The Essential Peru: Cusco, Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu Classic

Explore this Peru hotspot - Cusco City Tour, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu 4D/3N
Get to know the City of Cusco, the Sacred Valley and the sanctuary of Machu Picchu on a 4 day tour. Starting from the moment you land at the airport in Cusco to the moment you return for your flight back home. Designed for those with limited time in Peru, we can offer you the chance to make the most of a 2 night stay in Cusco and a 1 night stay in Aguas Calientes,

all while exploring the Inca capital and its famous archaeological sites, the breathtaking Sacred Valley of the Incas, as well as a day at one of the 7 wonders of the world, Machu Picchu.
Your 3-hour guided tour of Machu Picchu will take you on a journey through Inca antiquity, and the famed historical sites within the citadel. These include the panoramic viewpoint, temple of the sun, central plaza, palace of the Inca, the solar observatory (Intiwatana), temple of the condor and the iconic stepped terraces.
An magical tour packed full of bucket list moments that will surely leave you craving for more!

OVERVIEW

Day 1 – Cusco airport pick up and transfer – Cusco city tour
Hotel night in Cusco
Day 2 – Cusco – Tour Sacred Valley of the Inkas – Aguas Calientes town
Hotel night in Aguas Calientes town
Day 3 – Machu Picchu tour – return to Cusco
Hotel night in Cusco
Day 4 – Cusco – airport transfer – return flight to Lima

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ITINERARY

DAY 1 – CUSCO AIRPORT TRANSFER – CUSCO CITY TOUR
The 4 day tour to Machu Picchu will start with a personal reception at Cusco airport by your guide and driver, who will accompany you in your private transport to your hotel in Cusco.
Once at the hotel you can relax and enjoy an aromatic cup of coca-leaf tea and take lunch (not included) in one of the local restaurants, before beginning the afternoons’ tour of Cusco.
At 1.30pm you will regroup with your tour guide and private transportation to commence the tour of the Inca capital. The 4-hour tour will take you on a journey through Cusco’s most prominent historical sites such as the Temple of the Sun or Qoricancha, which was the religious, geographical, and political center of Cusco during the period of the Incas. The astounding Inca fortress of Sacsayhuamán, whose stonework is so impeccable that it is said ‘will endure as long as the world itself’. And finally Q’enqo, a sacred Incan pilgrimage site, that once served as an astronomical observatory and mummification house.
On the City Tour Cusco, your personal tour guide will also accompany you around the famous San Pedro market and Plaza de Armas before returning you back to your hotel for 6pm.

DAY 2 – CUSCO – CHINCHERO – MORAY – MARAS – URUBAMBA – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES
The tour to the sacred valley starts at 7:30am with the pick up from your hotel in Cusco.
After a 1-hour drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, you will participate in a short experiential tour with the local community and their resident alpacas in the town of Chinchero. Your guide will then accompany you around the local market and take you on a tour of the Colonial Temple.
The next destination of the day will be the circular, agricultural platforms of Moray. An experimental and research centre of the Incas, due to its ever changing micro-climate and surrounding mountain range. After visiting Moray, you’ll be driven the short distance to the salt mines of Maras. A unique collection of salt wells that have been formed into stepped terraces, fed by a nearby irrigation channel. Here your tour guide will educate you on the traditional ‘mining’ practices of the local people and the historical significance of the salt mines to the region.
The afternoons’ tour will begin surrounded by the natural beauty of Urubamba. The largest town in the sacred valley and our lunch destination for the day. With a multitude of restaurants to choose from, you can treat yourself to anything from local cuisine, to a buffet lunch from only $20 USD (optional extra cost).
After lunch, your transport will take you alongside the Urubamba River, to the picturesque town of Ollantaytambo. Here your guide will accompany you through the bustling local markets and the famous Inca fortress that towers above the town. The strategic position and architectural sophistication of the site, offers visitors some of the most spectacular views of the sacred valley from above. The exquisite stonework and rich history of Ollantaytambo will take you and your guide on an impressive journey through Inca antiquity, before you complete the days’ tour of the sacred valley at Ollantaytambo train station.
The final journey of the day will be aboard the tourist train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town). The 1 hour 45 minute train ride will treat you to breathtaking scenes of snow-capped mountains, Inka farming terraces and of course more remarkable Inka ruins. After which you will once again be greeted by your tour guide, and escorted to your hotel in the town of Aguas Calientes, the home of Machu Picchu.

DAY 3 – MACHU PICCHU TOUR – OLLANTAYTAMBO – CUSCO
After taking breakfast in your hotel, your guide will meet you at reception for the travel to Machu Picchu and escort you the bus station where you will board the tourist bus to the Lost City of the Incas. The scenic route from Aguas calientes takes you on a 30 minute bus ride up the mountainside to the entrance of Machu Picchu. Once inside, you will be taken on a 3-hour journey through the rich history of the citadel as you make your way through the complex with your personal tour guide. Aswell as visiting the famous sites of the temple of the sun, the central plaza and the stepped terraces, you will have plenty opportunity to take the bucket list photos you came for atop the panoramic viewpoint of Machu Picchu. Before boarding the bus back down the mountain, your guide will also allow you time to explore the mysteries of the sanctuary alone.
Once you have regrouped with your guide and taken the bus back to Aguas Calientes, there will be time to take lunch in one of Machu Picchu towns’ many restaurants (optional extra), before boarding the train back to Ollantaytambo. There you will be greeted by your guide and private transportation who will take you on the 2-hour drive back to your hotel in Cusco. Arrival time in Cusco is approximately 6.30pm.
*There will also be time to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain in this tour after your guided tour of the Inca citadel. However please be aware, this will be an extra cost of $75 USD per person and will involve an extra 2-hours hiking. Return to Cusco will therefore be aboard a later train and arrival time in Cusco will be approx 8.30pm.

DAY 4 – CUSCO – AIRPORT TRANSFER – RETURN FLIGHT TO LIMA
Day 4 will begin with breakfast in your hotel in Cusco.
At the appropriate time you’ll be picked up by your guide and driver, and transferred to Cusco airport in plenty time to board your return flight to Lima.

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