Cusco and Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 11 days

Day-by-day itinerary:

Day 1: Transfer to the hotel in Lima

Cusco, the archaeological capital of the Americas and the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent, lies in exceptionally beautiful Andean countryside. It is 3400 metres above sea level and its legacy as the hub of the Inca Empire is readily apparent: Most of the city streets are lined with Inca-built stone walls and crowded with Quechua-speaking descendants of the Incas.

We begin our tour with a visit to the cathedral, which was built between 1560 and 1654 on the site of the palace of the Inca Wiracocha. It is a magnificent example of European art made by the indigenous population. Its main altar is completely covered in silver, and the church contains many fine paintings from the Cusco School of religious art. From the cathedral we move on to Qoricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun, where we will be able to see some of the finest remaining examples of Inca stonemasonry.

We will explore this ancient Inca sanctuary with its immense monolithic walls built from stones that weigh up to 130 tons each, all joined perfectly together. Sacsaywaman witnessed great events and bloodshed during the siege of Cusco at the time of the conquest. We will then visit the amphitheatre at Qenqo, the fortress of Puka Pukara and the ritual Inca baths at Tambomachay.

Pisaq market:

The colourful markets of the valley are open during the mornings, when you will be able to buy Peruvian crafts, jewellery and textiles, and see the traditional produce market where local people trade. Pisaq market is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and Chinchero market is open on Sundays.

The village of Ollantaytambo retains the original street plan of the Inca town, making it the only surviving example of Inca urban planning. Our tour will include a visit to the agricultural areas around the village, the irrigation system, granaries and the fortress-temple built by Inca Pachacuteq using stonemasons from the Colla culture around Lake Titicaca.

The salt mines at Maras consist of 3000 small pools. A number of salt water springsemerge from the hillside and are channelled along canals using the natural gradient. This process is repeated every three days and the water evaporates leaving behind the salt which slowly solidifies. This process takes one month, until a 10 cm layer of salt has formed. The salt is then packed into plastic sacks to be sold in the region’s local markets and exported as far away as Japan.

The Incas built a series of agricultural terraces in the form of a circular amphitheatre 150m in diameter. Moray was a centre for agricultural experiments and recent research has shown that the different levels of terraces represent different microclimates in the region and that temperatures between the terraces vary greatly. Using this technology, the Incas used Moray to domesticate and acclimatise the hybrids of wild plants which they created.

Salkantay / Chillca / Machu Picchu by train (5 days / 4 nights)

Day 5: Cusco / Mollepata / Soraypampa

Day 6: Cruz Qasa

Day 7: Inca Raqay

Day 8: Chillca

Today we leave the camp early and take a short walk to the train station for the ride to Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu, the so-called “Lost City of the Incas”, remains intact because it was never discovered by the invading Spanish. Constructed on a high, forested mountain overlooking the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu were lost in time and dense foliage until they were discovered in July 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.
Our guide will carefully explain the history of this unique place and guide us around its terraces, temples, palaces and watercourses.

Day 10: Free day in Machu Picchu

Day 11: Transfer to airport