Description
DAY 01. CUSCO -ABRA MALAGA-SANTA MARIA (RAFTING OPTIONAL)
Pick up from their respective hotels or hostels between 6:30 am and 7:00 am to have a meeting with the guide. Then we will leave the Imperial City of Cusco to head towards the Sacred Valley of the Incas, as well as Chincheros, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo where we will make our first stop to take advantage of our latest purchases while having breakfast at the expense of each passenger. We will continue with the trip to the Abra Málaga (4,350 m.a.l.s). After this point, we will descend 20 minutes more by car depending on the guide’s appearance due to the fogs and rains in the area. After the informative talk of our guide, we will provide you with the complete equipment for This type of activity as a protective vest, full-face helmet, gloves, knee pads, and the reflective vest.
We will begin the descent by bicycle for two and a half hours (45 km) until we reach the town of Huamanmarca. During the trip, we will experience the beauty of the snowy peaks and the tropical forest where our Peruvian Amazon starts, crossing small streams, and we will enjoy the change from cold to tropical weather.
During the journey, there will be several stops for the review of bicycles and equipment. Once we finish our biking activity we will go to the town of Santa María (1,200 masl), where we will have our lunch.
Note: In the afternoon we have the option of rafting on the Vilcanota River. This river offers category II and III rapids.
For this activity, we will give you a helmet, windbreaks, and category V life jacket. This activity is available between the months of April to December, and according to the Peruvian government, it is mandatory to know how to swim to perform it.
DAY 02. SANTA MARIA-THERMAL BATHS -SANTA TERESA (TREKKING)
After the delicious breakfast, we will be ready to make the first day of trekking to Santa Teresa.
The first half-hour after breakfast we will take our local transport from Santa Maria to the beginning of our hiking trail where we will start our trekking enjoying all the vegetation and at the same time appreciating the cultivation and harvest of coffee, coca, and local fruits. Then our tour will be on the rise. On the way, we will have several stops to learn a little more about the richness in flora and fauna of the area in which we will find ourselves.
We will also stop at the house of a local family (the monkey house), where we will learn a little more about their customs and traditions. Later we will cross a section of the Inca Trail that formerly connected the Sacred City of the Incas Machu Picchu with the last refuge Inca Vilcabamba, in the same way here our guide will explain a little more about the history of the Incas and also the communication system that they had in those times (the route of the Incas).
At this point, we will also have some of the most impressive views of the Huancarccasa canyon.
Then we will descend to the town of Quellomayo where we will enjoy a delicious lunch and a restful rest in the hammocks of our restaurant.
We will continue with the last two hours of walking to the thermal baths of Cocalmayo where we will have a good time to enjoy this very special and pleasant place.
Finally, we will continue walking for 45 minutes more for the town of Santa Teresa, or there is also the option of taking a transport on your own for an extra cost from Cocalmayo to Santa Teresa (previous coordination with the guide), where we will have dinner and spend our second night in a basic hostel.
DAY 3. SANTA TERESA – HYDROELECTRIC -AGUAS CALIENTES (ZIP LINE OPTIONAL)
This day we will take our breakfast between 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. and then start the day with the option of doing Zip Line activity with one of the highly trusted operators in the area for approximately two hours (This activity it is additional and optional). Then we will have transport to the Hydroelectric, where the government control is located, to enter the Machu Picchu National Park (Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary).
In case you do not do the Zip Line then in our normal itinerary is walking from Santa Teresa to Hydroelectric for an approximate of 3 hours. In both cases, our meeting is at Hydroelectric with the people who make the Zip Line and with the people who walk. At this point we will start our trekking to the town of Aguas Calientes, passing through the area called Intihuatana, a small archaeological site where the guide will give us an explanation.
Then we will continue to San Miguel, where we will enjoy our lunch. In the whole journey, we will have the opportunity to contemplate the majestic Machu Picchu mountains and other constructions at the top of the mountain.
We will end the walk between 16:00 hrs. in the town of Aguas Calientes where we will spend the third night in a basic hostel.
DAY 4. AGUAS CALIENTES-MACHUPICCHU- CUSCO
The most important day of our trip is to get to know one of the 7 wonders of the Machupicchu world, and we have two ways to get there:
The first is through the Inca Trail, this walk lasts 1 hour with 30 minutes of pure ascent.
The second one is by tourist bus, this short trip lasts 30 minutes.
People who want to walk up the Inca Trail should leave the hostel early at 4:30 am to reach the Inca citadel of Machupicchu very early and appreciate the sunrise.
And people who want to get in the car will have to take the first bus at 5:30 am to arrive early at Machupicchu and be able to appreciate the sunrise that is a unique spectacle, then we can visit the Inca citadel of Machupicchu for two hours approximately accompanied by a specialist guide who will explain us about the historical legacy of the citadel of Machu Picchu, and the full description of this great and imposing attraction.
After the excursion and if you have the ticket you can ascend to the mountain of Huaynapicchu or the Mountain of Machupicchu, at opportune time you must descend from Machupicchu to Aguas Calientes by bus or walking so you can have lunch with tranquility and board the return train to Ollantaytambo (2 hours of travel by train) where our transport awaits us with destination to the city of Cusco (2 hours trip by car)
Note 1: If the passengers visit only Machu Picchu, the guided tour is two hours, but if they go up to Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain, the passengers will only have an introduction for an hour at Machu Picchu.
Note 2: You must email us a scanned copy or photograph of your passport immediately after you have booked your tour. This is to enable the purchase of your Machu Picchu entrance ticket. It must be the passport you will use to enter Machu Picchu itself. This is a requirement when booking any tour of Machu Picchu from any operator.
Note 3: If you are staying at a different location than the one you select as your pick up location, it is explicitly your responsibility to be at the main entrance of the hotel or hostel selected as your pick up location for the duration of the pickup time range on your tour date. You must be in a visible place easy to see for the operator and be alert for their vehicle/guide when they go to pick you up for the tour.
