Classic Machu Picchu

You will be greeted in Cusco by a private driver/guide and transferred to your hotel in the Sacred Valley –  Stop in the village of Awanacancha, where you can see indigenous people weaving baskets and other goods by hand. Get up close and personal with some of the Andes’ furrier inhabitants as you meet the town’s herds of llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicunas.  Check in for two nights at the hotel.  Enjoy the balance of your day resting and acclimate to the altitude.

GL Tours works with several hotels in this area.  Contact our travel specialists to find the right match for you.

Day 2 ~  Full Day Tour of Pisac Market & Ruins and Ollantaytambo Fortress.  Lunch is included

Ollantaytambo is a typical Inca community. Towering above the town of Ollantaytambo there is the huge Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo. Steep stone terraces, rising from the edge of the town, lead up to the fortress ruins at the top of the hill. A stone stairway leads up through the terrace walls, allowing visitors to step out on them. One of the best-preserved areas lies north of the Hanan Huacaypata square: an area of 15 blocks of houses built on top of carved stone wall.

Return to your hotel in the Sacred Valley.

Valle Sagrado_Awanakancha

Ollantaytambo

Valle Sagrado_Ollantaytambo

Day 3 ~ Enjoy a private guided trip to Chinchero village.  On the way you will see some of the most scenic spots in the Sacred Valley. Visit a traditional Andean village called Chinchero located in the highlands of Anta. The visit combines Inca archeological sites, typical Andean community, and a colonial church.

After Chinchero, visit the ancient salt mines near the village of Maras, where salty springs emerge from the hillside and the Incas built terraces to capture the flows and harvest salt. Continue the excursion to Moray, where huge circular agricultural terraces were built by the Incas on limestone sinks served to plant various crops. It is said to have a cosmological significance, however, the Incas used the terraces as an agricultural laboratory to determine the optimum conditions for each species in varying altitudes.

Day 4 ~ exploring Machu Picchu –

Check out of your hotel.  Private transfer to the rail station and board the train* to Machu Picchu. Enjoy scenic panoramic views from the train. Upon arrival at Aguas Calientes station, you’ll board a small bus and head up to the ruins of the “sacred city”, Machu Picchu.

(*Several train options including the luxurious Hiram Bingham brunch / dinner train.)

Your private guide will walk with you through the main streets of these amazing ruins. Stroll through town squares of the urban section as well as the agricultural section.  After your guided visit you will have a buffet lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge.  When ready, you’ll descend back down the mountain and check in to your hotel for one night.

GL Tours works with several hotels in this area.  Contact our travel specialists to find the right match for you.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu

ruins

Day 5 ~  Today, you have opportunity to explore Machu Picchu on your own.  GL Tours will arrange the second entrance and bus tickets for you.     Afternoon train and transfer to your hotel in Cusco.  Check in for three nights.

GL Tours works with several hotels in this area.  Contact our travel specialists to find the right match for your trip.

Day 6 ~ A full day, guided visit of the Imperial City of Cusco, you will visit the Main Plaza, which has been the scene of great historical events in Cusco; and the Cathedral, constructed of great slabs of red granite in the renaissance style, and thus contrasting with the baroque style silverwork which decorates the interior. You will then continue on to the Santo Domingo church, built upon the foundations of the Inca temple Koricancha, which was dedicated to Sun worship. Later, you head to the city’s nearby ruins: the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, a magnificent example of Incan military power; Qenqo, a ritualistic site with subterranean galleries that form an underground maze; Puca Pucara, the red fortress; and finally Tambomachay, also known as the Incan Baths

Day 7 ~  Spend another full day with your guide, exploring the pre-inca Pikillacta Citadel belonged to the Wari Empire and had as its main centre the Department of Ayacucho including the Cusco area.The Pikillacta Citadel was built around the year 750 dc. And it stands out for the harmonic and symmetrical distribution of its buildings separated by streets perfectly aligned and distributed by sectors, such as the main square, its urban and religious area, besides having a well-organized system of roads. Its architecture is simple with rustic style walls.

Andahuaylillas Church – Located at a distance of about 41 kilometers from Cusco’s city. The colonial church of Andahuaylillas boasts a wonderful interior decoration of mural paintings and art canvasses dedicated to St Peter and St Paul belonging to the Cuzco school of the eighteenth century. Also it has beautiful golden altars of baroque style dedicated to various saints and virgins.and is without any doubt one of the most beautiful chapels of the Peruvian colonial art, considered by many as the Sistine chapel of America.

Tipon – This picturesque set of terraces, long stairways and stone canals is located 20 km south of the city. Evidence suggests that Tipón was part of a royal hacienda belonging to Inca Yahuar Huaca, as well as a place of worship and agricultural research. An outstanding feature is the sense of harmony in the channeling of water via stone structures including aqueducts (some of which are underground), waterfalls and gullies, indicating the Inca’s knowledge of hydraulics.

Plaza de Armas

Cusco, Peru

Cusco

Day 8 ~ Check out of your hotel and private transfer to Cusco airport

Domestic flight to Lima will be arranged by GL Tours.

In Lima, a guide will meet you for a private city tour of Lima.

After your tour you will be transferred back to the Lima airport for your return flights home.  Most flights depart from Lima in the late evening, very early morning.

We encourage you to contact us so that we can design a custom plan for your journey to Peru. At GL Tours we always believe there is “more to explore!”