Cusco To Machu Picchu Tour 5 Days / 4 Nights

Upon your arrival to Cusco, we will take you to the hotel and then join your guide for a tour briefing about the wonderful Cusco Tours 5 Days 4 Nights that awaits you. Today, begin the tour with a trip around Cusco to enjoy the sights of the Inca Capital. We’ll see both Cusco’s indigenous and colonial heritage then you’re free to spend the evening at leisure by exploring Cusco’s nightlife or sampling some of its many typical restaurants.

At 12:30 p.m., we will meet you at your hotel lobby to begin your tour. From here, you will head to Cusco’s Plaza de Armas, where you will visit the famous cathedral. Following, you will continue on foot through an ancient Inca-built street from the Plaza de Armas to the Q’oricancha, the Temple of the Sun. At the Q’oricancha you will be able to compare and contrast the building methods of the Incan culture and Catholicism. This was the key spiritual center of the Incas, which leads to all four quarters of the Inca Empire. There is also a bronze, high altar to be seen.

From Q’oricancha, your group will walk down Avenida El Sol, where you will take your bus 25 minutes outside of the city. You will be taken to the majestic Inca site, Sacsayhuaman, with its enigmatic, 200 ton monoliths, you will be able to hear from your guide and then, explore on your own.

From Sacsayhuaman, you will take a five minute bus ride to the Q’enqo Inca site to see its fascinating Incan altars. Following, you will take another five minute drive to Puca Pucara, a small, circular Inca site. The final stop on our tour is Tambomachay, a water temple with impressive water fountains, thought to be used by the Inca for bathing. We’ll then drive back down to Cusco where the tour ends in the main square, unless you are taking a private tour, in which case, we will return you to your hotel.

*Optional Buffet Dinner with Folkloric Show: Adding $39 per person.

• Accommodations: Hotel in Cusco.
• Meals Included: None
• Entrance Tickets: Included

Begin your journey through the Inca heartland with a full day Sacred Valley tour. The Sacred Valley of the Incas, just outside of Cusco, is a gorgeous sprawling span of green farms, lofty terraced mountains along with numerous quaint towns unmoved by time. The Sacred Valley is the center of lively festivals and the best handicrafts in Peru.

Our first stop is the artisanal capital of Peru, the small village of Pisac; It’s famous for its craft market in the main plaza, busiest on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, where local natives come to sell their colorful woven cloth, alpaca wool ponchos and fashions, reproductions of ancient jewelry, engraved gourds and much, much more. Pisac is the best stop in Peru for mementos of your trip to bring home to family and friends and then drive to Urubamba for lunch.

After a delicious lunch in Urubamba, we’ll travel Ollantaytambo, the only Inca town that remains inhabited. This traditional town is a wonderful example of pre-Colombian architecture. Here we will explore the expansive ruins overlooking the town and discuss their history and traditional beliefs of the people of the Sacred Valley.

Later in the afternoon in Ollantaytambo we’ll catch the train to Aguas Calientes to get ready to explore Machu Picchu early the next morning.

• Overnight in Aguas Calientes.
• Meal Include: Breakfast and Buffet Lunch.
• Entrance Ticket: Included.

After an early breakfast at your hotel, take one of the first busses up to Machu Picchu so that you can be there to witness the sunrise. It is a truly extraordinary site and not something you’ll want to miss! The guide will give you a tour of about two hours. See many of the most important parts of Machu Picchu Citadel.  You will also learn about how Machu Picchu is divided into three sectors: agricultural, residential and religious.

When you have had your fill of the exceptional views of Machu Picchu, you will take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes for lunch (not included). Depending on your train departure time, you may also have time for some shopping, sightseeing or a visit to the museum or hot springs.

The train will take you back to Ollantaytambo at 2:30pm or 3:20pm, following the spectacular Urubamba River. Close to Aguas Calientes, the canyon is narrow and the river has many beautiful sections of whitewater. See the site of Wiñay Wayna from the train, if you look up the steep canyon wall! After 2 hours we will arrive at Ollantaytambo. From here we will take a bus to the city of Cusco and we will leave you at your hotel.

Note: Machu Picchu Inca site is different from Machu Picchu Mountain. When most people refer to Machu Picchu, they are referring to the archeological site. Machu Picchu Mountain requires a separate permit to climb. Please notify us if you are interested and we can book this for you. It must be done in advance and is a part of your entry into the site.

• Overnight in Cusco.
• Meals Include: Breakfast.
• Entrance Tickets: Included.

After enjoying breakfast at the hotel, our guide and driver will pick you up at about 9:00 am and we’ll head out on a colorful journey through amazing scenery and typical Andean towns that surround Cusco. Our first stop will be Maras. From Maras, we can appreciate the Cordillera Vilcanota and the snowy summits of El Chicon and Veronica.

Today this quaint village is an attractive mix of pre-Hispanic, colonial and republican period Peruvian architecture.  Our morning continues at the archaeological complex of Moray, located 7 miles southwest of Maras, are a set of enormous terraces that overlap concentrically in a giant hole. These beautiful terraces served the Inca Empire as an agricultural laboratory, a “prototype greenhouse.”  Finally, we’ll visit the salt pans located northwest of the town of Maras.

The salt pans are made up of about 2,000 small pools with an average area of ​​about 5 m².  These fascinating pools have been in use since Inca and colonial times and are still used today by surrounding villagers. After our visit, we’ll return to Cusco and let you off at your hotel.

• Accommodation: Hotel in Cusco
• Meals Include: Breakfast.
• Entrance Tickets: Included

After an early breakfast at the hotel we’ll pick you up and take you to the airport for your journey home or on to your next destination for us we finish the Cusco Tours 5 Days 4 Nights.