Inca Trails of Cusco

Explore the markets and best hiking trails around the Cusco, Machu Picchu and Sacred valley regions of Peru. Hike a portion of the famed Inca Trail into Machu Picchu. This trip stays in local hotels & lodges every night, with an option to add extra days to explore Cusco on your own.

2007 Departure Dates: Every Friday from March through December

Minimum of 2 passengers required to operate any departure

2007 Prices:

• $1300 per person based on double occupancy
• $1695 per person based on single occupancy

Prices based on moderate 3 star hotels, upgrades available to deluxe 4 & 5 star hotels can be arranged on request.

** DUE TO RECENT TRAIL REGULATIONS, TO RESERVE SPACE ON THIS PROGRAM, WE MUST HAVE YOUR FULL PASSPORT NAME, PASSPORT #, BIRTH-DATE AND NATIONALITY ALONG WITH YOUR DEPOSIT TO REQUEST AND CONFIRM SPACE

Itinerary

Day 1/Friday: On arrival to Lima, you will need to clear customs and immigration. As you exit the airport, you are met by our local representative, and transferred to your hotel for a one-night stay.

Day 2/Saturday: You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the Lima airport for your flights to Cusco (cost of flights not included). On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your Cusco hotel. Morning fee to rest ad acclimatize to the 11,600’ elevation. In the afternoon enjoy a group tour of the city of Cusco, and the nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Kenko and Tombomachay. Lunch and dinner on your own. (B)

Day 3/Sunday: Early morning drive of about an hour to Urcos, a colorful Andean market where traditional trading takes place. On the return drive you will visit the colonial church of Anadhuaylillas with its renowned frescoes, and the pre-incan site of Pikillacta. In the afternoon visit the Incan ruins of Tipon, located just below Mt. Pachatusan. This site is characterized by its water-fountains that flow along the terraced hillside. Lunch is included, and you will return to Cusco in the late afternoon. (B, L)

Day 4/Monday: Very early departure to the trail head for today’s hike. A slow ascent brings you to the pass at Huchuy Qosqo, with a beautiful view of the peaks of Pitusiray and Sawasiray ahead, and the Urubamba Valley (or Sacred Valley), below. Descend to the Incan complex of Huchuy Qosqo, where one of the few remaining 3 story-high buildings dominates the site. Continue downhill until you arrive to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where a vehicle will pick you up and transfer you to a nearby country inn. (B, L)

Day 5/Tuesday: Visit Maras and Moray in the morning and walk through the salt mines to the river valley. Moray is an Incan construction in the shape of an amphitheater. It is said that the area was used to acclimatize plants and domesticate them. Maras is renowned for its colonial doorways, having been an important trading town for the open pit salt mines nearby. In the afternoon, visit the Incan fortress of Ollantaytambo and the Incan village of the same name. This is one of the few vestiges of Incan urban design that can still be appreciated. Lunch and overnight at a country inn, dinner on your own. (B, L)

Day 6/Wednesday: Morning transfer from your hotel to the train station at Ollantaytambo. Board the local train that will bring you to KM 104, where you begin your guided hike on the famed Inca Trail. Pass the Chachabamba ruins, and continue on a 3 hour ascent through highland grasses and small valleys to the spectacular ruins of Winay Wayna. From here you follow a winding trail through the cloud forest as it cuts across a ridge, bringing you to the Gate of the Sun, Intipunku. From here you have a magnificent view of your final destination, the citadel of Machu Picchu. Overnight at a local hotel in the town of Aguas Calientes. Dinner on your own. (B, L)

Day 7/Thursday: You have the opportunity to return to Machu Picchu early this morning to enjoy the solitude of the site before the tourist train arrives in the late morning. You will have a guided tour today of the ruins, followed by some free time to hike & photograph the area on your own. Return to the train station in Aguas Calientes in the afternoon for the return train back to Cusco. Transfer to your hotel, with dinner on your own. (B)

Day 8/Friday: You will be transferred to the Cusco airport this morning for your flight to Lima. On arrival in Lima, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Depending on your flight schedule, you will either be transferred to the airport late tonight for overnight return flights, or .

Day 9/Saturday: Transfer to the Lima airport for your return flights to the US.

B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner

Note: Optional free day in Cusco on Day 8 (explore the markets, museums, shops & restaurants of this charming colonial city!) extends this trip to a 10 day program operating Friday-Sunday.

Trip Notes:

• Above prices based on using 3 star hotels. Upgrade to 4 and 5 star hotels are available, based on availability. Please consult our staff for a quote.
• Includes transportation by vehicle and train, bilingual guides, breakfasts and lunch during full day excursions, lodging on double basis in comfortable country inns, and entrance fess to museums and archaeological sites visited during the journey
• Does not include lunches in the cities, dinners, alcoholic beverages, personal expenses such as tips, laundry, additional tours, telephone calls, insurance and airline tickets.
• Latin American Escapes, Inc. offers special contract airline rates to Latin America from most cities in the US, as well as special air-pass rates for tickets with-in Latin America.  Please ask for a quote based on your trip itinerary.
• This trip begins and ends in Lima, Peru, which can be reach by daily flights on a wide variety of airlines.
• This trip requires an addition of domestic flights Lima-Cusco and Cusco-Lima. Our office in Lima will make these arrangements. Ticket prices average between $240 to $280 round-trip, and will be confirmed once we have your trip deposit.
• Minimum number of passengers required to operate this trip is 2 per departure,
• Arrangements can be made to extend your stay in Peru, Bolivia, the Amazon, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, or other parts of Latin America either before or after your group program.  Please contact our staff for suggestions and prices.

Extend your stay in Peru with our 4 day Taste of the Amazon package, or a more extensive or 6 day program to the Tambopata Research Center or the Manu Wildlife Center.

Prices start at just $315 per person-- Contact us for details-- 800-510-5999

To confirm reservations:

A deposit of $300 per person is required to confirm reservations. In addition, the following payment procedures apply:

Payment for airline tickets is due at the time tickets are issued, but no later than time of final payment.

Last Minute Bookings: Last minute reservations (less than 30 days before departure) will be accepted, subject to availability, if payment has been received, and documents can be delivered. Any special communication costs and delivery charges will be at the client's expense.

Revision Fee: Revision fees will apply once the initial deposit has been received. Charges will vary based on itinerary, and extent of changes, with a minimum charge of $50. Changes requested after documents have been issued (generally with-in 30 days) will incur a minimum $100 change fee, plus additional services requested.

International bookings: We gladly accept bookings from passengers outside the US. However, an additional surcharge of $50 per booking is applied to cover additional shipping charges.

CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS--At the time we receive written notification that you must cancel your trip, money will be returned less the following cancellation fees:

Note Special restrictions apply to Peru departures:

Trip Documents: Trip documents will be forwarded approximately 3 weeks prior to travel, and once all payments and completed application forms have been received.

Risk and Responsibility

In arranging these trips, Latin American Escapes, Inc. acts only as the agents for the owners, contractors and suppliers actually providing tour services for these trips with whom Latin American Escapes, Inc. has no legal connection or joint ownership. These local tour operators attempt to conduct these trips as described in the preceding itineraries. However, it is possible that due to transportation schedule changes, weather, delays and unforeseeable acts of God, humans or nature, itineraries may vary from what is described. Participants are responsible for extra costs due to travel delay or itinerary changes for reasons beyond our control and assume all risks, whether identified in advance or unforeseen, as described under Limitation of Liability, and Trip Member Responsibility, located in our Terms and Conditions, which all travelers agree to sign. Traveler's insurance is not included, but is offered, and is strongly recommended. CST # 2023695-40.