Tour type: Historical, Cultural and nature

Recommended season: All year round

Difficulty: Moderate

Highlights: Home Stay, Women weavers, Pisaq, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu archeological sites.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Embrace the local living in Ccaccaccollo village

To begin this experience we will pick you up from your hotel around 10am in our private van.

Next we will go to the small community of Ccaccaccollo, which is located 1 hour away from Cusco City. Here the elevation is almost the same as Cusco City.

On arriving at the village, you will meet your host family where you will have lunch with them.

You will learn about their daily living activities, how they farm their crops and have some interaction with some of the animals. The locals mainly speak the Inca language (Quechua), and some speak Spanish as their second language. If you prefer to your guide to stay with you, he/she will be your translator.

The families involved in this experience have simple, warm and clean rooms to stay the night in these houses also have toilets and showers.

Meals included: lunch and dinner

Accommodation: local house 

Day 2: Ccaccaccollo village – Pisaq Inca – Ollantaytambo – Train to Machupiccho.

After having breakfast at around 7:30am, you will visit the women weaving group in the village.

Here, you will see the traditional animals of the Incas: llamas and alpacas. Your guide will give you background information, show you the textile center where the local ladies will explain the process of working with alpaca wool; showing you how the wool is woven and colored. In which your guide is going to be the translator. Good quality alpaca wool will be for sale. Then, we’ll drive to El Mirador del Valle Sagrado, the Sacred Valley Lookout Point, for amazing views and photos. Following, we will continue the journey to the Pisaq Inca Archeological site, located on top of Pisaq Mountain in the Sacred Valley.

Your tour guide will take you to the most impressive spots. Then, we will drive along the valley for about 1 hour, until we reach Urubamba, where we will stop for lunch. You will have an amazing selection of fresh dishes, served buffet-style. After lunch, we will drive to Ollantaytambo, where the second heaviest Inca monoliths are to be found. The ruins have an amazing Temple of the Sun, and The Temple of the 10 Niches. This living Incan town displays narrow walkways, lined with water channels. If your departing train is at 7 p.m., you will have time to explore more of the town and enjoy dinner. If your departing train is at 3:36 p.m., you will need to head to the train station and catch your train to Aguas Calientes, where you may have dinner there (the train schedule will depend on how far in advance you are booking and/or the availability of the train.) The train trip to Aguas Calientes is just under two hours, descending into the Cloud Forest, where you will see orchids, bromeliads and ferns.

 Meals included: breakfast and lunch

 Acommodation included: 3 star hotel 

Day 3: Aguas Calientes Town – Machu Picchu – Cusco

On this day you will visit Machu Picchu. You will be visiting the famous Sacred City of the Incas, one of the seven wonders. On this day you will explore the Sacred City with your tour guide. Most people prefer to rise at 4 a.m. and walk to the bus station to take one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu. It is recommended to arrive at the ruins as soon as they open, at 6 a.m., to catch the magical mists on the ruins as the sun rises. There will then be a 25 minute bus ride to Machu Picchu.

Once you arrive at the checkpoint, you will need to show your original passport. Then, your tour guide will take you to postcard photo views before the day trippers arrive. Then, we will start the two hour guided, walking tour, exploring all of the famous places of this impressive citadel.

If you have booked permits to climb HUAYNA PICCHU MOUNTAIN or MACHU PICCHU

MOUNTAIN, you will head to that adventure on your own. After your Machu Picchu experience, you will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes. We recommend you have your lunch there before taking the train back to Ollantaytambo. Where we take our private van back to cusco.

Meal included: Only breakfast at the hotel

INCLUDED

• A professional English, Spanish and Quechua speaking guide.
• Home stay in the local village
• We include a 3 star Hotel in Aguas Calientes. Our price is based on two people per room. There is a $50 surcharge for a single (prices vary by hotel).
• Private car Cusco- Ccaccaccollo village and for sacred valley tour.
• Round trip train tickets on expedition service.
• Bus tickets up and down in Machu Picchu.
• Transfer from Ollantaytambo train station to Cusco.
• Meals 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 dinner.
• Entrance to Machu Picchu Citadel

NOT INCLUDED

• Entrance to Huayna Picchu Mountain.
• Entrance to Machu Picchu Mountain.
• Tipping is always appreciated and should be based completely on your satisfaction.
• Entrance tickets to archeological sites of sacred valley: 70 soles (1 day pass) or you can buy the 130 soles (10 day pass). If you plan to spend more days in Cusco. Take cash in soles to get the entrance ticket at the first archeological site.
• Travel Insurance, this is not required but always recommended.

WHAT TO BRING IN YOUR DAYPACK ON THE INCA TRAIL?

• Original Passport
• Good daypack (the smaller, the better)
• Reusable water bottle or camelback
• Toilet paper
• Hand Sanitizer
• Sun hat
• Sunscreen
• Rain gear (rainy season)
• Snacks like chocolate bars, cereal bars or dried fruit
• Extra money for souvenirs, drinks & tips
• Personal toiletries
• Your personal medication

WHAT TO PACKIN IN THE DUFFEL BAG?

• Clothes for 3 days
• Sandal
• Towel
• Personal toiletries
• Swimming clothes