The Ultimate 5-Day Machu Picchu & Sacred Valley Experience

A 5-day Cusco package typically covers the city tour in Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu. The itinerary include Cusco City Tour, Sacred Valley (chinchero- maras- moray - Ollantaytambo), full-day Machu Picchu, and a high-altitude day trip like Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake. Packages usually include hotels, train tickets, tours, and transfers.This 5 Day packages tour includes the City tour, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Humantay Lake,

and Rainbow Mountain. First, you will visit the City tour visiting Qoricancha (the temple of the sun), the catedral and 4 Inca sites located outside of Cusco.
Then the Sacred Valley (the land of the Incas) where you visit a local textiles center with alpacas and llamas in Chinchero, Moray ruins, the salt pools of of teh incas and Ollantaytambo site.
The highlight of our Cusco 5 Day itinerary will be Machu Picchu itself. You will visit it with a private tour guide that is specialized in Machu Picchu. He will take you the best spots for pictures where you will take the classical Picture of Machu Picchu then explore the área in 3 hours.
Also, you will hike to Humantay Lake with glacier in the back. This 1.5-2 hour trekking tour rewards you with an amazing views of the picturesque lake and its valley. As we leave early for all of our tours in Cusco, we will get to the sites before the crowds get there.
Last, you can choose if you want to hike Classic Rainbow Mountain called Vinicunca or Palcoyo Mountain. Palccoyo Mountain is an easy 1-hour round trip hike with no big crowds around and you won’t only see one colorful Mountain, you will see more than 2 Rainbow Mountains. The Classical Rainbow Mountain is the more popular option with a more difficult hike but also a gorgeous view and the Red Valley

OVERVIEW

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ITINERARY

DAY 1 – CUSCO AIRPORT TRANSFER – CUSCO CITY TOUR
The 5 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 – 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 – RAINBOW MOUNTAIN (VINICUNCA) TOUR – CUSCO
The Rainbow Mountain tour starts with pick up at 5am from your hotel in Cusco.
Your private transportation will take you on a 2-hour drive through the picturesque towns and valleys of the Peruvian Andes until we reach the town of Cusipata. Here we will stop for a delicious breakfast in a local restaurant amidst the stunning backdrop of the surrounding mountain range.
After breakfast, your driver will transport you a further 40 minutes up the valley to the start of the hike. Accompanied by your guide, you will begin at elevation 4,650 m / 15,255 ft. If you do not wish to hike the 90 minute trail to the first viewpoint, our Rainbow Mountain tour offers you the option to hire the services of a horse to carry you for the first hour up the trail to viewpoint. Please bear in mind that if you wish to reach the highest viewpoint, you will need to hike the final 20 minutes on foot, to the summit at 5,040 m / 16,535 ft.
Once you have arrived at the viewpoint, you will be treated to the beautiful views of Vinicunca and its natural formation of mineral rich striking colors, including vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.
The mountains surrounding Vinicunca comprise the breathtaking hills of the Red Valley. The mountains get their name from the distinct presence of iron oxide in the rock, giving visitors a unique viewpoint of a deep red mountain range. Should you wish to view the valley from the Mirador del Valle Rojo, your guide will accompany you along the trail for an additional 30 minutes to enable you to get some even more astonishing photos. Thankfully, the red valley is much quieter than the trails of Rainbow Mountain, treating you to an exclusive experience amongst the Cordillera de los Andes.
Once you have taken in your surroundings and bagged as many photos as you can carry, you will descend back down the mountain with your guide. Your driver will be waiting for you to return at the end of the hike, ready to transport you back to the restaurant in Cusipata for a well deserved rest and lunch.
The final leg of the tour will be the 2 hour drive back to Cusco. Arrival at your hotel is approximately 4pm.

DAY 5 – CUSCO – AIRPORT TRANSFER – RETURN FLIGHT TO LIMA
Day 5 will begin with breakfast in your hotel in Cusco.
At the appropriate time you’ll be picked up by your driver, and transferred to Cusco airport in plenty time to board your return flight to Lima.