Baby Inca Trail - 8 Days

Arrival in Lima, the “City of Kings” famous for its Spanish Colonial architecture, extraordinary museums and cuisine. Lima is internationally recognized as the “Gastronomic Capital of the Americas”, and its cuisine is considered among the most diverse and exquisite in the world on par with French cuisine. Upon arrival a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and in registering.

Tour of Modern and Colonial Lima including the world famous Larco Museum – This half-day tour visits both the colonial and modern sections of Lima. Colonial sites include the lovely Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, San Francisco Church and the exquisite Torre Tagle Palace modern day seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In modern Lima, drive along the exclusive residential areas of Miraflores and San Isidro.

Continue to the Larco Museum, founded in 1926, it displays remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview on 3000 years of development of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Located in a unique vice-royal mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid is surrounded by beautiful gardens. The Larco Museum also features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and the famous erotic archaeological collection, one of the most visited Peruvian tourist attractions.

Early morning transfer from the hotel to the airport for a short but spectacular flight over the snowcapped Andes to the oldest inhabited city in the hemisphere, Cusco, at an elevation of 11,440 feet.
Upon arrival a host will meet and assist you in transferring to the hotel and in registering.

Tour of Cusco and Nearby Ruins – Visitors are caught up in the excitement of touring the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, a delightful combination of Inca and colonial architecture. The tour visits important landmarks such us Cusco’s Cathedral, Santo Domingo Church, Plaza de Armas and Koricancha “The Temple of the Sun”. This tour of the oldest continuously inhabited city in the western hemisphere also includes the nearby ruins of Kenko, Puca-Pucara, Tambomachay as well as the Sacsayhuaman fortress, an imposing example of Inca military architecture.

Full Day Excursion to the Pisac Indian Market and the Ollantaytambo Fortress – Morning departure for a drive through the fertile countryside of the Urubamba Valley to the colonial village of Pisac where an Indian Market takes place Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Other days you will tour the religious nucleus and archaeological site of Pisac. During your visit to the bustling marketplace you will have the opportunity to bargain with the natives for many different types of Peruvian handicrafts and jewelry.

Continue to the Ollantaytambo archaeological complex, the Incas built it as a fort that included a temple, agricultural terraces, and an urban area. There are two distinct sectors: The religious and worship zone, and the residential area. Ollantaytambo was an important administrative center with probable military functions if one considers the walls and towers. There are also traces of ancient roads and aqueducts. The town of Ollantaytambo is called a “LivingIncaTown” since the inhabitants maintain very old practices and customs. Lunch is at a beautiful country estate on the shores of the UrubambaRiver.

We will pick you up at your hotel at 05.30am and take you to San Pedro train station to board the train that will take us to km.104 km on the Cusco – Machu Picchu railroad (starting point of the trek), where we will arrive at around 10:00 am. We start visiting the Chachabamba archaeological complex (2150 masl), located very close to the control point, to then embark upon an 8 km ascending trail, which after four hours will take us to the archaeological complex of Wiñaywayna (2700 masl).

This is an impressive complex made up of an agricultural center with numerous terraces, a religious sector and an urban sector. On the way up we will have magnificent views of the UrubambaRiver valley and the Choquesuysuy archaeological complex located on the other side of the river, and also of a beautiful waterfall located just a few minutes away from Wiñaywayna. We will then go on and climb to Intipunku, or The Sun Gate. This will take an hour of hiking along a trail of flat stones on the edges of cliffs in highland jungle. From this fabulous spot, we will contemplate the sacred citadel of Machu Picchu. From Intipunku we will descend to Machu Picchu and then by bus to Aguas Calientes.

We will pick you up early from your hotel, board a bus to go up to Machu Picchu and then immediately begin a complete guided tour of the Inca citadel that will take approximately two hours. You will then have free time to walk around, climb the HuaynaPicchuMountain, where one can experience spectacular views of all of Machu Picchu, the valleys and mountains that surround it, or visit the Temple of the Moon and the fabulous IncaBridge. In the afternoon, we will meet in the town of Aguas Calientes where, if you like, you can visit and relax in the thermal baths. From here we will take the train back to the city of Cusco, where we will arrive after nightfall.

Wandering through this lovely city, exploring the astonishing narrow streets of this tile roof colonial town will be your unforgettable experience. You will find something astounding at every turn. Great buys are the traditional Peruvian handicrafts, alpaca-wool sweaters and rugs, ponchos, pottery, gold and silver jewelry, leather goods, etc. Because there are such a variety of products, we strongly suggest that when you like any particular item, you should buy it – you may not find the same item in other store. Many visitors to Cusco return home wishing they had a free day to discover this imperial city on their own, a free day in Cusco is a MUST!

Transfer to the airport for your departure to Lima and your connecting international flight. Arrive home full of great memories of the rich tradition of Colonial Lima and the mystical Land of the Incas.