We will pick you up in the Cusco airport, welcome you to our beautiful city, and take you to your hotel.
1:15pm to 6:30pm : Cusco city tour (city and neighboring ruins)
The tour of the city includes the following: The Plaza de Armas (main plaza), The Cathedral of Cusco, Koricancha (religious complex dedicated to the different deities of Tahuantinsuyo). We then visit the archeological sites near the city: Kenko, an ancient ceremonial center dedicated to the earth; PucaPucara, an ancient administrative and military site; Tambomochay, an important and sacred place dedicated to water; Sacsayhuaman, a fort overlooking Cusco and a central part of its defense. After Sacsayhuaman, we take you back to the city and your hotel.
We leave early in the morning for an excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Initially, we visit Pisaq, a picturesque little town in which you have the opportunity to visit the largest artisan market in the region. This is followed by lunch in Urubamba (not included) after which we visit the ruins of Ollantaytambo, which were a massive agricultural, administrative, social, religious, and military complex during the time of the Tawantinsuyo. At either 4:30 or 7:00pm, we take a train to the town of AguasCalientes at the base of Machu Picchu and check into a hotel.
Tour: the city of Machu Picchu
We meet at a predetermined time at the bus station in AguasCalientes, and board a bus which will take us to the lost city of the Incas on a very windy road up the mountain. Upon arrival, we will begin a guided tour of the city, an archeological complex that is clearly divided into agricultural and urban sectors that were in perfect equilibrium with the natural environment of the area. In the afternoon, we return by train to Ollantaytambo and then take a van back to Cusco and the hotel.
At 6:40am, we take you to the bus terminal where we board a bus from Cusco to Puno. Along the way, we will visit Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, Pukara, eat a lunch buffet in Sicuani, and ultimately arrive at the hotel in Puno.
At 7:30am, we begin our tour of the island of Uros. Descendants of the indigenous Aymarans built their houses on these artificial islands on the waters of Lake Titikaka. The people living here live have formed familial communities and guard the customs of their ancestors. After Uros, we continue by boat to the island of Taquile. This is the largest island on Lake Titikaka, and the people living here also conserve the traditions, customs, and laws of the Incan times. In this beautiful place, you will see the traditional clothes and ceremonies (beautiful dancing) as well as their sacred and ceremonial sites. All of this is a culmination of their Cosmo vision, and they exemplify it in the way that they live, dedicated to agriculture, textiles, and fishing. We eat lunch on the island of Taquile, and then take a boat back to Puno and the hotel
The tour ends at either the airport or bus station in Juliaca, from where you can continue on to the next part of your trip.