The Sun Path and Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 14 Days

We’ll be waiting for you at the airport or bus terminal to bring you to your hotel. The rest of the day will be a free day for you to enjoy. Overnight in hotel.

On your second day in Lima, we’ll take a city tour to visit some of the most important sites. We’ll start by picking you up from your hotel and walking towards the city center. Here we’ll admire the beautiful colonial building around the main square, Plaza Mayor, like the Government Palace, the Lima Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Municipal Palace. Some buildings are actually mansions and still have their original wooden balconies typical of that period.

We’ll also visit the more modern pat of Lima by visiting "El Olivar" in San Isidro Miraflores residential area and the Larco Mar shopping center, which offers a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean and contains souvenir shops where you can buy good quality fabrics made from vicuña and alpaca wool. Overnight in hotel.

Today we’ll pick you up very early from your hotel in Lima and take a bus to Paracas. From here we’ll go to the coast so we can tour the Ballestas Islands by boat. During our tour we’ll see the mysterious Candelabra which can be seen from the boat and from there we’ll visit the Ballestas Islands which is a paradise for sea life! There are many types of sea birds and seals playing in the water or on shore.

After our fun with the sea animals, we’ll head back to the harbor of Paracas where, when you get off the boat, will likely have some time to walk around the area or go souvenir shopping. From here we’ll board a bus which will head out to the Huacachina Oasis which is right outside of the city of Ica where we’ll have lunch and stay the night. Overnight in hotel.

Optional: You can take sandboarding, dune buggy, or other adventure tours in this area.

Today we’ll leave the Huacachina Oasis and head for Nazca by touristic transportation. The trip will take about 2 hours and you’ll be able to enjoy the local landscapes along the way. We’ll go to the local airport where we’ll first watch an informational video to help you understand what you will see during your flight over the Nazca Lines. The flight will take about 35 minutes and you’ll be able to see different representations of animals and other figures.

A few you’ll likely see are condor, spider, monkey, etc. You’ll also see large lines that make geometric shapes. After we land we’ll have lunch and then continue our trip to Cusco on a night bus.

When you arrive in Cusco, we’ll bring you to your hotel and giving you the rest of the day off to do as you please. Overnight in hotel.

We’ll have a 5 hour tour of a few of the important sites to visit in Cusco today. We’ll start by visiting Koricancha/Santo Domingo Monastery. Koricancha, according to historians, was believed to be the main temple where the Incas worshiped the Sun God. But when the Spanish conquistadors arrived they removed many of the golden decorations and statues as well as destroying most of the building. There is still a large part of the bottom of Koricancha which is now part of the Santo Domingo Monastery which you can still see today. From here we’ll leave the city and visit Sacsayhuaman which, although also partially destroyed by the Spanish after an Inca rebellion, is still very impressive with its large blocks of stone. Some weigh more than 100 tons!

We’ll travel on to Quenqo meaning ‘labyrinth.’ Experts believe this site was used for ceremonial purposes. This is also the beginning of the famous Inti Raymi festival. Next on our list will be Pucapucara which is believed to be a control point where the Incas controlled the entrance into Cusco. Our last stop will be the temple dedicated to the worship of water Tambomachay before going back to Cusco. Overnight in hotel.

Today we’ll go through the Sacred Valley of the Incas on a tour which will likely last about 10 hours, taking up most of the day. We’ll begin with our visit to Pisac and its P’isaq Archaeological Park and Pisac Market. The Pisac Market is famous for the many handmade goods like textiles, pottery, paintings, jewelry and more. You can also hangout at one of the cafes and watch the business at the market instead.

After visiting Pisac we’ll travel to Urubamba for a buffet lunch. After lunch we’ll keep traveling to Ollantaytambo, where we’ll see many examples of Inca architecture throughout the town. Historians believe that Ollantatambo may have been a large fortress. After our visit to Ollantaytambo we’ll go on to Chinchero which also means ‘Rainbow City’ which has a great view of the area around it. The people living there still hold on to traditions generations old. People also come to see their church with its painted murals and traditional market. From Chinchero, we’ll return to Cusco around 7:00. Overnight in hotel.

We’re going to hike the Inca trail starting today! We’ll begin by picking everyone up from their hotels and driving to KM82 which will take about 2 ½ hours giving you some time to rest along the way or eat a snack if you weren’t able to eat breakfast beforehand. KM82 will be our first checkpoint for the Inca Trail so make sure you bring along your passport which matches your Inca Trail permit and your ISIC (International Student Identity Card) if you booked your tour with a student discount. From here we’ll start hiking to Miskay. When we reach Miskay we’ll have lunch and a short break to rest. After we’ve had lunch we’ll hike to Wayllabamba which will be an uphill hike for about 2 hours. This will be our first camp and if we’ve made good time on our trek today, we’ll have time to relax before dinner giving us time to get to know the rest of the people in our group!.

Today we’ll be woken up with a hot cup of coca tea before breakfast! After breakfast together we’ll start hiking up to Dead Woman Pass which will likely be the most difficult part of your Inca Trail trek! Dead Woman Pass is at 4600 meters and the hike there will likely take about 5 hours. When we reach the pass we’ll have some time to rest and take picutres from this height. After our break we’ll continue hiking to Paccaymayu, which will be downhill. Today will have been a tiring day, so you’ll especially enjoy the dinner and get a very good night’s sleep! But due to the elevation of the camp (3600 meters) tonight will also be the coldest, so make sure to bring a warm sleeping bag!.

Today we’ll wake up to a hot cup of tea again and after breakfast we’ll continue hiking. We’ll hike up hill from camp for about an hour to Runkuraqhay where we’ll visit the Inca ruins and then climb the Runkuraqhay Pass which is at 4000 meters. After this part we’ll hike downhill for about 45 minutes to the Sayacmarka ruins and from there to Chakiccocha where we’ll have lunch today.

Afterwards we’ll hike to the Phuyupatamarka ruins and then to the Phuyupatamarka Pass which is at 3600 meters. From here we’ll hike down to Wiñayhuayna which should take an additional 2 hours. Wiñayhuayna will be our campsite where we’ll have dinner together for the last time with your group. It will also be the last time you’ll have dinner with the porters and your cook, so it will be a goodbye dinner of sorts where you can say goodbye and if you would like to leave them a tip, this would be a good time.

Today will be the last day of our Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu! We’ll wake up early and have breakfast before heading to the Inca Trail checkpoint where they’ll check your passport and ISIC (if this applies to you) again and you’ll have to wait a little while before they let you enter. When we can pass we’ll hike to the Sun Gate where we’ll have our first view of Machu Picchu! From here we’ll hike on to Machu Picchu where they will want to check our documents again. Beforehand, you can take a bathroom break outside of the city and store your large backpack which will cost 3 Peruvian Nueva Soles.

Once everyone is inside, you’ll take a guided tour of the main areas of Machu Picchu for about 2 hours. After seeing most of the main sites with the guide, you’ll have time to roam around the ancient city on your own. Afterwards, you’ll take one of the buses down to Aguas Calientes. Here you can have lunch (not included) or go souvenir shopping if you’ve given yourself enough time before your train leaves. According to your schedule, you’ll board the Expedition train to Ollantaytambo where we’ll be waiting to pick you up to bring you to Cusco. Overnight in hotel.

Note: The time table for the trains may change according to the train company’s availability. There will also be changes to your itinerary and price if you decide to change your departure time, or upgrade to the Vistadome Train. If you booked later than most of your group for your Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu, you may not be in the same train as the rest of your group.

We’re leaving Cusco today and heading for Puno in a touristic bus which makes stops along the way. We’ll visit a few interesting archaeological sites like Pukara, Andahuaylillas and Raqchi as well as enjoy the beautiful landscapes. We’ll have a buffet lunch and drinks are served during the day. When we arrive in Puno we’ll bring you to your hotel. Overnight in hotel.

Today we’ll visit Titicaca Lake and its Floating Islands of Uros and Taquile Island! We’ll begin the day by picking you up from your hotel and going to the harbor. From the harbor we’ll board a boat to the Uros Floating Islands. We’ll visit the local community which lives there, learning about their customs and community life. The Uros people have made these floating islands from reeds gather from the edges of Lake Titicaca for centuries in an effort to protect themselves from other tribe. After our visit, we’ll board the boat again to travel about 2 hours to Taquile Island.

The community living on Taquile Island is well known for their weaving tradition, making things like their "Chullos", knitted hats earflaps, and "The Calendar Waistband", showing the annual cycles connected to rituals and agricultural activities. After visiting this Quechua speaking community, we’ll travel to the top of the island where we’ll have lunch together. After our visit to the island, we’ll walk down to the small harbor to get in our boat which will bring us to the harbor in Puno. From here we’ll ring you to your hotel. Overnight in hotel.

Today we’ll be leaving Puno and according to your schedule, we’ll pick you up from your hotel and bring you to the airport or bus terminal. This will be the end of our services.