The diversity of climates that Peru has offers incomparable beauties. Glaciers and vast mountains extend across the Andean region. If it’s adventure you like will be delighted to know that there are many hiking trails in which you can experience the variety of climates, vegetation and the breathtaking natural scenery.
Day 1. Lima
Greeting at the Jorge Chavez airport and transfer to hotel.
Meals are not included
Day 2. Lima – Arequipa
In the morning transfer to the airport for the flight to the White City. Transfer to the hotel. The city of Arequipa is
surrounded by three big volcanoes, Misti (5821 m), Chachani (6075 m) and Pichu Pichu (5425m). Arequipa certainly deserves its name as ‘The White City’ due to its buildings mainly made of sillar, volcanic lava. The white embellishes the facades of the houses and churches. We will have a guided tour of approximately 3 hours.
Día 3. Arequipa – Chivay
The Colca Canyon is an impressive geological formation and one of the deepest in the world, at about 3680 metres
deep.
Departure by tourist bus heading to the great Colca Canyon. En route we will observe different species of South American camelids such as vicuñas, alpacas and llamas. Arrival to the town of Chivay, greeting and check-in at the hotel. In the afternoon, a visit to the thermal baths.
Dinner and overnight stay.
Meals not included.
Día 4. Chivay – Colca – Puno
At the indicated time we will depart to see the flight of the condors and visit some of the peoples of the Colca Canyon. Trip to the city of Puno. Overnight stay at hotel.
Meals not included.
Day 5. Puno – Uros – Taquile – Puno
In the morning we’ll go to the port of Puno to visit the floating islands of Uros. The main activity of the inhabitants is
fishing. Afterwards we will travel for 2 hours to the island of Taquile which represents a great cultural interest. The inhabitants live maintaining the customs and traditions of their Inca ancestors. Return to Puno around noon. Transfer to the hotel.
Meals not included..
Day 6. Puno – Cusco
Transfer to the bus station of Puno, and depart for Cusco, the navel of the world.
We will have the opportunity to observe the outstanding landscapes along the way. Lunch in Sicuani (included) and visits to the Wiracocha Temple in Raqchi and the village of Andahuaylillas with its celebrated “Sistine Chapel”. Afterwards we will arrive to Cusco, the archeological capital of America.
Dinner not included.
Day 7. Cusco City tour
Depart from hotel, for a visit of the city and its surroundings. We will begin our visit in the Temple of Koricancha
(Temple of the Sun), the main temple of the Incas. Then we will go to the Cathedral, where we can find more than 300 paintings that were painted by European and indigenous artists which belong to the Cusco art school. Then we will go to the archaeological constructions of Sacsayhuaman, Kenko, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay. Return to the hotel at the end of the visit.
Meals not included.
Day 8. Cusco – Sacred Valley – Cusco
Depart at 8:30am by tourist bus to the Sacred Valley. After about an hour we will arrive to the archaeological site of
Pisac, built primarily for storing the food reserves of the Empire. Afterwards we will have lunch at a tourist restaurant which offers a typical regional buffet. Then we will continue our tour to the city of Ollantaytambo, where we will visit the fortress which was considered a strategic military, religious and agricultural centre. Then we will travel to the village of Chinchero, famous for its colonial church, built on an Inca palace. We return to Cusco at the end of the day and stay overnight at the hotel.
Lunch included. Dinner not included.
Day 9. Cusco – Soraypampa
We leave the city of Cusco at 5am by tourist bus to Mollepata where we will have breakfast. We will meet with the staff and the team for this trek. We start our walk heading to Soraypampa where we will have our first camp, at the foot of the majestic Salkantay.
Overnight stay.
Day 10. Soraypampa – Arrayanniyuc
After a good breakfast in the morning, we start our longest walk of the whole trek. We will pass by the side of the
snow-capped mountain Humantay, neighbour to Salkantay. We pass over 4600 metres high. From there we will have a panoramic view of the snow-capped mountain Salkantay. After the pass we will descend to our next camp of Arrayanniyuc (3400 metres).
Day 11. Arrayanniyuc – La Playa
Today is an unforgettable hike due to the surprising variety of vegetation. We continue our descent toward the Yunga zone (part of the subtropical Andes close to the jubgle). We follow the course of the River Santa Teresa and observe a variety of orchids and waterfalls along the way.
Overnight stay in the camp.
Day 12. La Playa – Hydroeléctrica – Aguas Calientes
We will walk in the direction to the archaeological remains of Llactapata. From there we will have a panoramic view of the mountain Machu Picchu. We will descend towards the hydroelectric plant and continue our hike to Aguas Calientes.
Overnight stay.
Day 13. Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco
Archaeologists believe that the city of Machu Picchu was built in the middle of the 15th century.
After breakfast we will walk and ascend by stairs to the citadel of Machu Picchu. This is a sacred day to marvel at the amazing archeological city. We return to the town of Aguas Calientes by bus and take the connecting train to Ollantaytambo and from there by bus to Cusco.
Note: It is possible to organise in advance to climb the mountain of Huayna Picchu. The climb is difficult. It is important that you have good shoes, you don’t carry a heavy load and that you don’t suffer from vertigo. It is also possible to climb the mountain of Machu Picchu (almost opposite Huayna Picchu). In both cases you need to organise in advance entrance to these mountains.
Lunch and dinner are not included.
Day 14. Cusco – Lima (Airplane)
Transfer to the airport for a flight to the Peruvian capital.
