10 days - Lima - Paracas - Huacachina - Cusco - sacred valley - short Inca trail to Machu Picchu

INTRODUCTION:

On the 10 – days tour you will explore essential places of Lima the city of the kings, the beautiful places of Paracas , Huacachina, Cusco the marvelous Inca capital with its mysterious and magical buildings. You will be able to experience the Magical places as: Sacsayhuaman, Chinchero, Moray ruins, Salt mine, Pisac ruins and Ollantaytambo.the Sacred Valley and then the 2 days hiking connecting to the lost city of the Incas “Machu Picchu”, which is you will explore in a guided tour. finally, to finish your trip in Cusco, you will hike to the popular Rainbow Mountain.

Day 1: International Arrival in Lima

Upon arrival in Lima, our representative will be waiting for you with a sign with your name clearly marked. You will be greeted and transferred to your hotel in our private transport. The journey from the airport to the hotel will take approximately 1 hour approximately. You will have free time to rest and acclimate.

Lima Hotel: Tierra Viva Hotel or Similar Category Meals provided: None

Day 2: Lima city tour- Colonial & Contemporary

At the appropriate time, the guide will pick you up at your hotel and lead you on a guided tour called The Essential Lima. You will visit “The City of Kings” including the outstanding architectural sites of the main square. Where the Government Palace is loc ated, City Hall, the Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Palace and more.

The tour will continue with a visit to the San Francisco Convent. An architectonic jewel dating back to the 16th century. On our way to the modern area of the city. We will cross the exclusive district of San Isidro. The new financial center of the city. Our tour will finish in Miraflores, where you will visit the “Parque del Amor” (Love Park) an excellent place to take in the beautiful scenery and the fresh air of the sea. At the end of the tour, we will drive back to your hotel.

Meals provided: breakfast
Hotel in Lima: Tierra Viva Hotel or Similar Category

Day 3: Lima city – Paracas National reserve – Huacachina (shared service)

We will pick you up from your hotel in Lima at 6:00 am, we will drive to Paracas in a private transportation. we will arrive to the wharf of Chaco, from here we will take a boat to get the national reserve of Paracas, during the excursion we will stop to see the amazing candelabra figure that was drawn on the hillside of Paracas by nobody knows or has any idea about this figure, only some theories have some references that the pirates may have drawn to have an orientation point. Anyway our guide will share an information with you about this figure, subsequently we will get the Ballestas Islands where we will enjoy the sea fauna, we will go around the isles, passing through the big caves, natural formation rocks that are home for pelicans, Humboldt penguins, seals, dolphins. Then you continue the tour in our private transportation, who will take you to the Huacachina Lagoon, a natural oasis in the middle of the desert that is surrounded by beautiful palm trees. In this place you can not only enjoy its beautiful landscape, you can also go sandboarding, but also once there you can ride a dune car through the desert. At the end of the tour, you will return to Lima City.

Meals provided: breakfast
Hotel in Lima: Tierra Viva Hotel or Similar Category

Day 4: Arrival to Cusco.

We will pick you up at the Cusco airport and take you to your hotel. You will have some time to settle in, and then we will return at 1:00 pm to start the Cusco City Tour. We will begin the tour at the most important temple of the Inca Empire, the Sun Temple, known as the Qoricancha. Here, you can observe detailed and intact architecture, and within the temple you will see smaller temples dedicated to the moon, rainbow, stars, lightning and thunder, among others. Today, the Santo Domingo church stands on top of the temple. From there, we will go to an important religious site called Sacsayhuamán which features immense stones. Although the site was religious, the Spanish considered it a military fortress because of its location and the way it was built. Next, we will visit Qenqo, a site built in a natural rock formation which was created to represent the Andean constellations and the concept of the three worlds, each one representing sacred animals: the condor, puma, and snake. After that we will travel to Puka Pukara, which was a shelter for travelers coming to Cusco from the Amazon. It was also a military center and used to protect the nearby temple located at Tambomachay. Our last stop is Tambomachay,

known as the Temple of Water, where the Incas practiced religious traditions tied to water in order to rejuvenate the land. This tradition is known as the fountain of eternal youth. From there, we will return to the city and drop you off at your hotel at around 6:00 pm.

Hotel in Cusco : tierra viva or similar category

Day 5: Sacred Valley Tour.

We will pick you up at your hotel in Cusco at 7:30am. In our private vehicle, we will head to one of the most important archaeological sites in the region, called Pisac, to see Inca burial grounds, ancient irrigation systems and astronomical centers. We will visit the ruins and terraces for about an hour, and after our tour here will then go down to the town of Pisac located at the bottom of the valley. In this town we will first stop by a local silver factory and will see a demonstration of how they process and form beautiful jewelry. Next, we will walk through the cobble-stoned street to the plaza to see locals selling produce and souvenirs in their stands. You will have some free time to browse and do some shopping here as well.

After finishing our visit in Pisac, we will drive to the town of Urubamba to have a buffet lunch which includes both delicious Peruvian and Western cuisine. From there, we will head to Ollantaytambo where we will visit the ruins built up on terraces that features massive stones at the top. This site was an important religious and astronomical center, and was also used as a military fortress in one of the biggest battles the Incas had against the Spanish. After this, we will start to head back to Cusco, and on the way we will stop at another local village called Chinchero where we will see the remaining Inca buildings and terraces here that were important for the administration of farming. We will then return to Cusco and will drop you off at your hotel around 6:30 pm.

Meals provided: breakfast

Tierra viva or similar category

Day 6: Cusco – Chachabamba – Wiñaywayna – Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes

We will pick you up from your Cusco hotel early in the morning (about 4:00am) and then drive to the train station in Ollantaytambo and take the train to Kilometer (Km) 104, which takes about three hours. Km 104 is an unscheduled train stop so you will probably feel a twinge of satisfaction that the train is stopping especially for you – and by knowing you are about to see things that no one else will get to! At Km 104 we will get off the train and pass the Inca Trail checkpoint where we will see our first archaeological center called Chachabamba (2,170 m / 7,170 ft).

These ruins were one of the last shelters that the Incas used before they reached Machu Picchu. This site was also used as a religious and administrative center, and features several buildings. Then, we will gradually ascend for about 3 hours climbing Inca stone steps while our guide points out different flora and fauna along the trail.

We will then pass a tall waterfall before arriving at the archaeological site called Wiñaywayna at (2,650 m / 8,700 ft), which is named after an orchid and means Forever Young in Quechua. We will climb to the top of the ruins and enjoy lunch with an incredible view of Wiñaywayna and the Sacred Valley. This large site sits on a mountainside and features experimental terraces that the Incas used to grow different crops. We will visit an important temple with 7 windows that was dedicated to the rainbow as well as observe the amazing engineering of water channels that still function today.

Once we finish our tour here, we will continue our hike for about 1 1⁄2 hours on a part of the Inca Trail which is relatively flat, with small ascents and descents along the way. At about 2:00 pm we will reach the Sun Gate

(2,720 m / 8,920 ft) which is called Intipunku in Quechua. This is where we will have our first view of Machu Picchu and from there we will head down to the ruins to take the bus down to Aguas Calientes. Upon arrival to Aguas Calientes you will check in to your hotel. The natural hot springs in town are an unbeatable way to spend a late afternoon/early evening if time is available before dinner.

Meals: Box Lunch / Dinner Accommodations: Hotel in Aguas Calientes town Terrezas del Inca or similar

Maximum altitude: 2,720 m / 8,920 ft Minimum Altitude: 2,040 m / 6,691 ft Distance to walk: 6.5 miles/12 km Approximate walking time: 6 – 7 hours

Day 7: Machu Picchu – Cusco.

After an early breakfast, we will board the bus which will take us to the most mysterious city of the Incas, Machu Picchu. As part of our itinerary the same professional guide will teach you about all the history of this mysterious and inspirational place. We will visit the Sun Temple, Royal Palace, Main Temple, the Temple of the Three Windows and the Intihuatana sun dial. You’ll have an unforgettable experience. After the guided tour, we’ve left some free time for you to explore on your own.

If you have booked the Wayna Picchu hike, you’ll need to coordinate with our guide regarding your scheduled time to take this additional hike. For people not hiking Wayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, there are other optional activities you can do on your own:

Back to Cusco in the afternoon, you will return to the train station in Aguas Calientes for the trip back to Ollantaytambo. Upon your arrival to train station you will be transferred by car to your hotel in Cusco.

Meals: Breakfast

Lowest Elevation: 2,040 m/6,691 ft Highest Elevation: 2,440 m/8,052 ft

Day 8: day off exploring Cusco by yourself or relaxing after many activities

Meals provided: breakfast

Hotel in Cusco tierra viva or similar category

Day 9: Rainbow Mountain.

We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at about 4:00am, and from there we will drive about 3 hours to the south of Cusco. We will follow the highway and stop at a local restaurant to have breakfast, and then will follow a mountain road that passes through traditional villages and fertile valleys. If it is a clear day we will be able to see the nearby snow-capped Ausangate Mountain, which is the tallest mountain in the Cusco Province at 6,384 meters or 20,945 feet.

Hotel in Cusco: Tierra Viva Hotel or Similar Category

Meals included breakfast and lunch

Day 10: Cusco – flight back to Lima.

At the scheduled time, we will pick you up from the hotel and transport you to the airport in Cusco for your flight back to Lima.

Pick up from Lima airport and transfer to the select hotel
Lima Sightseeing Tour + Entrance fees
Private transportation from Lima to Paracas Huacachina round trip.
Ballestas Island boat trip: Guided tour 2hrs (shared group)
Paracas National Reserve tour.
Local guide for Huacachina tour
Entrance fee to the sand dunes
Transfer out from the Hotel to the Lima airport
Pick up from Cusco airport and transfer to your select Hotel in Cusco
Guided tour to Chinchero, Guided tour to Pisaq ruins and Pisaq Market
Lunch in Urubamba.
Guided tour to Ollantaytambo site and town
Expedition class train Ticket to km 104 and back to Ollantaytambo.
Entrance fee to Machu Picchu
Bus ticket down to Aguas Calientes town and next day up to Machu Picchu and down to
Aguas Calientes town
Expert guide for Machu Picchu Tour
Transfer from the train station to Cusco hotel (Ollantaytambo – Cusco)
Guided tour to Sacsayhuaman and Cusco city + entre fee
Rainbow Mountain day trek (transport, entry fee, guide, breakfast and lunch)
Hotel nights in Lima, Cusco and Aguas Calientes (Standard class Hotel 3***)
Transfer from your Hotel to Cusco airport