Itinerary Expand allCuzco to Cuzco Day 1 Start Cuzco (3400m); afternoon walking tourThe trip starts in Cuzco (3400m) today. The group flights usually arrive late morning. The Inca capital - though small enough to be easily manageable - is among the most attractive cities in South America, with much of the centre comprising colonial-era buildings with Inca foundations, and it is full of interesting museums, churches and pre-Columbian sites. We will have a short walking tour of the city.It is recommended to take it easy upon arrival into Cuzco and to drink plenty of water to allow your body time to acclimatise to the altitude.There will be a welcome briefing in the hotel lobby this evening.Accommodation: Hotel Koyllur (or similar) Day 2 Full day walking tour of nearby ruins including Tambomachay and SacsayhuamanThe hills above Cuzco city are dotted with some of the most interesting Inca ruins. We drive to the highest, Tambomachay, and return on foot to Cuzco via Puca Pucara, Qenco and Sacsayhuaman: an easy acclimatisation walk to get used to the altitude. An open-air picnic lunch is included during the hike near the spectacular ruins.Walk Profile: approx. 6.5km / 5-6hrs walking (inclusive of the time for visiting the sites)Accommodation: Hotel Koyllur (or similar) Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Day 3 Free day for optional activities in and around CuzcoToday has been left free for exploring Cuzco, one of South America's most beautiful cities. The Plaza de Armas is a fantastic spot for people-watching, and Qorikancha – the Sun Temple, located in the Santo Domingo Church and monastery, are worth a visit. The Mercado San Pedro is the place to try some local produce and there are many handicraft markets to shop for souvenirs such as alpaca jumpers and scarves.If you fancy something more active then there is an array of other optional activities available from Cuzco including paddle-boarding on a lake, mountain biking, or a combination of via ferrata and zip-lining in the Sacred Valley.Accommodation: Hotel Koyllur (or similar) Meals included: Breakfast Day 4 Sacred Valley trekToday we drive from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo (approximately 2 hrs drive) and then on to the Pumamarca ruins (approx. 30 minutes). These ruins are the remains of a hillside fortress and are built on a steep slope overlooking the Sacred Valley. Pumamarca ruins are less visited than others in the area so our time here should be relatively uninterrupted. After we finish exploring the Pamamarca ruins, we’ll walk back through the valley to Ollantaytambo, with views of the terraced countryside along the way. The walk should take about 3 hours.Walk Profile: approx. 3.7km / 3 hrs walkingAccommodation: Tunupa Lodge (or similar) Meals included: Breakfast Day 5 Day walk along Inca Trail via Winay Wayna ruinsToday we have a day walk along a section of the Inca Trail, starting early with a train from Ollantaytambo. After showing our passports at the check point, we will pass by the archaeological site of Chachabamba and start our trek. The trail has impressive views of the valley and the Urubamba River, with orchids and begonias along the way and the sight of magnificent mountains all around. The trail passes the ruins of Wiñay Wayna where we will stop to explore and have our packed lunch. After visiting the attractive ruins of Wiñay Wayna, we have an undulating walk through cloud forest high above the river to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate. From here we get our first full sight of Machu Picchu itself, with Huayna Picchu rising behind.Walk Profile: approx. 11km / 6-7hrs walkingAccommodation: Intipunku El Tambo (or similar) Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Day 6 Guided tour of Machu Picchu; return to Cuzco by train and road.In order to beat the day-trippers arriving from Cuzco and reach the ruins as early as possible, a very early start is required to queue for Machu Picchu; only government-registered buses can make the 30-minute drive up the winding road to the site entrance, and during high season (May-October) queues can be long. Machu Picchu is one of the architectural and engineering marvels of the ancient world and what makes it all the more dramatic is its mountain backdrop of staggering immensity. The Spaniards never found it; the Incas left no records of it, and so Machu Picchu remained a great enigma, a city lost for centuries in the jungle until it was rediscovered in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. New regulations for visiting Machu Picchu are now fully enforced; of the three possible visiting slots, we will purchase the morning slot from 06:00 until 12:00 (unless unavailable), you will be limited to a maximum of four hours within the site and must be accompanied by a guide. There will also be three set routes to follow around Machu Picchu; we select the most comprehensive route. We catch an afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo (1hr 30 mins) and continue by private bus to Cuzco (2hrs 30 mins).Accommodation: Hotel Koyllur (or similar) Meals included: Breakfast Day 7 End CuzcoOur adventure ends in Cuzco after breakfast today. Meals included: Breakfast
Amazon Rainforest extension (from Cuzco) Code: XPC Easily accessible via a short flight to Puerto Maldonado from Cuzco, the Amazon is the world's largest rainforest and home to an astonishing array of wildlife, as well as countless plant species. Spending three nights at a lodge in the incredibly rich Tambopata Reserve, we use motorised canoes to explore its lakes and rivers, and follow jungle trails to discover its dense forests. The detailed itinerary can be found here.Please ask your sales consultant for more details.Price from: £449 (compulsory supplement of £80 for single travellers)
Lake Titicaca extension Code: XPT Journey across the spectacular high altiplano to Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable freshwater lake (3,800m). Explore its waters by boat and visit the descendants of the Uros Indians who live on floating reed islands, and are also known for producing fine textiles. Back on the mainland, we visit the pre‐ Incan site of Sillustani, comprised of burial towers with fantastic views over the region. The Titicaca Extension is only available after your main tour as we do not recommend arriving straight into Puno due to the altitude. The detailed itinerary can be found here. Please ask your sales consultant for more details. Price from: £209 (compulsory supplement of £48 for single travellers)
PeruVisas are not required by UK citizens, Western European nationals, Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and most other nationalities. If you are in any doubt please contact the nearest Peruvian Embassy.
PeruThere are no mandatory vaccination requirements.Recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A.Zika fever is a mosquito‐borne viral disease and a known risk in places visited on this trip. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, we therefore strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. If you are travelling to the Tambopata reserve in the Amazon rainforest, the risk of malaria is slight, but you may wish to consult your GP or travel health clinic for further advice. We also strongly recommend that you obtain a Yellow Fever vaccination. Dengue fever and/or Chikungunya are known risks in the Amazon region. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites: always apply insect repellent and wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers while in the rainforest to avoid being bitten.
Hotels The hotels normally used are indicated within the itinerary, however, accommodation may differ from those stated depending on your departure date.In Cuzco we will stay at small, locally run hotels where possible, all located in the historical centre of Cuzco, within walking distance of the beautiful Plaza de Armas and close to restaurants and shops. The hotels each feature cozy rooms, buffet breakfasts and free WiFi. Most hotels have a safety deposit box in the room but if not, there will be one at the reception.In Aguas Calientes, we stay in a centrally located hotel with comfortable rooms, buffet breakfasts and free WiFi. Unfortunately, there is a railway line that runs straight through the centre of Aguas Calientes and whilst we try to allocate rooms away from it whenever possible, the trains might be heard from some rooms.Please note that central heating is very rare in Peru, even in good standard hotels, however, most hotels provide plug-in heaters and spare blankets which should keep you warm. While all of the hotels we use do have a hot water supply, it can be temperamental when there is high demand.Should you wish to extend your stay, we can book extra nights accommodation in Cuzco for you. While we endeavour to book your pre/post tour accommodation in the same hotel that you will start/end the trip, it may not always be possible. If your extra accommodation is in a different hotel to where the group will start/end the trip it is your responsibility to make arrangements to get to/from that start/end hotel.We recommend the early booking of single supplements and of pre/post-tour accommodation. Single accommodation can be arranged, subject to availability. Please request this at the time of booking.
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