Welcome to Cusco, capital of the Inca Empire and one of the most beautiful cities on Earth! We’ll meet you at 1pm for a traditional Peruvian meal at a local favourite restaurant. In the afternoon your guide will lead a relaxed walking tour around Cusco’s stunning historic centre – it’s important to take it easy if you’ve arrived from sea level today, as you need to adjust to Cusco’s 3,400m (11,200ft) altitude.

Meals: Lunch and dinner included

Accommodation: Comfortable hotel in Cusco

The sunny, incredibly scenic floodplain between Pisac and Ollantaytambo in the valley of the Urubamba River is known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Pisac is a tiny, cobbled Inca village which is home to the largest handicraft market in the region and a huge Inca fortress. We’ll explore both, then set off into the Sacred Valley. We’ll need frequent photo stops as we pass still-working Inca terracing, irrigation canals, and awesome mountain vistas. Our destination is Ollantaytambo, perhaps the most perfectly preserved of all Inca towns, a maze of cobbled alleyways and sun-drenched plazas presided over by a spectacular, llama-shaped ruin.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Cosy, family-run hotel in Ollantaytambo

Day 3 JUN 19 HOT SPRINGS AND BIKE DESCENT

This morning we’ll head up to local favourite attraction, the Lares hot springs, where naturally occurring medicinal thermal hot pools are surrounded by lovingly landscaped terraces carved out of a rushing river gorge. We’ll relax and soak before lunch, then spend the afternoon biking back down to the Sacred Valley.

As we gently descend, the landscape gradually changes from craggy Andean peaks and austere open pasture, to a verdant, bushy river gorge where traditionally-dressed locals tend flourishing llama flocks and corn crops, and the traditional weavers of Patacancha and Huilloc practise their ancient art.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Comfortable hotel in the Sacred Valley

Day 4 JUN 20 RUINS, WEAVERS AND SALT

We’ll spend today high up in the mountains, enjoying some of the best scenery of the whole trip with stunning views across the Sacred Valley, to range after range of the central Andes.

We’ll visit perhaps the most mysterious Inca site, Moray – three massive amphitheatres of incredible engineering precision and stern, magnificent beauty. Then we’ll check out Salineras – a surreal and beautiful patchwork of pools and paths that still produces salt using Inca technology, and is our favourite sight in the region!

We’ll also spend time in Chinchero, a quiet little town best known for its outdoor weaving studios, terraced Inca ruin, and intricately-frescoed colonial church.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Comfortable hotel in the Sacred Valley

Day 5 JUN 21 COTTAGE INDUSTRY IN CHICHUBAMBA

This morning we’ll grind and toast beans with coffee processors, and hang out with the chichera - the lady who makes corn beer, a very local beverage whose importance in Andean culture can hardly be overstated.

Along the way we’ll taste these delicious Peruvian products, and experience firsthand how they underpin the local lifestyle and economy.

This afternoon there’s time for a little exploration of Ollantaytambo - perhaps the most perfectly preserved of all Inca towns, a maze of cobbled alleyways and sun-drenched plazas presided over by a spectacular, llama-shaped ruin – before we take the 1.5 hour train ride to Aguas Calientes, our jumping-off point for Machu Picchu tomorrow.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes

Day 3 JUN 19 START HIKING THE INCA TRAIL TO Machu Picchu!

We’ll get up very early this morning to take the bus to Kilometre 82, the start of the Inca Trail. The hike begins in the Sacred Valley as we follow the Urubamba River, climbing ever higher and eventually heading off up the Cusicacha Valley, through semi-arid forest and farming villages, to Wayllabamba, where we’ll camp for the night.

Then an easy stroll (or ride in the vehicle if you prefer), through rolling farmland and views of the high Andes, brings us to Salineras – a surreal and beautiful patchwork of pools and paths that still produces salt using Inca technology and is our favourite site in the Cusco region.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Camping on the Inca Trail

Walking: 12km (7.5 miles)

Minimum Altitude: 2,700m (8,860ft)

Maximum Altitude: 3,100m (10,170ft)

Altitude of camp: 3,100m (10,170ft)

Day 4 JUN 20 Hike over Warmiwayñusca Pass

Most of our walking time today is taken up by a stiff 1,200m (3,940ft) ascent up to Warmiwayñusca (Dead Woman’s Pass), the highest point of the Inca Trail. From here if it’s clear we’ll enjoy incredible views back the way we came, and onwards towards the distant, snow-capped Vilcabamba Range. Then we descend steeply into Pacaymayo, our campsite for the night with one of the best views in the Andes.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Camping on the Inca Trail

Walking: 11km (6.8 miles)

Minimum Altitude: 3,100m (10,170ft)

Maximum Altitude: 4,200m (13,780ft)

Altitude of camp: 3,600m (11,810ft)

Day 5 JUN 21 Runkurakay, Sayacmarca and Wiñaywayna

Today’s hike takes us through some of the most stunning scenery in Peru, with cloud forest, orchids, hummingbirds and mountains on all sides, and to three gorgeous little ruins – Runkurakay, Sayacmarca, and Wiñaywayna, next to the evening’s campsite. Along the way we cross the watershed of the Andes – this is one of the best days trekking in the world.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Camping on the Inca Trail

Walking: 12km (7.5 miles)

Minimum Altitude: 2,670m (8,760ft)

Maximum Altitude: 3,900m (12,800ft)

Altitude of camp: 2,670m (8,760ft)

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.

We’ll be up at sunrise so there’s time for your guide to show you around Machu Picchu’s main citadel, as well as our favourite hidden nooks and crannies, before the crowds arrive. Then there’s time for your own exploration of the massive, still-mysterious site, before we catch the train back to Cusco.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Back at our home-base hotel in Cusco

There are things to do in Cusco to suit every mood and personality: churches, museums, and art galleries, rafting, horse riding, and cooking classes, just for starters. This is also the perfect day to just wander around and enjoy the spectacular mountain views, traditionally dressed locals, excellent cafes and charming architecture that make Cusco such a fascinating and beautiful place.

Meals: Breakfast included

Accommodation: Cusco hotel

Inti Raymi was the annual day of tribute from all the subject peoples of the Incas, and today’s festivities are faithful re-enactments of the original. It starts with a huge, elaborate parade: ceremonially-dressed representatives from each of the four suyos (quarters) of the empire march and dance through central Cusco, on their way to the spectacular ruin of Sacsayhuaman that overlooks the town. Here, a parade ground is the scene of ceremonies and offerings for much of the afternoon.

As guests on our Inti Raymi tour, you’ll have priority seating in the Plaza de Armas and at Sacsayhuaman to witness the events of the day, and your expert guide will be with you to explain all you see.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Cusco hotel

The Valle Sur just outside Cusco is a popular weekend destination for Cusqueños, who flock here to specialist restaurants offering regional dishes like chicharrones (deep fried pork chunks with corn and mint) and cuy (guinea pig), as well as plenty of more conventional and equally delicious options! As well as trying a few of the tastiest local delicacies, we’ll visit Tipón and Pikillacta, two of Peru’s most charming archaeological sites, and the church of Andahuaylillas, whose interior is so ornate that it’s known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas.

Late this afternoon we’ll arrive at the village of Raqchi, home to a group of gracious, funny people we’re proud to call our friends. Tonight they’ll open their homes and lives to us, giving us a unique insight into traditional Andean life, and the privilege of attending a ch’alla (payment to the Earth) – a ceremony of propitiation of Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) held regularly by an ostensibly Catholic community, and a very good example of the paradox at the heart of Andean religion.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Raqchi homestay

This morning we’ll explore the enormous adobe ruin that dwarfs the humble homes of Raqchi and try our hand at pottery-making – the people of Raqchi are professional potters and will show us how to make a pot on a pedal-powered potter’s wheel.

After lunch, we’ll head off into the altiplano - one of the highest inhabited places on Earth, and home to some of its most unlikely attractions.

If you like, we’ll take the plunge at Marangani: a surreal and improbable complex of five natural hot pools linked by steaming streams and populated by locals enjoying the only hot water for miles around.

We’ll spend the night at a historic hacienda. Established as a convent in the 18th century, it’s now home to a dairy farm where we’ll have the opportunity to explore the cheesemaking plant and sample delicious, high-altitude dairy products.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Historic hacienda near Ayaviri

Today we’ll explore Lampa. Once one of the richest towns in Peru, it’s now all but a ghost town, making the grandeur and scale of its cathedral all the more striking. Impressive from the outside, inside the cathedral is simply incredible. Among many other marvels, it houses a catacomb, a collection of skulls and skeletons, and a full-scale reproduction of Michelangelo’s Pietá.

We’ll arrive to the shores of Lake Titicaca in time for a memorable dinner at one of Puno’s excellent restaurants.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Family-run hotel in downtown Puno

The tourist map ends at Puno. Past it lies a land of ancient burial monuments dedicated to dwarves, half-buried ruins drowsing in farmers’ fields, and layer upon layer of human history and belief, built up over thousands of years: it’s one of the weirdest and most wonderful places in the world and today we’ll take our pick from many strange sights.

Amaru Meru is said to be a stone-carved door into another dimension. Even if interdimensional portals aren’t your thing, you’ll enjoy the windswept majesty, imposing rock formations, and views of Lake Titicaca around it. We’ll also visit Chucuito, where 86 huge stone phalluses are buried every which way in what is said to be an Inca fertility temple – though some locals passionately argue it’s a hoax. Either way, it’s quite a sight!

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Family-run hotel in downtown Puno

This morning we take to the waters of Lake Titicaca. We’ll stop briefly at the Uros – the famous floating reed islands of Lake Titicaca – but our main destination is Taquile, one of the most fascinating islands in the world. It was isolated until the 1950s and still follows a very different way of life. Decisions are communal, economic activity is co-operative, and society is based on the fundamental Inca principles: "Ama sua, ama llulla, ama quella" (don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t be lazy). There are no cars, few dogs, and little electricity, because the Taquileños want it that way.

Taquile is also the most famous textile centre in the Andes. Colourful, storytelling textiles, designed and woven by Taquile’s women from thread spun by its men, draw aficionados and investigators from all over the world to this amazing island. On top of all this, the scenery is stunning, and the serenity is like nowhere else on Earth. Taquile is just magic.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Family-run hotel in downtown Puno

You can book your flight out for any time you like today – do allow for the fact that Juliaca airport is just over an hour’s drive away. If you’re staying on in Peru, we’d be delighted to help out with suggestions and assistance for the rest of your time here.

Meals: Breakfast included