Cusco & Salkantay Experience – 8 Days

Different sensations will have you; great experiences in this colorful city and much more that you will discover in this Land of the Incas, where the engineering show you the richness and the beginning of this great culture.

From Airport, our friendly Peru & U representative will drive you up to your chosen hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to get used to the City’s high altitude or wander around.

Insert into a tangible remnant of the Inca empire; which envelopes in a fertile agricultural landscape, sprinkled by small villages of Quechua-speaking communities and dotted with the surviving remains of great Inca family estates

The day starts with a hop-on bus excursion out of the city. Our first stop is the small village of Pisac, where you’ll have a visit to the open-air market, a hot spot for crafted products taken from every corner of Cusco. On a 20-min drive, follow a tour around the Pisac main ruins, nestled high on a 3,400 meters mountain, famous for featuring one of the best conserved Inca enclosures. The site also offers stunning views with the backdrop of the endless cornfields at the bottom of the Valley.

After lunch, we’ll take you on to the iconic Ollantaytambo, set against the slopes of a rocky hill and decorated by terrace fields overlooking the same-named town. The tour includes a visit of the old town and the Sun Temple, the idyllic point to snap some incredible photos and hear the legends behind the Inca Culture. Before heading to Cusco by late afternoon, you’ll stop at the traditional market of Chinchero for a visit to a local craft center and learn about the fascinating process of Andean weaving. By the evening you’ll meet the Mountain Guide for a pre-departure briefing on the Salkantay Trek. 

The adventure and memories are coming with the very best landscapes, now you will enjoy the beauty of its land.

Begin with a 3-hour early morning drive to the trailhead, passing the villages of Callacancha and Limatambo. You’ll have several stops to get some fresh air and admire the unique views of the Andean Mountain range and start walking alongside some unique and typical scenery of Peru. Located just one hour ahead we’ll set up at the Camp Base of Soraypampa, located above 3850 meters. Enjoy lunch with the first glimpses of Salkantay peak. You’ll then follow an optional and scenic round-trip hike to the famous Humantay Glacier Lake, certainly not to be missed! Overnight at the Campsite of Soraypampa.
• Notes: Before reaching Soraypampa, we recommend that you take a 2-hour detour in order to reach Humantay Lake so that you can observe the stunning snow-covered peak of Humantay.

The challenges and the effort begin but with a lot of enthusiasm.

You’ll hike to the peak of the trail at Salkantay Pass in order to admire the spectacular views over the Southern mountain range, being able to spot some of the most important snow peaks, and of course, greeting at the majestic Salkantay Glacier, which raises over 6,271 meters, one of the highest of Peru. Wander around the snow before the 2-hour hike downhill to reach the camp for lunch.

The second part of the trail features a dramatic change in scenery. You’ll enter the upper part of the jungle best known as “Cloud Forest”. At the pace of a warmer atmosphere, look for some orchids and waterfalls on the way to the village of Collpapampa, where you will spend the night.

Beautiful experiences with less effort and an incredible landscape

After breakfast, follow our guide for an adventurous hike that will take you through some amazing sights appreciating a variety of crops, including the famous coca leaf, used for hundreds of years as a sacred plant. This last section will be downhill to La Playa. Here, you’ll have a typical lunch prepared by a local cook.

In the afternoon, you are ready to continue the hike to Llaqtapata where you’ll meet a local family for a demonstration of organic coffee and chocolate preparation. Spend some time learning about the labor-intensive process of coffee harvest, which is cultivated and gathered from the nearby fields, and is considered one of the best in the world! Following dinner, have a good night’s sleep at the Campsite of Llaqtapata.

Have great expectations to finally see the wonder of the world

Following an early start at Llaqtapata, you’ll continue walking through beautiful views of some waterfalls, stopping at a Natural lookout to spot the Machu Picchu Mountain. Find more fields filled with coca and other plantations such as bananas, and coffee en route along with interesting facts and insights delivered by our expert guide.

For lunch, you’ll have a typical meal around Hidroelectrica, and from this point, we’ll continue strolling alongside the train rail toward Aguas Calientes. If you are feeling tired you have the option to continue this portion by train (own expense). By the afternoon we will arrive at Machupicchu town, encircled by giant rocky hills. Here, you’ll spend our last night in basic accommodation at the foot of the great Machupicchu.

The day has arrived, one of the most incredible experiences will take you to the ancestral, to one of the world wonders; with no doubt, you have to let yourself be and just enjoy

At 4.30 am we’ll head to the Inka citadel of Machupicchu, through a 1-hour walkway in the middle of the jungle, this will allow us to explore Machu Picchu in the early morning before the crowds.

Benefit from a 2-hour guided tour on your arrival, and learn more about the temples, palaces, priest houses, and more. Get some free time to explore at leisure, or use it to climb to the top of Huaynapicchu or the Machu Picchu mountains, if booked in advance they will assure you get unparallel views over the Citadel. Alternatively, you can trek to the Sun Gate at the main entrance of the Inka Trail.

Take the train to Ollantaytambo at approximately 6:30 PM and then catch the bus back to Cusco for a drop-off at your hotel or hostel on arrival.

Great and incredible memories you will have and invite you to be back very soon.  Peru has much to offer 

End off with a right-in-time private drive to Cusco Airport with our Peru&U assistant.