The sacred valley of the Incas is known for its beautiful breathtaking views of the Urubamba mountain range. Today your private guide will pick you up from your hotel, you will drive to Chinchero village where you visit and explore the archeological site. Then you will continue driving until Moray, experts today believe their grassy amphitheaters served as an agricultural research center in Inca times, for the circular architecture that provides a different microclimate for each terrace. After, we will drive to (Salineras) salt pans. Along this drive, we will pass true the town of Maras, a small colonial town, very well known as a provider of salt to the Cusco region back in Inca and colonial times. Salineras has over 3800 salt ponds still in use nowadays and is owned by the local community of Maras and Pichinccoto, here you will have the opportunity to try the salty water coming underground as well as taste the salt which has a lot of minerals. After your visit, you will continue driving to Ollantaytambo, considered the last living Inca village, where you will explore the town and the archeological site. After you explore, your guide will take you to the train station. From here, you will take the train for 1:45 hrs to Aguas Calientes town, where you will spend the night in the Hotel.
After Breakfast, your guide will pick you up from your hotel for a short bus journey to the entrance of Machu Picchu. Today you will explore this magical Inca city and enjoy learning about it was built and discovered for 3 hours. You will then have spare time to wander around, and if you got a Ticket for Wayna Picchu, you can climb.
Note. There are just 400 visitors allowed per day. You have to book in advance the entrance, with us in the afternoon, we meet in the town of Aguas Calientes. From here, we take the train back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy, depending on the space, and private transportation back to your Hotel Cusco.
The Cusco Region mainly presents two seasons, the rainy season, from November to April, with the heaviest rainfalls usually occurring between January, February, and March, and the dry season from May to October. The dry season is colder, so temperatures can drop to below 0 degrees at night.
Along the Inca Trail, the temperature ranges from 15-20°c during the day if it’s sunny, to 10-28°c during the day if not sunny, or 05-15°c at night in the first two campsites. At Wiñay Wayna and Machu Picchu, at a lower altitude, temperatures are usually warmer, though warm clothes are still recommended at night.
There are benefits and drawbacks to visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu during each season. The dry season is usually crowded at all the sites, and especially on the Inca Trail, you need to ensure your permit at least six months in advance.
The rainy season can be a very pleasant time for you who are looking to do cultural tours or for you who will design your vacations without trekking, including visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu with fewer people.
The altitude of Cusco city: 3400 meters
The population of Cusco: 1,300,000
With the new regulations of the Peruvian government, the Machu Picchu entrance tickets go on sale from 6.00 am to 3.00 pm.
With the new regulations from the Peruvian government, the Wayna Picchu tickets go on sale from 7.00 am until 10:00 to 11:000 am. The hike Will take 45 minutes up and 30 minutes down all the way. The step is not recommendable for people who have vertigo.
Note: It’s essential to book in advance to ensure your entrance tickets to the sites.
The hike will take you 1.45 hrs and 1:00 hrs down. The tickets go on sale in two windows of time from 6 to 7 a.m., and the second group is from 8 to 9 a.m. Takes longer, but it’s more beautiful.
It is the biggest problem in South America, not just in Peru. It can affect us on our tour treks. Roads are often blocked as well as trains stop their operations. Usually, the advice is two weeks in advance to prevent do not affect too much any of this country’s problems on our tours. In the worst-case, Private Machu Picchu Will let you know to cancel the tours or treks. Your health and safety are our top priorities.
Cusco has an airport, mostly for domestic flights from inside the country. Our international airport is Jorge Chavez in Lima.
LATAM Airlines is the biggest company that operates in Peru and has connections all over the world. It is the only airline that doesn’t have too many cancellations in the weather conditions here in Cusco. The time flight from Lima to Cusco is one hour. You can always connect your flights to Puno, Arequipa, Puerto Maldonado Jungle, Iquitos, or the north of Peru, in our extension tours.
There is always a bus option from Lima to Cusco. The time will take you 22 hours.
Peruvian cuisine is recognized for its biodiversity of products and continues conquering the whole world. Peruvian food is being awarded internationally for owning the most delicious food in the world.
The Cusco Region has unique gastronomy for the use of local products like potatoes, quinoa, corn, a variety of vegetables, and its exotic fruits, plus guinea pig and alpaca meat. Your travel expert will recommend restaurants that you can visit here in Peru and Cusco.
On our treks, we provide you with delicious food. You just need to make sure to let us know your dietary restrictions before departure on our treks, as well as our chefs are well-experienced in cooking in the mountains.
An extra hotel night in Aguas Calientes can be booked for you at an additional cost depending on the Hotel you choose. Please note that the additional entrance fee cost is not included if you wish to revisit Machu Picchu the following day.
Massage sessions: us$50 per 1-hour session. Our massage therapists have the highest recognition in Cusco.
I’ve just gotten back from a 2.5 week trip to Peru organised by Private Machu Picchu. Jose planned an excellent itinerary...
This being my second visit to Peru, I was not prepared to be totally overwhelmed by the attention to detail, in depth knowledge...
Wonderful experience with this small local company. Created a personalised, 5 day itinerary, organised all the transport, accom...
We took the 5 day/4 night Inca Trail Trek with Private Machu Picchu, and added an extra day in Machu Picchu Pueblo for birding ...
