Inca trail, Sacred Valley trek, Rainbow mountain & rafting 6 days

Your exciting journey starts today as you leave home and head for Peru’s capital, Lima. Depending your flight itinerary, you can stay in Lima 1 night or immediately after your arrival in Lima you will take a flight to Cusco. Your guide will be waiting when you touch down Cusco and then to Sacred Valley (The best place to get easy acclimatize to the altitude).

• Accommodation: Hotel in Lima.
• Meals: No meals included.

Today it’s a small training session to get acclimatized for what is coming ahead. Upon arrival in Ollantaytambo you will immediately notice the massive terraces, giant steps, waterworks, storehouses, and a beautiful temple. Ollantaytambo was an important city for the Incas, and still to this day you can find many ancient remains such as the irrigation canals, and cobbled streets which date back to the 13th century.

After climbing many stone steps (known as Inca elevator), you will be rewarded with superb views of the Urubamba Valley and the town below.

We continue along the Urubamba River that runs through the Sacred Valley, heading towards Pisaq, where we will see another fascinating Inca ruins complex.

It will take 2-3 hours to hike between and up and down the small hills in the Urubamba Valley. Throughout the hike we will see amazing views of the valley and close-up details of the terraces and ancient footpaths and tunnels. We scheduled the hike for this specific date because the entire site will be available exclusively for our group.

We will visit the Pisac town market where locals sell beautiful textiles, jewelry, and handcrafted goods. At the end of the day, we will arrive in Ollantaytambo where you will spend the night.

• Accommodation: Hotel in the Sacred Valley.
• Meals: Breakfast and Lunch.

The day begins with an early train ride from Ollantaytambo to the trail at kilometer maker 104. Be prepared for a rigorous 12.5-kilometer hiking venture from 8am to 4pm. Approximately two-thirds of the way into the hike you will arrive at Wiñay Wayna, one of the most iconic ruin sites in the rainforest mountains. The stair-filled trail is made from rocks and crosses over different Inca ruins. You will have outstanding views of the Urubamba River and the Sun Gate, where you will catch your first glimpse of Machu Picchu. My ancestors, the Incas, are known for their love of stairs. 

* A perk of the 2 day/1 night hike is that you do not need to stay in a tent like the 4-day hike.

After the hike we will take a bus shuttle to Aguas Calientes for the night.

• Accommodation: Hotel in Aguas Calientes.
• Meals: Breakfast and Lunch.

We start the day with an early bus shuttle to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu has been listed as one of the “new” seven wonders of the world and is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites and it is easy to see why. The iconic citadel is literally located on top of the Andes mountains. The incredible view must be seen to be believed. The steep mountains are covered in lush rainforest with winding rivers between them.

You will be treated to an exclusive guided tour which consists of a breathtaking citadel view, an explanation about the daily life of the Incas and information about the most important buildings such as temples, the Incan king’s, and priest’s residences.

Afterwards, you may choose to hike either Huayna Picchu rock behind Machu Picchu or Machu Picchu Montaña, both of which have amazing views. Both hikes take approximately two-hour (You can hike any of these places if tickets are still available) tickets need to be purchased in advance. Access to these hikes is extremely limited with a maximum of 400 people allowed daily. (Book your tour in advance)

When we are finished with our incredible Machu Picchu visit, we will take a bus to Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu City) where we will dine and relax awhile before taking the train back towards the Sacred Valley, to Ollantaytambo and then a bus to Cusco.

• Accommodation: Hotel in Cusco.
• Meals: Breakfast.

We will pick you up from your hotel and driver towards the beginning of the rafting. After all the safety instructions you will jump into action. 

The whitewater rafting section of the Upper Urubamba is a Class III+ section with rapids coming one after another combining this thrilling adventure with incredible views of the surroundings. After the rafting you will have a nice lunch at the end of the river. Thereafter we will head towards the beginning of our trek. We will hike for about 1 hour until the Ausangate National Park to camp in a comfortable tent with a wonderful view of the Mountain scenery.

• Accommodation: Camping Choose hotel for extra US$40 per person
• Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 Your day starts in the mountain with a nice breakfast.

The hike to the rainbow mountain will take around 2 hours. The astonishing mountain scenery and the snow capped peak of Ausangate towering in the distance will be your faithful companion. As you get closer to the Rainbow Mountain you will begin to see the first signs of the colored minerals that formed the painted hills. Finally with one last push you will hike up to a vantage point that gives you a 360-degree view of the beautiful landscape that makes up the sacred land.

Thereafter we will continue on to the red valley, another awe-inspiring area not to be missed. From here, we continue our hike back to our van and then stop shortly for lunch prepared by our chef in a traditional mud-house and depart back to Cusco, arriving around 4pm. And then take you to the airport to catch a flight to Lima and then home.

• Meals: Breakfast and Lunch.