Do you only have a week in Cusco but want to see as much as possible? Do you love learning about ancient cultures and also enjoy immersing yourself in the local wildlife and seeing some of Mother Nature’s most magnificent creations? You don’t need to look any further. Our epic 6-day trip combines visits to the most important sites in the city of Cusco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Machu Picchu, Ausangate and the Rainbow Mountain.
Feel the call of the Incas while you tour the majestic city of Cusco. Get to know the monumental agricultural laboratory of Moray with its circular terraces and the thousands of small salt pools of Maras. Observe fertile cornfields in the middle of gigantic mountains during your visit to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
As if that were not enough, you will be surprised by the genius of ancient Peruvian architecture in the city of Machu Picchu, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To end this incredible trip, you can walk through the great Apu Ausangate to Vinicunca Mountain, also known as Rainbow Mountain or Mountain of 7 Colors due to the stripes of colors that its surface exhibits as a result of its complex mineral composition.
Don’t wait any longer to embark on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The Andes call you to surprise you, share its fantastic energy and show you a spectacular landscape.
A representative of the Peru Trek company will be waiting for you at the Cusco Airport to welcome you to our wonderful city and take you directly to your hotel. Cusco is at an altitude of 3,400 m / 11,155 ft, so you may need some time to acclimatize.
After a short rest, we will pick you up from your hotel to explore Cusco on a city tour. Our tour begins in the fascinating Qorikancha or Temple of the Sun, probably the most important Inca site within the city of Cusco. While you take your time to marvel at the exquisite architecture of the place, our guide will share with you a bit of the history of the Incas.
Then we will continue to the Plaza de Armas (Main Square) to visit the Cathedral of Cusco that has approximately 300 paintings from the famous Cusqueña School. The Plaza de Armas itself is a wonderful place to sit and soak up the local atmosphere and watch the world go by.
Later we will visit the impressive Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, located in the north of the city of Cusco. It is characterized by having been built with colossal rocks that weigh hundreds of tons. Ancient Inca architects cut and polished these giant rocks to build zig-zag walls that stretch for hundreds of meters. Despite the fact that only a small portion of the original site remains, the immense dimensions of Sacsayhuaman continue to inspire and amaze its visitors.
We will continue to the Qenqo temple, carved from a single block of stone. This temple has artificial tunnels, one of which forms an amphitheatre. The original purpose of the amphitheater has been lost over time, but most experts agree that the area was used to worship the sun, moon and stars, very important bodies in the Inca culture. Then we will go to Puca Pucara, a site that the Incas used as a military control center.
Our tour ends in Tambomachay, an Inca archaeological site that has a series of aqueducts and canals with two water sources that still run spectacularly before your eyes.
At the end of the day, we will take you to the door of your hotel to enjoy a relaxing night and dinner in the place of your choice.
Today you will enjoy a delicious breakfast at your hotel before we pick you up to go to the beautiful town of Chinchero (3,762 m / 12,343 ft) on our way to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. There you will find beautiful architecture, as well as fine textile art.
We will continue to the impressive archaeological site of Moray (3385 m / 11,106 ft) made up of a series of giant circular terraces and a complex irrigation system. Moray is known as the world’s largest agricultural laboratory because it was used to grow food that only grows in tropical climates.
After feeling the energy of this intriguing site, we will continue to the nearby salt mines in Maras. It is a set of more than 3,000 small white pools from which salt is extracted. These small pools are filled with water that evaporates, producing the salt that the inhabitants collect and package to sell in different markets in the region. This salt has a pink hue and is well known for its healing properties and its delicious taste. It makes a great gift for someone at home and is perfect for cooking.
Then we will continue to Urubamba to enjoy a Peruvian buffet lunch of many different traditional dishes for you to choose from. After a rest, it is time to board our private transport to Ollantaytambo, where the train that will take us to Aguas Calientes will be waiting for us.
Once you arrive in the city of Machu Picchu, you will check into a good hotel (shared rooms) to freshen up before dinner. You can also take advantage of your free time to enjoy the thermo-medicinal waters or take a walk and explore a bit. You must go to bed early because tomorrow we will visit the impressive Inca city of Machu Picchu.
The day has come to visit one of the New Wonders of the World! You will need to get up before dawn to enjoy a delicious breakfast at the hotel before boarding the bus in Aguas Calientes at 5:30 am. The trip lasts around 25 minutes and will take you to the entrance of Machu Picchu.
As soon as you enter, the immense energy of the site will wash over you. This pre-Hispanic marvel of architecture and engineering is built on top of a mountain in complete harmony with Mother Nature. We’ll be one of the first groups to enter, so you can watch in peace, undistracted by crowds of tourists, as the orange light of the early morning sun floods its light over these ancient walls.
You will learn the entire history of Machu Picchu and you will visit the most important sectors in a guided tour of approximately two hours. You can also hike Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain at this point if you have pre-booked tickets.
At the end of this unforgettable tour, you can choose one of the many restaurants in Aguas Calientes for lunch (price not included in the tour). Then, depending on the departure time of your train, you will return to the Ollantaytambo station where our driver will be waiting for you to transport you to the door of your hotel in the city of Cusco.
We will start our adventure very early. We will pick you up at your hotel at 5:00 a.m. and transfer by private vehicle to the city of Urcos, capital of the province of Quispicanchi. On the way we will be able to observe picturesque towns and beautiful lagoons along the Vilcanota Valley.
We will continue to the town of Ocongate and then to Tinque where you can do your last minute shopping before reaching the community of Upis (3,799 masl / 12,464 fasl), the starting point of our hike.
After breakfast, our first day begins on a plain that looks directly at the immense Ausangate glacier (6,300 masl / 20,900 fasl). You can concentrate and feel the emotion that this great mass of snow provokes in your heart. As we go along, we will meet local people wearing their beautiful and colorful traditional clothes. Herds of llamas and alpacas will also accompany our steps.
We will arrive at the thermal baths of Upis (4,198 masl / 13,776 fasl) to enjoy our lunch.
After a delicious lunch in the middle of the cold of the high mountains to then start our walk in a beautiful high Andean valley towards the Arapa pass, always accompanied by the spectacular Ausangate mountain. From the top of the pass (4,798 masl / 15,744 fasl) the beauty of the landscape is multiplied.
You will be able to observe the size of the mountain range and, if you are lucky, the solemn flight of the condor. Our guide will explain a bit more about the impressive local flora and fauna. Then we will begin to descend and we will find the beauty of the crystalline multicolored lagoons of Yanacocha (black lagoon) and Pukacocha (red lagoon), as well as several waterfalls. Later, we will arrive at our camp where you will have time to take a revitalizing nap. In the afternoon, we can explore the surroundings of the lakes and have a delicious tea. Obviously, before going to sleep a nutritious dinner awaits you.
There is nothing better for your body than waking up with hot coca leaf tea. Get up early to start one of the most beautiful days of the entire excursion. Be amazed by the breathtaking views of snow capped mountains and deep green valleys.
After a hearty breakfast, we will go up to Abra Puca. Feel the impressive presence of the Apu Ausangate and take photos of its beautiful turquoise lagoons. Once you reach the top, you will feel that you have the giant face of the Apu Ausangate right in front of you. In addition, you will be able to observe the extended beauty of the Chilca Valley through which llamas and alpacas will calmly pass. From this pass you can already see the beginning of the Rainbow Mountain Range with its striking colored stripes.
After taking some photos we continue with a gradual descent for 2 hours to our lunch point located in Anantapata (4,400 masl / 14,435 fasl). Once we have filled our stomachs, we will take the opportunity to rest and relax before continuing with the ascent to the Warmisaya or Pitumarca pass (5,050 masl / 16,568 fasl). From there you will feel like a bird and you will observe the immensity of the horizon. We only have to descend for 20 minutes to the Surineqocha lagoon where the camp will be waiting for you.
Another early start awaits you today as our hike reaches its climax. After having an energizing breakfast, we will go out to explore the famous Vinicunca or Rainbow Mountain. We will start ascending for two hours to the pass located at 5,100 m / 16,732 ft. From here, you will get a beautiful view of the spectacular Rainbow Mountain, which will surely make you feel like you are in a dream. looking at this creation of Mother Nature!
Our guide will explain why these mountains are so special. Its impressive display of colors is due to the sedimentary layers of minerals that were exposed by erosion. Remember that this type of phenomenon can only be seen in two places in the world: Peru and China. Take advantage of your time to connect with the energy of the mountains and enjoy this truly unique landscape.
After spending a lot of time contemplating the surreal landscape, we will walk for an hour to Llacto, where a tasty lunch awaits us. We will finish our day and epic adventure with a 3-hour trip in our private transport to drop you off at the door of your accommodation in Cusco.
I did this hike through the Peru Trek agency which is highly recommended not only for the knowledge of the route, but also for the equipment it offers, the highly qualified staff and spectacular meals that make this hike that is already a marvel.
