Cusco y Classic Inca Trail

This morning a private transfer will pick you up at your hotel to travel to Km. 82, the trailhead. After a couple of hours of gentle hiking, you will reach and visit the Inca ruins of Llactapata (2,600m/8,531ft). Continue on, diverting away from the Urubamba River and following the Cusichaca River towards the village and small agricultural settlement of Huayllabamba, where you will have a picnic lunch and set up camp (3,200m/10,498ft).

• Total trek today approx. 12km (7.5 miles)
• 6-8 hours of hiking (approx)

After a relaxed breakfast, climb a tough ascending trail with increasingly fantastic views and a clear change of vegetation as you gain altitude. You will pass through a protected cloud forest of native trees before reaching your lunch spot at Llullucchapampa. Continue the tough ascent towards the highest pass of the trail, called Warmiwañusta or Dead Woman’s Pass (4,200m/13,780ft). Enjoy spectacular views in the afternoon as you descend to your campsite at Pacaymayo (3,600m/11,812ft). Your total trek today will cover approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), which is about five to six hours of hiking.

• Total trek today approx. 10km (6.2 miles)
• 5-6 hours of hiking (approx)

After breakfast you will soon encounter the original cobblestone paved trail left by the Incas. You will be able to appreciate the sudden changes in vegetation and geology as you pass through different ecological zones. Today is a long but rewarding, since you will be encountering both original Inca cobblestone trails as well as magnificent archaeological sites along the way. You will climb up and over the second pass, the Abra de Runkuracay, (3,800m/12,467ft). On a clear day your efforts are rewarded with unparalleled views of the snow-covered peaks of the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the lush valley vegetation. Masterful Inca engineering is visible along the trail and at the Inca remains of Sayacmarca (3,640m/11,943ft), a highlight of the trek. Explore the site, have a picnic lunch and continue to the incomparable site of Phuyupatamarca, (“the place above the clouds”) lunch and continue for several hours down  to Wiñay Wayna (2,644m/8,675ft), you You will camp here and should have enough time to soak up some of the magical charm of this marvelous campsite.

• Total trek today approx. 20 km (12.4 miles)
• 5-7 hours of hiking (approx)

After Breakfast you will continue on to Inti Punku, or Sun Gate. This is the point where you will get your first glimpse of the spectacular city of Machu Picchu below you. A quick descent along the wide royal Inca road and you will spot the mysterious site.

After a break  you’ll return to the ruins with your guide. “Magnificence” is the only word to describe the scene, as you gaze upon the ruins of Machu Picchu. The main destination on many travelers’ lists, the ‘lost city of the Incas’ is a man-made marvel that has become a symbol for the ingenuity and prosperity of one of the most expansive empires in Latin American history. Only a century ago were the incredible ruins uncovered; a two year-excavation led by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham and the National Geographic Society of Washington DC allowed Machu Picchu to gain the prominence that it deserves. Its fascination is due in part to its position, high on a mountain ridge and 2,430m/7,972ft above sea level. Believed to be an Inca settlement built to control the economies of neighboring communities, it is associated with being the royal estate of Pachacuti, the great Inca who sparked the expansion of the empire. Following your visit, take the bus back to the town of Aguas Calientes to catch the Vistadome train (approx. 1.5hrs) back to Ollantaytambo, where a private vehicle will be waiting to transfer you by road to Cusco (approx. 2hrs) to check in to your hotel.

• Total trek today approx. 10km (6.2 miles)
• 2-3 hours of hiking (approx)
• Overnight: Costa del Sol Hotel Cusco