Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu by Train

DAY 1: CUSCO – SACRED VALLEY AND MACHU PICCHU TOUR

Today we head out on a full day exploration of the Urubamba valley or the sacred valley of the Incas. We will pick you up from your accommodation in Cusco at 7:30 am and travel for one hour by private van to the lovely high Andean community of chinchero we will visit a textile corporation and learn more about the weaving tradition that have been passed down the local people for centuries. You will see the demonstration of how wool is washed and dyed using native plants and minerals. you will see adobe homes, narrow cobbled streets, and people in traditional Peruvian clothing. Here, the villagers still practice many Inca traditions. We will then continue our journey to Moray in order to see the fascinating site used by the Incas for agricultural experiments and cultivating seeds. There, you will learn how cleverly designed a drainage system at the bottom of the terraces in order to avoid flooding during the rainy season.

After the tour of Moray, you will take a 20-minute bus ride to the salt mines of Maras. At this amazing site, you can see the pans fed by saline spring water that were built on steep terraces along one side of a narrow valley. The water is sent through the network of channels where the water slowly evaporates leaving the salt behind. Salt has been collected from Maras since pre-Incan times and it is thought that a collective of salt miners has maintained the terraces and channels for hundreds of years.

We will continue our scenic journey to the amazing valley of Urubamba for our buffet lunch. After this continue to drive to the last Inka living city of Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is a classic Incan city which conserves the traditional Incan urban construction of narrow streets adjacent to flowing streams. As you walk through the stone streets, the gentle sound of flowing water will make it easy for you to imagine the city as it was in the time of the Incas. In the upper part of the town, there is an impressive ceremonial center that was used for water worship and also a mighty fortress that protected the access point to the lower part of the valley. from here we will take our train to Aguas Calientes at 3: 30pm.and we will spend the night in Machu Picchu.

DAY 2: EXPLORING MACHU PICCHU -CUSCO

Machu Picchu is the most important site in our tour. We suggest waking up to get on one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu. These buses are all first come, first serve and begin at 5:30 a.m. Once we get up to the citadel, your tour guide will bring you to a great spot to watch the sunrise over the mountains, weather permitting. Following, you will begin your two-hour tour around the complex. After you tour, you will have some time to wander on your own through these ancient ruins (with the options of climbing Huayna Picchu – (this is a separate entrance ticket and costs $75 per person), or climb up to the Sun Gate. Both options have breathtaking views. After you have taken in all of Machu Picchu, you will return to Aguas Calientes on your own by park buses, and enjoy some lunch in the town, before boarding your train to Ollantaytambo. Once you arrive our representative will be waiting to escort you back to your hotel.