10 Day Machu Picchu * Cusco * Lake Titicaca - Guided Tour
OVERVIEW
This tours offers the best highlights of Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley and the City of Cusco. Travelers will go home fully satisfied to have had this incomparable experience. A tour designed to bring you inside the culture of the Incas. Beautiful landscapes, snow cap mountains, colorful fields of golden grains, crops, and wildflowers are part of the backdrop as we travel through the majestic plains of Chicheros.
Immerse in the living culture of the local weavers, discovering how they create and dyed their wool, how they make their different natural colors from local plants and insects like the cochinilla.
Savor delicious gourmet options at a buffet 5-star restaurant featuring the best fresh vegetables and fruits grown in the Valley of Urubamba, known for its abundance of minerals and nutrients. Enjoy a very unique and flavorful lunch while listening to the sounds of the panflutes and quenas of the Andean Music.
Participate in a typical spiritual Inca ceremony as a High Inca Priest performs a prayer mandala called 'despacho' with the intention to bring into relationship and alignment the physical body, the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of participants in order to manifest abundance, health, and healthy relationships.
We will visit renowned ceramist Pablo Seminario and wife Marilú Behar famous for cultivating Inca motifs into their modern ceramics.
Within the living culture, we will stop at Moray the belly of the earth and Maras, visit the Urubamba valley, Chincheros, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes Village and their famous market. We will spend one full day in Machu Picchu to return to the city of Cuzco for our final exploration.
WHAT TO EXPECT
DAY 1. - Our professional driver will pick you up at your downtown hotel or at the airport in the City of Cusco between 7:45 and 8:00 am. You will be offered a 'mate de coca', coca leaf tea to help you adjust to the altitude of Cusco. Early visit of the Coricancha Temple, guided tour of the Inca Palace inside the Catholic Dominican Convent. A perfect syncretism of Inca and Spanish Culture. Quick guided van tour of the main Plaza de Armas and surroundings. Lunch in the City. Afternoon visit of Sacsayhuaman and guided tour of the sacred site. Explore the majestic big stone masonry of this Inca Fortress, an extraordinary location where the Inca celebrated the solstices, equinoxes, and special ceremonies like the IntiRaymi. Departure to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a beautiful ride through the wheat and barley fields making stops at unique breathtaking views of the plateaus and sacred mountains for pictures and viewing. Arrival at your hotel in the Sacred Valley. Dinner and pernoctation at the hotel.DAY 2. - Today we travel the Chinchero where you will be able to experience mesmerizing views of snowed cap mountains, the revered Sacred Apus of the Incas. We will visit the weavers, their alpacas and llamas to have a taste of their daily life. The town of Chinchero is known internationally as a prominent Andean weaving community where efforts to revive traditions have also revitalized the town itself. We will have a delicious lunch at Meriendas in Chincheros. Right after that, we will head to Moray to experience one of the Inca marvels. Moray concentric circles served as a sophisticated way to domesticate the rainforest plants to make them suitable for the Andean dry weather. By creating microclimates at different hight levels they were able to acclimate the plants for the Andes. After Moray, we continue to Maras for a short visit to the Inca salt beds followed by a visit to the town of Urubamba. From there we visit the Ceramic Shop of Pablo Seminario in Urubamba, a famous Peruvian artist, and ceramist. You will have a guided tour of his renowned Art Shop and Gallery. After our Seminario visit, we go to a local Hotel in the Sacred Valley. Dinner at your hotel.DAY 3. - Early breakfast at 7 am and then after, we visit the sacred site of Pisac. Pisac is perhaps best known for its Inca ruins, known as Inca Písac, which lie atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. The ruins are separated along the ridge into four groups: P'isaqa, Inti Watana, Qalla Q'asa, and Kinchiraqay. Inti Watana group includes the Temple of the Sun, baths, altars, water fountains, a ceremonial platform, and an Inti Watana, a volcanic outcrop carved into a "hitching post for the Sun", Inti. The angles of its base suggest that it served to define the changes of the seasons. Qalla Q'asa, which is built onto a natural spur and overlooks the valley, is known as the Citadel. After a 3 hour visit to the sacred site, we will come down to the village for lunch and in the afternoon we will visit the Pisac market which is famous for their fine art crafts, textiles, and unique gifts. Be ready to purchase some precious gifts for your family and friends. This is the best art craft market in the region of Cusco and you want to walk at your leisure. Dinner and stay at a local Sacred Valley Hotel.Day 4. - Early breakfast at the retreat center. Visit of the Citadel of Ollantaytambo. During the Inca Empire Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region and built the town and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Perú, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance. Built strategically to stop any invaders, it's the last fortress that protected Machu Picchu. Guided tour of the sacred site. Afternoon lunch at Orishas Restaurant, one of the best meals in town. Afternoon at your leisure, Ollantaytambo Village is one of the most quaint villages you will find, it is as the time has stopped for over 200 years. Stay at a Hotel in the Sacred Valley.
DAY 5. - Today is a great day to receive and explore the Inca spirituality At 9:00 am we will have our Inca Priest/Priestess 'despacho' ceremony, a beautiful prayer mandala offering to mother Earth. Please prepare your intentions and be ready to connect deeply as the priest will do a clearing on you and later a blessing bestowing on you an energetic transmission or spiritual activation to connect you to the Earth and the Cosmos. Our Inca priests are renowned worldwide, they are a real ancestral Inca gift to humanity. Expect the unexpected and surrender to this wonderful mystical experience. Lunch in Ollantaytambo and right after, you will be transferred to the railroad station to take the train to 'Aguas Calientes', the Machu Picchu Village. You will stay at Gringo Bills or a similar hotel. Gringo Bills is a quaint hotel with lots of history behind. Recommendations for your dinner at the village: El Indio Feliz, a 5-star French Peruvian cuisine restaurant. Free night, it can be used to go to the hot springs or to visit the market or local shops.
DAY 6. - Early departure to the Citadel of Machu Picchu (6 am). Together we will take the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu that lasts 25 minutes.
Upon arriving at Machu Picchu, you will enter the site (please have your passport stamped!) and your guide will give you a tour of the citadel for 2-3 hours. After the guided tour, there will be free time to explore, take pictures, or hike as the Puerta del Sol (Inti Punku). If you are interested in climbing the Huayna Picchu mountain we need 3 months in advance to buy this ticket as it sells out fast. Upon return to the village, you can have lunch at any restaurant you please, look for the ones that have live entertainment. We will take back the train to Ollantaytambo late afternoon and stay at a hotel in the Sacred Valley, dinner and early pernoctation.
DAY 7. - Travel to Puno Lake Titicaca
Morning departure to Lake Titicaca by plane. Transfer to the airport.
Arrival to the city of Juliaca and transfer via shuttle to our Hotel with views of Lake Titicaca.
Dinner and pernoctation at our Hotel in Puno next to the Lake.DAY 8. - Early breakfast at our Hotel in Puno.
Early morning departure to the Floating Uros Islands and Taquile. Get yourself ready for an amazing journey back in time and have a real Cultural experience.
This excursion begins at 6:30 am at the port. We visit by motorboat the Uros Floating Islands. Stepping on the reed island very much feels like walking on a waterbed. We see the houses, the islands and meet its friendly inhabitants. Uros people are descendants of one of the oldest South American native people. Once we leave Uros we travel by boat to Taquile Island.
After a 3 hr. relaxed navigation with spectacular views of Lake Titicaca, we get to Taquile island. A long ascending path leads us to the village, the views are unique and spectacular.
DAY 9. - Aramu Muru Portal. Early breakfast at our Hotel in PunoWe visit the Aramu Muru Portal, the "Gateway to the Gods". The myths of the Inca Culture speak about this big door carved on the rocky mountain as an interdimensional portal that connects to the Gods and Star Beings. Travelers will bring their offerings to connect with this sacred site. Aramu Muru is a powerful vortex allow yourself to flow and receive the energy of this place.
Lunch: Fruits, vegetables, bread, and water.
Return to Puno and transfer to our hotel.Day 10. - Breakfast at our Hotel in Puno. Relaxed morning and transfer to the airport in Juliaca which is 1:30 minutes away. Our tour ends either at the Puno hotel or at the Juliaca's Airport. From there you can return to Lima to catch your flight home.WHAT'S INCLUDED
Inclusions
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Overnight accommodation in the Sacred Valley Day 1 through 5 and 7, day 6 in Aguas Calientes, day 8 & 9 Lake Titicaca.
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Entrance fees to Machu Picchu, Archeological sites ticket, Coricancha, Aramu Muru and Fertility temple.
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Private transport, train to and from Aguas Calientes, bus tickets to and from Machu Picchu, entrance fees to Machu Picchu, a private guided tour of the site, hotel in Aguas Calientes (Gringo Bills or similar caliber), private transport to the hotel upon return, coca tea
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Local guide
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Local, professional English speaking guide
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Hotel or airport pickup and drop-off (Cusco and Puno)
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Inca priest Ceremony
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9 nights accommodation (price based on double occupancy)
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All breakfasts
Exclusions
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RT Flight ticket from Lima to Cusco
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Food and drinks at lunch and dinner.
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Gratuities (recommended)
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Emergency transports and hospitals
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & CANCELATION POLICY
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Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
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Passport name, number, expiration date, and country are required at the time of booking for all travelers. Email picture of passport at guasabo@yahoo.com
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A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
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Peru Rail only allows for a small daypack on the train to Aguas Calientes
NOT INCLUDED
- Your flight tickets to Cusco
- Lunch and dinners
- Alcochol
- Any emergencies expenses
NOTE
- Please have travel Insuarance. Call for recommendations.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, please cancel at least 3 months in advance of the start date of the tour. After the 3 months, only 50% will be refunded. No refunds 3 weeks before the tour.
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