Cusco & Sacred Valley Explorer

On arrival in Cusco, we meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. This afternoon, we set out on a guided city tour beginning in the artistic San Blas district, where Inca and Spanish influences sit side by side. We continue to Plazoleta Nazarenas, surrounded by colonial buildings including the former San Antonio Abad University and its neighbouring church, before heading to the Plaza de Armas to visit the Cathedral, noted for its important colonial artworks. The tour concludes at Koricancha, the Golden Temple – a landmark that reflects Cusco’s Inca foundations and Spanish colonial history.

In the morning, we leave Cusco to explore nearby Inca sites. We begin at Sacsayhuaman, an impressive ceremonial fortress of colossal stonework set amid striking landscapes. We then take in a panoramic view of Qenqo, an ancient Puma shrine with a carved altar for sacrifices. Finally, we visit the Puca Pucara viewpoint and Tambomachay, a monument of remarkable engineering regarded as part of Andean cosmovision. We return to Cusco afterwards.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas welcomes us today as we travel to Pisac. We explore the Inca archaeological site set high above the valley – with wide views over the colonial town – before returning for a walking tour. You then have time to browse the handicraft market. We continue to the Inkariy Museum for lunch and a guided visit through its galleries that present cultures from ancient Peru before Spanish colonisation. Our final stop is the Live Cultural Museum of Yucay, where we see and feed Andean camelids – llamas and alpacas – and meet local artisans who demonstrate traditional weaving and dyeing techniques.

We begin at the Living Culture Yucay Museum, which preserves the cultural and agricultural traditions of the Sacred Valley, visiting interpretation centres on adobe brick making, a traditional chicheria and local folklore. We then continue to Moray to admire its colossal concentric terraces, an amphitheatre-like complex designed to recreate 20 distinct microclimates for agricultural production. Next is a trip to the colonial-era salt mines of Maras, where white evaporation pools contrast strikingly with the green valley. Buffet lunch included. In the afternoon we explore the archaeological complex of Ollantaytambo to appreciate fine Inca stonework, before boarding the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes – now known as Machu Picchu Town – where our team will meet us and assist with your hotel check in.

We board the bus up the winding mountain road to Machu Picchu, with striking views over the Urubamba River and its canyon. On arrival, a guided visit of the Lost City of the Incas takes us through its terraces, ceremonial shrines, stairways and urban sectors. After the tour, we stop for lunch at a local restaurant in the area. At the arranged time we return to Cusco and are transferred to your hotel.

After breakfast, enjoy your last moments in Cusco before your departure transfer to the airport.