Named one of the New 7 wonders of the world, considered one of the most important energy centers in the world, and an iconic, world-renowned tourist destination, Machu Picchu, awaits to captivate you with its splendor! To reach the site, you have to cross the beautiful Urubamba Valley until you reach the Ollantaytambo or Poroy (Cusco) train station where you take the train to the town of Aguas Calientes. There you board a bus that will take you to the royal Incan citadel. The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, named Mixed World Heritage Site - natural and cultural - by UNESCO, always shows its best side. Feel your energy peak as you explore the Intihuatana sundial, the Temple of the Sun, Inca Palace, and the agricultural and urban areas of the citadel. For the most adventurous, climb Huayna Picchu or the symbolic mountain of Machu Picchu, the highest behind the Incan city. You can access it by a steep stone path and appreciate from there a spectacular view (as long as you have bought extra tickets ahead of time).
Day 01: Cusco - Machu Picchu tours - Cusco
Day 01: Cusco - Machu Picchu tours - Cusco
We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco 2 hours before the departure of your train and take you to the train station in the town of Ollantaytambo. We will board a train of one of the two companies operating in Peru – Peru Rail or Inca Rail. We will begin the journey from Ollantaytambo to the town of Aguas Calientes. The views out your train windows will be absolutely spectacular as we travel beside the roaring Urubamba River and the towering mountains surrounding it!
In Aguas Calientes, our guide will be waiting for us and will accompany us to the bus station where we will board the bus to take us to the amazing citadel of Machu Picchu! There we will have our 2-hour guided tour, visiting the Main Plaza, the Circular Tower, cemeteries, the Intihuatana sundial, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, etc. Be amazed at the engineering ingenuity of the Incas which was so far ahead of their time and still partially a mystery today! Without having modern tools or even steel and iron to work with, the people who built this city were genius in organizing this community in a sustainable and beautiful way on the side of a mountain, even bringing water in canals through its streets for the people to use. When a Peruvian guide showed this site to Hiram Bingham, it was almost unrecognizable, covered in thick vegetation and in a state of disrepair. It has since been cleaned and restored and is now protected and treasured by the world at large!
After this tour, you are free to climb up to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (Be sure to book in advance to get tickets for these!). Each mountain takes approximately 3 hours to hike up and down. Another lower-impact option for which you do not need an extra ticket is to trek to the Sun Gate, the main entrance from the Inca Trail (this takes about 2 or 2.5 hours round-trip). Another option is walking to see the Incan Bridge. Then we will descend to the town of Aguas Calientes by bus, where you can have lunch at one of the various restaurants in Aguas Calientes or at Sanctuary Lodge(lunch is on you).
At 16:22 hrs (subject to availability), we will take the train back to Ollantaytambo. This trip takes about two hours. At 18:30 hrs, we will board a private bus which will take us back to Cusco. We arrive in Cusco at approximately 20:30 hrs.
