8 Days: Cusco, Machu Picchu and Puno

Upon your arrival at the airport in Cusco, an Inkayni Peru Tours member will be there to greet you and take you to our partner lodge, located in the charming historic district of San Blas. The lodge is centrally located and only a few minutes walk from the Plaza de Armas, the beautiful and bustling town center. This day will be reserved for resting and acclimatizing to the altitude, approximately 3400 meters.

Meet your expedition group at 5:00pm

Today we begin our adventure up to the high plains. We stop first at Chinchero, an important ancient site for the Inca and known as the birthplace of the rainbow. We will visit the main site with its picturesque colonial church located on the ancient archaeological site. We will also visit a local textile center and learn about the ancient science of weaving from the artisans themselves.

Continuing through the rolling hills, we will visit the enigmatic circular terraces of Moray to learn more about these experimental agricultural constructions. Near Moray, we will stop at the town of Maras to then visit the ancient salt mines, used for thousands of years by local families to supply salt not only to the Incas but still to this day offering us an example of the natural art of salt harvesting straight from the land.

In the afternoon, we will travel to Ollantaytambo and board our train to Aguas Calientes for our visit to Machu Picchu.

Today we wake early to have breakfast and board the bus up to Machu Picchu. If we are lucky, we will see the first rays of the sun as dawn breaks and lights up this magical mountain. Your guide will be with you at every moment to inform you about the site and answer any questions. We will take a guided tour through the Sanctuary which will last roughly 2 to 3 hours.

Later we will begin our return to Aguas Calientes for lunch and rest.

Today we arrive at Ollantaytambo and continue onwards to the town of Pisaq to have a spectacular encounter with the engineering capabilities of the Incas, demonstrated by mountainsides full of terraces and buildings on steep hillsides and high peaks. As we journey to the top of this mountain, the heights will offer us the best views of the Sacred Valley below.

Later, we will return to the town of Pisaq and visit the local artisan market, offering everything from weavings to musical instruments and all sorts of souvenirs.

After the market, we will board our transportation back to Cusco. Along the way we will stop at Awanacancha weaving center and also have an opportunity to meet the Andean species of camels, such as alpaca, llama, vicuña, and guanaco, as we continue to dive deeper into the science of weaving and appreciate this hand-made art by Andean women.

At night you will have a dinner show with dances and instrumental music of the Andes in an excellent place located near to the main square of Cusco city.

Enjoy a free day in Cusco today. Feel free to walk in the city or book day tours with us. If you’re interested, ask for the following day trips:

City tour

River rafting in Vilcanota River

Horse riding in Saqsayhuaman Park

Zip line in the Sacred Valley

ATV’s in Killarumiyoc

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.

Around 8:00 am, we will transfer you from the hotel to the port and by motor boat, we take you to one of the legendary Uros Islands where you can observe the lives of the Uros people who live on floating reed islands, some only 20 meters in length. After a beautiful 3-hour boat ride, we will reach Taquile Island where we will break into smaller groups to stay with the local families.

You will have the opportunity to trek to the top of the mountain (4150m) to see the Temples of the Pachamama and Pachatata. Enjoy the traditional customs of the island people; food and authentic music will be prepared and performed by your designated family. Then we return to Puno and transfer back to your hotel.

Take a brief transfer from Puno to the neighboring city of Juliaca, from where you will board the plane to Lima. Upon arrival in Lima there will be assistance for an international connecting flight, or if preferred, transfer to a hotel.

End of the tour.