Visit Pisac Ruins and Calca Market
Head to the heights of Pisac where you will first visit the ruins, a very important city during Inca times and the only Inca site apart from Machu Picchu with a stone sun dial. You will learn about the history and the most interesting temples and structures while enjoying breathtaking views of the countless agricultural terraces leading down to the Urubamba River and the Sacred Valley.
Then continue to the traditional Andean town of Calca in the shadows of the eastern mountains of the Sacred Valley. Here, the town market is buzzing with commerce and stalls selling local and foreign goods like fruits, vegetables, herbs, potatoes, flowers, etc.
Please allow approximately four hours for the entire experience.
Box Lunch included
Visit Moray, Maras & Ollantaytambo
Start your day heading to Moray. It has been suggested that these huge circular terraces have a cosmological meaning, however the Incas are thought to have used them as a kind of “crop laboratory”.
Also visit the fascinating salt mines of Maras, where seeing the locals mining the salt by hand is truly a unique experience. You will have the option to buy salt of your own, supporting the local economy and making an excellent souvenir.
Finally, explore Ollantaytambo, the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the Americas, and the best surviving example of Inca city planning. Although the impressive fortress was still under construction during the time of the Spanish conquest, and was never completed, it is very well preserved and marks the site of one of the few major losses the Spanish suffered during the conquest.
Please allow approximately six hours for the entire experience.
Picinic lunch included
Explore Machu Picchu
Meet your guide at the exit of the train station or in the lobby of your hotel for a short walk to the bus station and a 20-minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu Citadel (elevation: 8,000 ft. – 2,432 m.a.s.l.). Scratching the surface of the heavens from its place atop the grandest of mountaintop pedestals, it is easy to lose yourself in the mystique and grandeur of this enigmatic citadel. Soak in the energy and atmosphere of one of the most significant archeological sites on the planet while your guide helps you uncover the secrets behind key areas of interest such as the Sun Dial, the Guard House, the Sacred Plaza and the Temple of the Sun.
Please allow approximately three hours for the guided route and four hours for the entire experience | You must show your passport in order to be allowed to enter Machu Picchu Citadel.
Transfers from hotel to airport included.
Lunch included
Highlights of Arequipa, Santa Catalina Monastery & the Museum of Andean Sanctuaries
Immerse in Arequipa’s historic and cultural gems, charming colonial architecture and romantic districts. Explore the elegant UNESCO World Heritage historic center with its notable cathedral, churches and manors, and discover the authentic traditional neighborhoods on the city’s outskirts. Then, head to the colorful Santa Catalina Monastery, one of the most significant religious sanctum in Peru built in 1579. Finally, check out the Museum of Andean Sanctuaries to admire the mummified remains of “Juanita”, nicknamed the ice maiden of Ampato Volcano and believed to be a victim of ritual sacrifice; its mummy astonished scientists for being outstandingly well-preserved.
Please allow approximately four hours for the entire experience.