PERU 10 DAYS
DESCRIPTION ITINERARY
Day 1.-Ballestas Island
We will pick you up from your hotel (Lima) to get our bus to drive you toPisco (3:30 hours 260 km). From the throughway, we will begin to enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Ocean, the birds and watch the dolphins dancing on the ocean. We will also see the Candelabro, a series of geological channels or engraved lines in rocks that reach 120 meters. Once we arrive to Pisco, we will go to the port, where we will take the boat that will bring us to the island. We will then visit the natural and protected area off the Pacific Ocean that has impressive land and marine ecosystems. On the island, there lives a variety of marine life such as seals, dolphins, Humboldt penguins, flamenco or parihuanas and a large variety of birds that you can see in their natural habitat. We will have the opportunity to be close to the marine life and observe their behavior. After we are finished on the island, we will return to Pisco to have lunch. Then, we will head to Nazca
Day 2.- Nazca Lines
In the morning, we will head in plane over The Nazca Lines for about 45 minutes. Here, we will see gigantic geoglyph lines with hundreds of individual figures, ranging in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, and lizards. After lunch we will return to Lima.
Day 3.- Lima-Cusco
We will take a flight from Lima to Cusco. From the airport in Cusco, we will transfer you to your hotel and welcome you to the city with complementary coca tea, a medicinal plant in the Andes that helps with soroche (altitude sickness). After you get a chance to acclimatize for a few hours
On the city tour, you will visit the following sites:
We will start at the most important temple of the Incan Empire, The Sun Temple, known as Koricancha. Here, you will 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. You will then walk traditional streets in the city and stop by Aqllaywasi (the chosen virgins of the sun) that is now the Santa Catalina convent, on the way to the Plaza de Armas. In the Plaza de Armas, you will visit the Cathedral that was built on top of an Incan palace. You will see fine Incan and European architecture, paintings, woodcarvings, ceramics, metallurgy and much more. Some of the main features in the Cathedral that you will see are the alters of the city’s patron, Señor de los Temblores (father of the tremors), the silver chapel, the paintings from the Escuela Cusqueña (Cusqueñan School), the woodcarvings in the pulpits, the catacombs, among others. From the Cathedral, we will go to an important religious site, Sacsayhuamán. Although the site was religious, the Spanish considered it a military fortress because of its location and the way it was built. Because of the architectural characteristics and because of the size of its stones, many larger than 33 feet and heavier than 150 tons, and also because of the stories that the gates and towers tell, the Spanish described the site as a fortress. At Sacsayhuamán, people celebrate Inti Raymi (celebration of the sun) each year on June 24. Also at Sacsayhuamán, you can see the Quenqo that represented the Andean constellations and the concept of the three worlds, each one representing sacred animals, the condor, puma, and snake. You will also see Puca Pucara, the military center of its time, strategically located at the entrance to control who went in and out of the site. The people who typically visited the site came from many different parts of Peru, including the Amazon region. You will also see Tambomachay, known as the temple of water, where the Incas practiced religious traditions tied to water to rejuvenate the land. This tradition is known as the fountain of eternal youth. After visiting these sites and learning about these traditions, you will return to the city.
Day 4.- Sacred Valley
By the morning we will pick you up from your Hotel to start our adventure on the Sacred Valley surrounded by villages of the INCA and COLONIAL era with an amazing landscapes that will approach us to the nature. From 30 min of the city we’ll visit the first craft center of Corao, where you’ll find clothing made by local people, after that we will go to the INCA CITY named PISAC located in a strategic point of the mountain as the GUARDIAN OF THE SACRED VALLEY where you can appreciate a irrigation system, astronomical observatory, religious temples and residences, where is the more extensive cemetery of the INCA empire .Then we will descend to the valley to visit the most famous craft center called PISAC which shows a big variety in ceramic,silverware,and others . We will also have the opportunity to interact with local people who still maintain their ancestral customs. After the lunch we will go to OLLANTAYTAMBO INCA CITY who shows their streets, houses, irrigation canals very intact and in use,the religious sector the main stage of the famous Inca novel “DRAMA OLLANTAY”.
Finally we will visit CHINCHERO who is a INCA CITY with terraces in use, a craft center and a local population who cares the INCA CUSTOMS since the INCA era until now. After this we will return to Cuzco.
Day 5.- Porter’s villages
Day 6.- Inca Trail (first day):
After breakfast we leave from the village or from Cusco to the start of the trail (82km). There, you will begin the journey, warming up on the relatively flat part of the trail. After two hours, you will reach the first archaeological center of Patallacta, where we will appreciate the impressive landscapes, flora and fauna. This site and others will show the importance of this valley in the context of Incan history. After lunch, we will continue ascending to a semi-tropical valley for two hours until arriving at our camp, Huayllabamba, where we will spend the night.
Day 7.- Inca trail (second day)
Huayllabamba-Paccaymayo: After breakfast, we will start hiking early on the morning of the second day, passing through different climatic and ecological zones. We will ascend to Warmiwañusca. We will walk amongst abundant vegetation with various types of trees. This pass is known by many as the world’s highest cloud forest. After the toughest part of the journey, an ascent of nearly 5 hours, we will arrive at the highest point, known to some as Dead Woman’s Pass. From there, we will take a well-deserved break and observe the beauty of the deep valleys. If we’re lucky, we will see the flight of the condors and will pass among the thick clouds in the sky. After this rest, we will descend towards our second camp at Pacaymayu.
Day 8.- Inca trail (third day) Paccaymayo- Wiñaywayna:
We will climb steeply up the opposite side of the valley wall, towards the second pass. About halfway up lies a small, round, roofless stone building. This Incan ruin is known as Runkuracay, a building thought to have been an astrological site and a sort of checkpoint for couriers following the trail to Machupicchu. After a short tour, we will continue to ascend towards the second pass, the Abra de Runkuracay. On the far side of the pass, the trail descends towards a valley and a shallow lake. At this point, the trail changes from a dirt path to a narrow stone roadway, containing the exact stones that were in place when the Incas walked the trail. The trail after the pass leads to a second, larger Inca site, Sayacmarca (“Town in a Steep Place”). This Incan ruin was built on a rock overlooking the trail and is accessible only via a single narrow stone staircase. On the left of the staircase lies an overhanging rock wall and on the right a sheer drop with expansive vistas of the Peruvian countryside. This site is roofless and slightly overgrown, but the walls still stand strong and the shape of the fortress can easily be seen. We will also see a stone aqueduct, which once carried water to the farmlands. After touring Sayacmarca, we will descend to the valley floor. The roadway takes the form of a long causeway leading across what may once have been a shallow lake. We will stop at this valley to enjoy lunch. After lunch, you will begin to climb again. At this point, you will pass through interesting Incan structures, including a tunnel that is eight meters long and wide enough to allow humans and animals to pass through. After this tunnel, we will reach the third pass and enjoy the third Incan site, Phuyupatamarca (“Cloud-level Town”). We will learn about the ritual functions that the Incas used this site for. Here we will see baths that Incas bathed in before they reached Machupicchu. The highest baths were reserved for the nobles, while the baths lower down on the side of the structure were used by the lower class. After this Incan site, we will reach another one, Huiñayhuaina (“Forever Young”). At this site, we will enjoy your dinner and settle for the night.
Day 9.- Inca trail- Machupicchu:
On the last day of the trek, we will wake up early and follow a wide, relatively flat path. After about an hour and a half, we will climb a narrow flight of stone steps leading to Intipunku, the sun gate. After three and a half days of trekking, we will look through the rectangular doorway of the sun gate and take in the first views of Machupicchu. From there, we will descend into Machupicchu. There, your guide will give a thorough, three-hour tour. Following your tour, you will have time to yourself before taking the bus to Aguas Calientes. Fromthere, wewillreturnto Cusco.
Day 10.-Out
