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	Duration: 9 days Starts: Lima Finishes: Lima Trip code: MBGT Country: Peru Style: Comfort Tips of trip from Peru Testimonials

Itinerary

Day 1 Lima
Welcome to Peru!  On arrival in Lima, you will be transferred to your hotel.  We recommend an early arriving flight so we can show you around Lima.  Today we will have a tour of ancestral, colonial and modern Lima, making you familiar with the city.

Day 2 Cusco
An early morning flight takes us high into the Andes to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire.  After lunch we have a guided tour of Cusco and of the ruins just outside the city to visit the places of most interest. You will learn about this area’s fascinating past and present. There is free time for you to shop for souvenirs and experience the sights and sounds of this colonial town. If you feel energetic after trying the highland cuisine you can enjoy Cusco’s wild nightlife.

Day 3 (2 options)
First option: Sacred Valley / Ollantaytambo

Day 4 Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Today we will depart early.  A bus with our team of porters, cook and guide will pick us up from the hotel in Ollantaytambo and take us to the starting point of the Inca trail.  As we begin the hike we will be passing smaller ruin sites the first of which is Llactapata.  We will camp near the town of “Huallabamba” at about 3000 meters (9000 ft).

Day 5 Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Today we will climb the long steep path to Warmiwañusca, or Dead Woman�s Pass.  At 4198 m (13769 ft) above sea level, this pass is the highest point of the trek.  The second pass (Runkurukay) of the hike is at 3998 m (13113 ft), where on clear days, we enjoy super views of the snow-capped Cordillera Vilcabamba.  The trail goes through some beautiful cloud forest on the gentle climb to the third pass, where you will walk through a causeway and a tunnel, both original lnca constructions.

Day 6 Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
The highest point of the third pass is at 3700m (12136 ft).  From here you can get beautiful views of the Urubamba Valley below (on clear days).  Soon you will reach the serene-looking ruins of Phuyupatamarca, or the “Town above the Clouds”, at about 3650 m (11972 ft) above sea level.  We will camp for the final night close to Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young) ruins, a grandiose terraced hillside site, with panoramic views of the valley below and just a short hike from Machu Picchu.

Day 7 Machu Picchu / Cusco
Today our steep ascents over mountain passes will be rewarded as the mist rises off the mountains revealing the forgotten city of Machu Picchu.  Here we will meet up with the rest of the group who decided to take the train instead of the hike.  We�ll have a guided tour of the site, and then you will have time for yourselves to wander around Machu Picchu.  If you are feeling energetic there will be time for going up the steep steps to the “Huayna Picchu,” the “young mountain,” which rises behind the sanctuary of Machu Picchu.  From the Huayna Picchu mountain you have a great view of Machu Picchu from a totally different angle.  Around midday we take the bus down to the little town of Aguas Calientes from where in the afternoon we will all take the train back to Cusco to enjoy the nightlife!

Day 8: Cusco - Lima
A morning flight will take us back to the colonial city of Lima, last chance to get your souvenirs and enjoy our final night out in Peru.

Day 9: Departure day
We make an excursion along the Sacred Valley of the Incas.  We will visit the impressive ruins of Pisac and its famous Indian market where you can find a variety of jewellery, handicrafts, music instruments and textiles between other curiosities.  After lunch we will drive down the Sacred Valley with our local guide and visit Quechua towns on the way to Ollantaytambo, an original and still inhabited Inca town.  We will visit the impressive ruins of this fortress and spend the night here.

Second option: Sacred Valley and Urubamba River rafting / Ollantaytambo
For the ones who would like to have some more action today we have the option of doing a half-day rafting trip (rapid class 2, 3 and 4) in the Urubamba River (in the Sacred Valley).   After lunch you join back with the other part of the group to visit the Inca town and fortress of Ollantaytambo where we will spend the night.

DISCLAMER
While it is our intention to adhere to the route described above, we reserve the right to make changes to the program itinerary without prior notice, due to changes in climate conditions, river water levels, bus or flight arrivals or departure times or any other reasons relevant to the best development of the trip. Such changes will only be done for the comfort, safety and well-being of the group. The dossier is a general guide to the tour and region and any mention of specific destinations or wildlife is by no means a guarantee that they will be visited or encountered.