Inca Trail and Inti Raymi 2023

You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. There are no activities planned, so that you can arrive at any time. You are free to unwind at the hotel or amble around the town of Cusco, the part of Cusco where the hotel is situated. Some of Cusco's finest galleries, museums, shops and restaurants are around here. If you have time we recommend the Museo Inca.

You will be driven to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The Sacred Valley provided the Inca culture with large amounts of food agriculturally and includes various Inca remnants. The valley has been formed by the Urubamba River also known as the Vilcanota River and it goes through Pisac and Ollanaytambo up to the ancient natural sanctuary of Machu Picchu. The Sacred Valley is a lush agricultural region that keeps supplying the Cusco City with lots of its production. We are taken to the impressive Inca site of Pisac, an archaeological complex situated on the hillside high above the town, with amazing vistas of frost-topped mountains. This place has fascinating agricultural terracing carved into the mountainside. Uphill are well-kept temples, including a Solar Clock or Intiwatana which are magnificent designs.

Afterwards we continue to Ollantaytambo, a little town brimming with native atmosphere and occupied since Inca times, we stop at the principle templethat was used as an Incan fortress during the Incas resistance. Beautiful views for some awesome photos.

In the afternoon we return to Cusco, but before we stop in Chinchero, we view the beautiful landscapes and the small colonial church. We will be taken to the hotel. Overnight stay in Cusco.

The festivity in honor of the Sun god is celebrated in 3 historical scenes.

• Qorikancha (Golden Temple), it was the principal temple dedicated to the Sun in the Incan era.
• Plaza de Armas (called by the Incas "Auqaypata", the Warrior Square), which was a huge square during the Inca times where this ceremony was held on a ceremonial platform (“ushnu” in Quechua). From there, the Inca was carried on a golden throne leading a procession through the ancient city of Cusco up to Sacsaywaman in the hills above city.
• Saqsaywaman ("saqsay" and "waman" in Quechua mean "satiate hawk"), which is an impressive archaeological centre situated at 3,555 m.a.s.l., just a kilometre far away from the Inca neighbourhood of Qolqanpata.

 Program of the Sacsaywaman´s scene:

• Ceremonial arrival
• Announcement of the 4 “Suyus” (or the four cardinal points): Qollasuyu, Kuntisuyu, Antisuyu and Chinchaysuyu
• Chicha Ritual
• Sacred Fire Ritual
• Lama (Andean cameloid) sacrifice and a sign reading (But no worries, there is not any lama killed in fact nowadays!
• Sankhu (sacred bread) Reading
• Q'ochurikuy (burst of popular exaltation)

We pick you up from your hotel in Cusco to transfer you during a 2 hour ride to the Ollantaytambo´s railway station. There, you get on a train and continue until Km 104, where a checking point of the Inca Trail is located. You pass through the point and start the Inca Trail Trekking! After about 2-3 hours, you reach the archaeological site of Chachabamba where you have lunch and a rest. Then a guided tour of the site follows. Afterwards, you continue through a mixture of cacti vegetation and a cloud forest towards another Incan significant site - Wiñay Wayna. But before we reach it, we enjoy a refresh in a local waterfall! Later on, you can admire the sunset above Machu Picchu when we get to the Sun´s Gate (Inti Punku) before entering the Inka citadel. However, today is too late to have a guided tour of this overwhelming Incan city so we descend slowly to Aguas Calientes Town enjoying beautiful surrounding scenery on the way! We spend the night in a comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes. 

After an early morning breakfast, we continue hiking the Inca Trail for about 2 hours up to the mysterious city of Machu Picchu that we enter for the early morning best photos opportunities. Then our Tour Guide shows us around the Incan city and explains us about its history and purposes. After the guided tour, we are given the opportunity to climb up for about 45 minutes to Huayna Picchu or to Machu Picchu Mountain (peaks above Machu Picchu serving to take some panoramic pictures of the Inka city). Then, we are given time off to spend and explore Machu Picchu on our own.

The 2 day Inca Trail ends up with a train ride to Ollantaytambo (alternatively to Poroy), from where we are taken by van back to Cusco.
Machu Picchu is both, the best and the least known site of the Incas as it is not mentioned in any Spanish conquistador´s chronicle so that contemporary archaeologists can not do anything more than just speculate on its functions. Local Quechuan farmers had known about Machu Picchu for centuries before an 11-year-old boy showed the American historian Hiram Bingham (who was in a search of Vilcabamba) this site on the 24th of July 1911. At that time, all the rest of the world became aware of its existence. However, the site was covered with thick vegetation so Hiram Bingham along with his team returned and within the years of 1912 and 1915 cleared its surface. Over the years, plenty of work has been done on excavating and studying the site. Despite these efforts, many unanswered questions remain.

Transfer to Cusco airport after breakfast. End of the tour or alternatively, a good time to extend your trip!

Please note: A return flight to Lima can be arranged upon request!

• Welcome by our Representative at arrival;
• All airport transfers at arrival and departure;
• Accommodation: 3* hotel (4 nights) and Hotel in Machu Picchu (1 night);
• Professional bilingual Tour Guide as per the itinerary;
• All entrance fees (it means to the Inti Raymi festival in Peru including the huge fortress of Sacsayhuaman within the festival, Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Pisaq, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero);
• Meals: 4x breakfast, 1x buffet lunch (during the Sacred Valley Tour), 1x box lunch on the Inca Trail, 1x dinner;
• Transport by a private van during the tours and local transfers;
• A tourist train round trip to Machu Picchu (Expedition Class);

• Pre & post tour accommodation,
• International and Local flights nor airport departure taxes,
• Entrance fee to Huayna Picchu (U$85),
• Meals not mentioned,
• Travel insurance
• Tips and baggage portage (Please note: It is a custom to give tips in Peru; however, it is not obligatory.),

Meals budget: Please allow USD 50 - 100 for meals not included.

Single room: Please note that if you have booked the "Single Room" option for the Inti Raymi tour, you receive your own single room for all overnights.

Local flights: There are two local flights are not included in the cost of the tour. 

• Passport Original and copies
• Travel insurance(+ copies for a case of lost),
• Flight tickets,
• Cash in USD or credit cards,
• Our service voucher (sent by us to you),
• Entry visa and a proof of vaccination (if applicable),
• Day pack (to carry your personal items during daily travels),
• Rain gear (a rain-jacket and a waterproof trousers or a rain poncho - this can be purchased in Cusco),
• Resistible footwear, waterproof trekking shoes are recommended,
• Sandals (for a higher comfort while at a campsite),
• Warm clothes such as a jacket, a fleece (thermal clothing is also recommended for cold nights during camping),
• Hat or a cap (to protect you against the Sun, rain as well as cold),
• Sun cream or sun block,
• After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body,
• Insect repellent– recommended minimum is 20% DEET (please note that no malaria has been reported during this trip!),
• Camera and its charger/batteries (please note that batteries are consumed quickly under cold conditions),
• Flashlight/headlamp + batteries,
• Handkerchiefs and toilet paper,
• Small towel and toiletries,
• Sufficient reserve of underwear,
• Swimsuit (to visit the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes),
• Snacks (biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.)
  Please note: we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. The recommendation of taken own snack applies only for customers who like a specific snack that might not be in our menu.
• Bottled water for the first morning and a water bottle.
  Important: plastic bottles are not allowed on the Classic Inca Trail! Please bring a metallic (alternatively Nalgene) bottles!
• Optional: walking sticks (please note: rubber covers are required for the Inca Trail!!); you can also rent it from us,
• Please note: we provide with filtered boiled water during entire Inca Trail, but if you like to use water from streams along the trail, you need to take some water-purifying tablets with you.

The Inti Raymi, the most lavish feast of the Inca Empire, was held at the end of June, that is, when the winter solstice begins and the sun is farthest from the earth. It is then when the harvests begin. On the eve of the celebration, the most important figures of the empire were concentrated in the main square of Cusco, there were the generals, princes, governors and the same Inca Emperor, all finely dressed, holding their shields and their scepters. Inti Raymi 2018