This morning your guide and driver will pick you up from Tambo del Inka in Urubamba to drive to Chinchero (1 hour approx.), known for its weaving studios, charming colonial church and Inca stronghold perched on a hillside, which we will explore before starting our hike. From here we’ll follow a track gently down through a winding valley, stopping along the way for a picnic lunch, and out through Urquillos, a paradise-like mountain hideaway, into the Sacred Valley.
From here, if you feel like it, you can head back to your hotel for a restful afternoon, or we can spend the afternoon exploring Pisac, a charming Inca town of cobbled streets, carved stone buildings, and hidden courtyards, as well as the ruin that towers over the town – a massive and intricate series of bristling fortifications and protective terracing. Pisac is also home to the area’s biggest craft market - a perfect opportunity for souvenir or gift shopping! From Pisac it’s a one hour drive back to your accommodation.
This is our call for best general day trip from Cusco, combining the breathtaking sight that is Salineras with a truly wonderful bike ride suitable for all ability levels, all with continuous views of the stunning central cordillera of the Andes.
We’ll warm up with a ride through farmland and rolling hills (Andean flat!) from Lake Huaipo to Maras – three deep, terraced amphitheatres where the Incas tried out different crops at different altitudes and angles to the sun. Salineras is even better – a still-working ancient salt factory that’s as beautiful as it is fascinating, with a patchwork of coloured pools twinkling under the sun.
In between the two is an easy intermediate level single track descent (or you can walk it) with great range of terrain, consistent downhill, and an impressive array of options.
A 30 minute car transfer is followed by a beautiful 1 hr 45 minute train ride to the town of Aguas Calientes. Then it`s just a short 30 minute bus ride up, that zig-zags along the mountain on the ceja de la selva (eyebrow of the jungle) to the citadel of Machu Picchu.
A spectacular stone city surrounded by incredibly steep, incredibly green mountains, Machu Picchu needs no introduction and is deservedly one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. A guided tour is a necessary start to orient you in this massive site, then you’ll have the rest of the day to explore the site and some of the surrounding peaks on your own.
An early train ride and a 1.5 hour drive take us to Cusco, the oldest city and undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, and also home to some of the best mountain scenery and most charming Spanish colonial architecture on the globe. After settling in to your accommodation, you’ll set off to explore the streets of central Cusco.
This is a private tour for the two of you, and your guide is a local specialist who will know your personal interests by now, so this is not the place to predict what exactly you’ll do, but we know you’ll check out some famous and lesser-known sights, sample many of the tasty treats that are making Peru’s cuisine justly famous, and get a great insight into what makes this fascinating city tick.