The Sacred Valley and the short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is one of the most fascinating trips, starting from Cusco and ending at the World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu. It combines cultural activities and hiking on the original Inca Trail in the cloud forest to Machu Picchu, with outstanding views of the Urubamba mountain range. Highly recommended for those people or families who have limited travel time.
Meet Peru Cusco Guide at the Airport of Cusco, and please look for your Private Machu Picchu Guide holding a sign with your name on it. Our Guide will transfer you to your Hotel. We will help you to check in. We will give you recommendations for walking around the city center. Considering today is your acclimatization day.
Your private guide will collect you from your hotel. Drive to the archeological site of Saqsayhuaman considered one of the most important temples in the Inca times. After your visit, you continue driving to Llama and Alpaca farm Awanacancha. Along this drive, you will stop at beautiful viewpoints to see the amazing farming communities and the sacred valley, a large valley surrounded by Snowy peaks of mountains. In the middle of the valley flows the Vilcanota or Urubamba River, which was significant during the Inca period for agricultural production until today. We use irrigation systems for the production of corn, potatoes, quinoa, and vegetables in this valley, which is one of the sources of the Amazon River. Eventually, you will get to Pisaq archeological site, where you will explore with your private guide. After you finish, you will come down to the colonial town of Pisaq. Where you will explore the biggest local and handcraft make in the area. As well their specialty in this town is making Empanadas. Type of bread. If you like, you can try it after you drive along this beautiful valley, looking at the towns located on both sides and traditional Guinea pig restaurants. If you want to see and try it, let your Guide know to stop. As well, you have a choice of recommendation to stop for lunch. After lunch, you will visit Ollantaytambo archeological site, considered the last Inca living town beautiful small hospitable town. Where you pass the night. 2800 m.
Our guide will pick you up from the hotel in Ollantaytambo and walk you for 10 minutes to the train station. Here you will take the train for 1:20 hrs. Following this beautiful valley, you will be able to enjoy the change of landscape until you get to km 104. When you get to this place checkpoints, you will pass park rangers, and you will explore the first archeological site, Chachabamba. From here, you will start ascending the original Inca Trail for 3 hours until the Wiñayhuana Archeological site, where your guide will show you around this place. Then you will have a lunch break. After, you will continue hiking for one hour in this beautiful part of the Inca trail with a lush green forest and many exotic flowers like Orchids until you get to the Sungate. The first view of Machu Picchu. Here you will have spare time to enjoy the view of Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu mountain. After, you will descend for 45 minutes to the citadel. Here you will have plenty of time to take your photos of this Beautiful and peaceful ancient city of the Incas. Depending on the weather conditions, you will be able to see the Sunset of Machu Picchu. After your free time, we will go out of the citadel and take a bus for 30 minutes to Aguas Calientes Town to get to your Hotel. Your guide will provide you with detailed information for the next day.
Your private guide will pick you up at your hotel and bring you to the bus station to take the bus for 30 minutes to the entrance of Machu Picchu. You will enter the citadel and explore with your guide, and depending on if you have a ticket for Wayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain, you will be hiking. These are optional and additional fees. After your visit to Machu Picchu, you will take the bus back to Aguas Calientes town and have your own lunch. After your lunch, you will take the train back at 1:45h to Ollantaytambo. Then you will take private transportation 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 ...
