Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca Empire, is one of the most beautiful cities on Earth! The trip starts at 1pm when your guide will pick you up and take you for a traditional Peruvian meal at one of our favourite local restaurants. Then spend the afternoon on 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: 3 star hotel in Cusco

Pisac, 45 minutes drive from Cusco, is the gateway to the Sacred Valley and was fiercely defended by the Incas, as evidenced by the massive fortress which bristles above the town. We'll spend the morning hiking and exploring its many terraces and fortifications, and enjoying the stunning views. In the afternoon we'll check out Pisac's other famous attraction - the largest artesania (handicraft) market in the region - it's the perfect place to get all your souvenir and gift shopping taken care of in one fell swoop!
There's also time today to explore Pisac's cobbled, pedestrian backstreets where you can taste local specialty empanadas, and meet guinea pigs who live in elaborate miniature castles!

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 3 star hotel in Pisac

This morning we’ll head up to local favourite attraction, the Lares hot springs, where naturally occurring hot springs 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 down around craggy Andean peaks through high altitude farmland where traditionally-dressed locals tend flourishing llama flocks and potato crops.
As we gently descend, the landscape gradually changes from austere open pasture and rock to a verdant, bushy river gorge that brings us down through the villages of Patacancha and Huilloc and eventually into Ollantaytambo – one of the most beautiful villages in Peru, and our destination for the night.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 3 star hotel in Ollantaytambo

This morning we’ll visit the coffee and cacao cooperative of Chichubamba, where we’ll participate in both the processing and the consumption of 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: 3 star hotel in Aguas Calientes

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 Ollantaytambo.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 3 star hotel in Ollantaytambo

We’ll explore Salineras, the still-operational Inca salt factory – a surreal and beautiful patchwork of twinkling pools and blinding-white paths that’s one of our favorite sights in the Sacred Valley.
After a full briefing and warm-up, we’ll take to the waters of serene, stunning Lake Piuray on stand up paddleboards. It’s a mellow, meditative workout, and a great way to soak in the quiet majesty of the mountains all around us.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 3 star hotel in Cusco

The Valle Sur just outside Cusco is one of our favourite places to take our guests, because it offers a one day snapshot of the incredible variety of this whole region. We’ll meet brujos (witches) who can read your future in coca leaves, and see how bakers create the area’s famous chuta bread. We’ll explore two charming, little-visited ruins: the Inca agricultural laboratory Tipón, with its still-working terraces and panoramic views, and Pikillacta, ‘the flea village’, which was home to 10,000 members of a pre-Inca tribe known for abundant procreation!
We’ll check out the church of Andahuaylillas, so elaborate it’s known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, and the deliberately-deformed skulls of departed Inca nobles displayed in the museum next door.
On the way home there’s time to sample local specialty foods like toqto (pigskin), cuy (guinea pig), or for the less adventurous palate, the best cakes and ice-creams in the region!

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: 3 star hotel in Cusco

You can book your flight out of Cusco for any time today. 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