11 Days: The Magic of the Andes

Upon your arrival in Lima, a representative of Inkayni tours will be waiting for you at the airport to assist you with transportation to your hotel.

There will be the option of an afternoon to visit Lima’s historic downtown, a UNESCO declared city known as the “City of Kings” and a World Heritage site. The following key sites may be visited: Huaca Pucllana (ceremonial and archaeological site, Lima’s historic center, colonial architecture (main square, government palace, the archbishop offices, and cathedral), the Museum of the Central Bank and San Francisco.

Once arriving in Cusco, take a shuttle from the airport to your hotel. The rest of the morning will be reserved for resting to adapt to the altitude, approximately 3400 meters.

In the afternoon we will visit the Inca Museum, home of thousands of years of Andean culture. Here we will become more familiar with the origins and beginnings of Andean civilizations.

Continuing with the tour, we will move to the temple of Koricancha, the famous Sun Temple of Qosqo (Cusco), that was and still remains the pinnacle of the organization, architecture, and religion of Inca civilization.

We will begin our day with the journey to Saqsayhuaman. This magnificent piece of Inca architecture with colossal stones is considered one of humanity’s greatest constructions.

From here, we will continue on to the Temple of the Moon, a place for spiritual connection and an encounter with the feminine energy of the Moon Goddess.

In the afternoon, we will travel by car to the town of Ollantaytambo where the train station to Machu Picchu awaits our transfer to the town of Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes).

You will have the option to visit and enjoy the hot springs.

Today we will rise very early for breakfast and ascend to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu (approximately 25 minutes by bus). We will arrive early to appreciate the sunrise in this magical place, a famous masterpiece of architecture and engineering, believed to have been a sanctuary and energetic center. Today Machu Picchu is recognized by UNESCO as one of the seven wonders of the world and a World Heritage site.

Optional: Trek to the peak of Huayna Picchu. It is a rigorous climb on steep trails with impressive ruins and spectacular views, a round-trip of 2 hours.

Return to the “living” Inca town of Ollantaytambo by train and continue by car to Moray, an ancient construction designed for agricultural investigations and studies of different crops in a range of altitudes. Here, the many concentric rings of terraces produce a fine gradient of micro-climates; the warmth of the lowest central ring slowly dissipates as the rings ascend outward and upward, creating reductions in temperatures until reaching the ground-level norm.

Today we will visit Chinchero, the rainbow village and home of the ruins of the royal palace of the Inca Túpac Inca Yupanqui. Chinchero is a picturesque community located on a high plateau overlooking the many snow-capped peaks of the Cusco region. Here we will admire the well-preserved Inca walls of the main square as well as the many altars. We will also visit the beautiful colonial church, unique for its interior artwork and imagery.

Moving on we will participate in a wonderful introduction and learning experience of the art of Andean textiles; throughout the afternoon we will become acquainted with the wisdom of Andean weavings as maintained since long before Inka times. Traditional food will be prepared for lunch here.

Travel to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, towards the town of Pisac. We will stop on the way to visit the animal sanctuary of Cochawasi; here we may observe many of the native Andean species such as the puma, the Andean cóndor, alpacas, and many more.

Further en route, we will stop at a spectacular viewing location to observe the Urubamba River as it curves like a serpent through the mosaic-like agricultural lands.

As we continue towards the town of Pisac, we may also observe the construction design of the archaeological site of Pisac, which many say portrays the profile of a condor. Pisac is known mainly for two reasons – for its famous craft market and for its archaeological site. Here we will have free time for wandering the market to interact with the many local artisans. The ruins of Pisac, high above the modern town on the mountain, are one of the most important of the Sacred Valley.

In the morning we will depart from the bus terminal and head towards Puno. This is a special journey by bus which allows us to visit the many diverse locations along the way on “the Route of the sun”. We have planned stops to visit the following:

Andahuaylillas: Known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, this temple is one of the best examples of the fusion between Catholic and Andean religions)

Raqchi: An Inca temple dedicated to the god Wiracocha and construction of monumental dimensions. This is the only known temple dedicated to the God Wiracocha, creator of the Universe.

La Raya: The midway point on our journey and the highest point on the road at 4335 meters. The impressive views here allow us to admire the rugged high altitude full of tall peaks, many of which are snow-capped, and herds of llamas, alpacas and vicuñas. This is the geographic border between two cultures, the Quechua of Cusco and the Aymara of Puno.

Pucara: This ceremonial center is one of the oldest and most important of the high plains, well known for its lithic structures and tombs.

Today we have a full day boat excursion afloat Lake Titicaca. We will visit the ancient culture of the Uros and step foot on their floating islands. The Islanders will give us a presentation about their lifestyle upon their man-made islands, built using the totora reed which grows among the shores of the lake. We will learn about their existence on these small islands and how they have adapted to its conditions.

Continuing across the lake we will arrive at the island of Amantani. Here we will meet the Quechua families that will offer us a cozy home-stay style lodging and prepare traditional food for lunch. After lunch, we will make the short ascent to the two hilltops of the island while observing the daily lifestyle of the local people. Atop of the island, we will visit two ancient pre-Inca temples, Pachatata and Pachamama.

In the evening after dinner, the community members will hold a small welcoming party for us.

After breakfast on Amantani, we will board the boat again to make the short trip to the neighbouring island of Taquile. Here we will ascend the beautiful stone paths to the community, a small and quite shy population, not to mention very hard-working and wise, a culture full of art and tradition. Taquile people are cheerful and proud of their origins and culture, and happy to share with us the beautiful atmosphere of island life upon the immense Lake Titicaca.

Today we have a brief transfer from Puno to the neighbouring city of Juliaca. Upon arrival in Lima there will be assistance for an international connecting flight, or if preferred, transfer for a hotel.

End of the tour.