveries revealed that its greatest wealth was the legacy of respect for its traditions, customs and nature, rather than the lost Inca gold , it was his knowledge that transcended time, and having as a clear example of his greatness, his Inca roads, the wonder of the World, Machu Picchu and other archaeological sites of Cusco and all of Peru.
Go back in time to the legendary land of the Incas and enjoy this trip.
Lima Hotel Transfer
08:00
This itinerary focuses on the most significant sites of the Inca Empire, immersing travelers in Peru’s ancestral heritage, while experiencing local people and ancient traditions. Get to know the locals in native communities and see how so many of their traditions remain unchanged from Inca times. Visit the Inca´s archeological masterpieces and revel in the dramatic landscape of Machu Picchu.
You´ll see the blend of pre-Inca, Inca and colonial cultures in historic Cusco, and be able to appreciate the influence they each have on the vibrant culture that lives today.
Welcome to Lima! Upon arrival to the airport, your guide will meet you to kick off your adventure. You’ll be transferred to your hotel in Miraflores and briefed on the details of the journey. Dinner is on your own tonight.
This morning, transfer back to the Lima airport with our local guide to help you with your luggage and check-in process for your one-hour flight to Cusco. Once you arrive to Cusco, your guide will be waiting for you. You’ll head straight to the Sacred Valley to the small town of Pisac, where you’ll enjoy a street market boasting fine handcrafts, jewelry workshops and a local bakery with homemade goods. Afterwards, you’ll head to the hotel located in the Valley at 9,000 ft. for an overnight stay.
Meet your guide at the hotel and explore the upper part of the valley in the towns of Maras, Moray and Chinchero. The town of Maras and its salt pans offer an impressive, continuous project going back to pre-Inka times, where locals have been constantly working and developing the salt water spring. Later, head to the Moray circular terraces, a site where different micro temperatures were used to experiment with crops.
At Chinchero, we’ll get to know the families aiming to preserve the traditional weaving methods and techniques going back for centuries. You see how they use natural sources to color the wool and use unique, traditional textile patterns to create modern day masterpieces. Afterwards, we’ll drive to Hacienda Lambarri at Huayocari for lunch, then we’ll stroll through the local museum before we head back to the hotel for the night.
This morning, reunite with your local expert and head to one of the most impressive archeological sites in the valley, the Ollantaytambo fortress. Afterwards, head to the community of Huilloc to meet a local Quechua-speaking family and try a local mint-infused drink. We’ll walk into town for some lunch where we’ll enjoy a real connection with local people.
Afterwards, we’ll drive back to the hotel where we’ll talk about your luggage what you should bring for our two-day visit to Machu Picchu. What you don’t bring along will be transported to your hotel in Cusco and will be waiting for you when we get back to the city.
This morning, we´ll leave the valley behind and begin out journey towards iconic Machu Picchu. You’ll check in with your passports and board the Vistadome train, offering fantastic views of the valley mountains and glaciers. Enjoy the luxury service provided on board this 1 hour and 45-minute journey to the town of Aguas Calientes. Once we arrive, we’ll hop on a bus for an exciting 25-minute ride up to the Machu Picchu ruins, where we’ll be guided through the site by our local expert. In the afternoon, we’ll head back to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town) for the night.
In the morning, we’ll catch the bus (the earlier the better) back to Machu Picchu to enjoy the tranquil morning views and explore places like the ‘sun gate’, the Inca Bridge and Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu Mountain, depending on the customization of your trip. Enjoy some free exploration time before we head back down to Aguas Calientes to catch our train back to Ollantaytambo station.
We’ll make our way back to the city of Cusco to enjoy the evening and experience our local gastronomy with a nice dinner.
Today, meet with your local guide and enjoy a drive through the city to the upper part of town where we’ll explore the impressive archeological sites of Sacsayhuaman and Q’enqo. Once we’re back in downtown Cusco, we’ll head into the heart of the kingdom to the Qorikancha palace which boasts some of the most impressive architecture built during the Inca expansion period, and one of the first temples built in the kingdom’s capital. We’ll head to the colonial Basilica Cathedral of Cusco, the most important and largest cathedral in South America.
This Baroque Rococo or Andean baroque style masterpiece houses a collection of paintings from the Cusquenian school of art dating back to the 17th century. In the afternoon, you’ll have time to stroll around town in search of your own treasures.
This morning, you’ll transfer back to the airport for your flight to Lima.
