Overview
“Embrace the detour”
This tour is all inclusive and lodge based that does not required hiking and want enjoy the comfor of a perfect trip, you will be exploring the main attactions in Cusco including the Colonial Cathedral, Temple of the Sun Qoricancha; Saysayhuaman, Salt mines of Moras, Sacread Valley and of course the incredible Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru by Locals puts everything together from the airport to airport, we arrange entrance tickets to all attraction to be visited, transportation, hotels, train tickets, meals, guides and full 24 hours support with our 24/7 number (WhatsApp) +51 989585967
Cusco was the heart of the Inca Empire and the most important place for the Incas. It is nowadays considered one of the two most beautiful cities in South America. Inca and Spanish architecture are intermixed in its narrow streets that survived several earthquakes.
The Inca empire was stretched out as far as Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina and Chile from 12th hundreds to 15th hundreds, but when a handful of Spanish arrived in the heart of the Inca Empire, many of the amazing work was destroyed including temples and palaces of the Inca kings, where on top of them they built Catholic churches, but the history still lives and it is on display in the outdoor museum of Cusco.
The Sacred Valley itself is unique with many Incan sites along the valley, offering to travellers spectacular views of snowcapped mountains and the Urubamba river (the main river of Cusco area).
Machu Picchu has always been the mysterious place in the Peruvian history. When visiting the place, it is amazing to see the high quality of the architecture, hydraulic engineering and astronomical observatories.
Perfect for: This tour is very recommended in small groups of friends, family with kids, couples, honey moneys.
- Day 1: Arrival and city tour
- Day 2: Sacred Valley tour
- Day 3: Machu Picchu tour
- Day 4: Departure from Cusco
High lights
- Tour with our passionate local guides that love our culture and guided Machu Picchu more than 1000 times
- Enjoy hotel stays at the heart of Cusco
- Savor the Peruvian cousine at the top restaurants
- Tour the most classic tour attractions in Cusco
- Enjoy the train ride to Machu Picchu
DISCOVER THE HEART OF THE INCAS – DETAILS
- Type of tour: Lodge based, historical, van transport and train ride
- Type of transport: Private van in every tour from the start to the end and train rides
- Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
- Level of difficulty: This tour includes a lot of activities and almost every site we tour requires or about one hour and half walking and about 60% of it is history lessons.
- Group size: Our tour group sizes are very important to guaranty the quality of our service of giving you a personalized service thats the reason we run with an average of 7 guests . This is not only to guaranty the quality of your service but make you feel as our family. Can you imagine having 20 people in a groups and trying to hear or see your guide? not the same than having close to you all the time and learning about this amazing country.
- Accomodation: The hotels we use are 3 start and highly recommended by travelers
Our guides: PERU BY LOCALS was a dream that came thuth on 2015 for Jose Condor who guided tours in Peru and especially Cusco from 2014 un till today and have been to Machu Picchu for over 1000 times, now Peru by Locals has a group of top guides around among men and women that had a proffessional degree and get refresh trainning every year these folks had been to USA training with NOLS (National Oudoor Leadership Shool) training about WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER since you health is very important to us and our guides are totally trained to assist in all your needs while on you are vacationing, we invest on our guides because we believe they are the main ingredient of any trip.
Peru by Locals is not only a travel company but a group of great staff and tour leaders that love sharing their passion with you and love being with travelers.
YOUR BOOK WITH US YOU GO WITH US, Peru by Locals does not re-arrange tours with other companies since we are based in Cusco and we operate all our tours.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and city in Cusco
When you arrive to Cusco airport, one of our Peru by Locals representatives will meet you and drive you to your hotel. On the way he/she will show you some samples of Incan and colonial constructions and give you all instructions about the activities especially on day one, we will arrange your hotel in the historical center near all restaurants and main attractions.
After lunch you will meet your guide who will guide you to the main attractions in the city. You will tour the Colonial Cathedral of Cusco, where you can view colonial paintings by the Cusco school of painting at the time, including a painting of the Last Supper with the local specialty, cuy (guinea pig) as the main dish. The local painters managed to capture the culture and history in uniquely historical way in the art work such paintings.
The following place will be Qoricancha or the Temple of the Sun that still keeps amazing architecture on its walls that stood up earthquakes for centuries, it is one of the greatest examples of the Inca civilization.
Next you will visit Saqsayhuaman, where you will have a guided tour of this incredible site, built with stones that weigh up to 120 tons and amazingly fit together without the help of a mortar! There is probably not a place in the world that can beat the architecture of this place. Afterwards you will tour the Inca archaeological site of Qenqo, considered to be the Temple of the Mother Earth and also once probably the tomb of the most important king of the Incan empire Pachakuteq.
Finally, you will visit the Incan sites of Pukapukara and Tambomachay that used to be ceremonial places in past times.
You will be back in your hotel by 6 pm for the dinner time.
Includes. Pick from airport, lunch, entrance tickest to attractions to be visited, tour guide, trasnport during the tour
Day 2: Sacred Valley + Salt mines Tour
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is an incomparably beautiful stretch of small villages and ancient sites spread across a broad plain and rugged mountain slopes northwest of Cusco. It is the main valley of Cusco, capital of the Inca Empire. It was the best place for maize production in Peru as well as a great source of natural wealth.
The first Incan site you will visit will be Chinchero, a beautiful site with its Temple of the Sun, ancient Inca cemetery, terraces that still remains from Inca civilization and unbelievably views of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Leaving Chinchero the drive journey will offer you great views to Sacred valley and farm fields then you will have a guided tour to Salt mines an espectacular places wher you will encounter over 3000 salt ponds where the locals procces the salt by hand the way thier ancestors did. The tour will be followed by visiting Moray. Also you will visit Moray, the agriculture experimentation place of the Incas where later archeologists found evidences of coca leaves and cotton, which impressed them because that place very high in elevation but the Incas managed to grow almost everything.
Our lunch today will be at Tunupa resturant one of the top restaurants in the Sacred Valley for sure its a treat.
Ollantaytambo Inca site is the last place to be visited with it’s majestic Inca architecture, terraces, Sun temple, princess bath; this tour may take about 1.5 hours and will be the last place before you cath a train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town)
In the evening you will then catch a train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town) for about 1. 40 hours.
Includes. Brackfast at the hotel, Entrance tickest to attractions to be visited, tour guide, trasnport during the tour, lunch, train ride from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, one night hotel in Aguas Calientes.
Day 3: Machu Picchu Tour
Machu Picchu considered a masterpiece of architecture and engineering. Its unique architectural features and landscape contribute to a veil of mystery woven around much of the literature published about the site. The magic and mystery of Machu Picchu is internationally recognized and it has been on the List of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO since 1983 as part of a cultural and ecological site known as the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu.
In the morning you will take an early bus to Machu Picchu, in time for sunrise. Your guide will give you a detailed tour on the culture and history of the Seven Wonder. You will visit the main temple, the Temple of the Condor, Inca palaces, the stone quarry and the sun observatory, this tour usually last for about 3 hours for a complite understanding.
You will in aguas calientes town by noon for a good lunch then be on the train back to Cusco by 5pm.
Includes. Breackfast at the hotel, bus ride from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu round trip, entrance ticket to Machu Picchu, tour guide, lunch, transfer from train station to hotel, and train back to Cusco
Day 5: Departure from Cusco
Today basically you will be free to walk around the city, go for shopping and leave Cusco at the time you booked your fligh for, one of the reprensentatives will meet you at the hotel to take you to the airport of Cusco at the arranged time for your journey home or to your next destination.
If you are wondering what else there is to be seen in Cusco, we offer you tours to the jungle, such as Manu, Puno tours, Nasca lines, Ica and Lima.
ADD- ON. We have at on tours if you have more time such RAINBOW MOUNTAIN HIKE, HUMANTAY MOUNTAIN HIKE or be part of our CULTURAL IMMERSION
Note:
The Machu Picchu tour includes tickets for the Expedition train for the 3 stars, and Vistadome train for 4 and 5 star packages.
Prices with hotels
Occupancy |
3 star |
4 star |
5 star |
|
Double / triple |
$ | $ | $ | |
Single |
$ | $ | $ |
NOTE: All the prices may vary according to your preferences and availability. Please contact us for more information to give you the best price posible for great service. Email: info@perubylocals.com or to WhatsApp number +51 989585967
Hotels in Cusco
3 star |
4 star |
5 star |
|
| San Blas boutique | Andean wings boutique | Aranwa boutique | |
| Tierra viva | Casa Andina Private Collections | Palacio Nazarenas |
Hotels in Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes
3 star |
4 star |
5 star |
|
| Flowers house | Sumaq hotel | Pueblo hotel |
WHAT TO PACK ON THE TRIP?
Original passport.
Please, remember to bring your original passport and that should be current one, if you have acquired a new one after you made your booking, bring both the one you use for booking your trip and the new one (copy or picture of the old one), the information you provided us in time of your booking have to match with your tickets to Machu Picchu, the reason we ask you for your personal information when you book the trip..
Set of cloths: Temperatures can change depending on the season but never gets extrime so, cloths you may consider may depend on the wetaher (cheack below about weather)
Sun hat, some days can be hot and suny, we recommend you to bring a sun hat that can keep the sun off your face while on tours.
Sunscreen SPF 35+ recommended
Sunglasses
Camera or simply your phone to capture those great moments
Book to read. you will have some spare time at every camp to read your favorite book or those that are about Machu Picchu that may make you journey more interesting (the following books are recommended by us: Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie, Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Timeby Mark Adams,
Bug repellent, there are mosquitos all around the year make sure you pack your bug spray and thats only for Machu Picchu.
Sunscreen – SPF 35+ recommended
Day bagpack. You should consider bringing small day bag for carrying sun crean, water, snacks or any other item you may need while on tours
Are you ready to book? email us to info@perubylocals.com or sen us a Whatsapp message to +51 989585967
Frequently asked questions
Can this tour be costumized? This tour can be totally costumized to your needs so, don’t hesitate to ask us any question you have
How long before should I book this tour?
Planning a trip in advance is always a good idea since that give us a good time to arrange everything on time and get those recomnded hotels, etc
What is the weather like in Cusco during the year?
Weather in the region is extremely variable and you should pack for a variety of conditions. During a sunny day you can expect temperatures of about 18–25°C (65–77°F)
The Machu Picchu area has a humid climate and tends to be warmer, since it is located at a lower altitude and near to the Amazon Jungle. The average temperatures at Machu Picchu are between 23°C to 25°C (73°F and 77°F), with the minimum temperature around 18°C (64°F). The Cusco area has only 2 well-defined seasons: wet season and dry season. The wet season starts in November and ends in March. During this period, it rains almost every day for three or four hours, but also there are several sunny days. The dry season begins around March and lasts until October. June and July are the coldest months. Paradoxically at noon the temperatures can reach 23 °C (77°F), the annual highest temperature.
How are Peruvian restaurants?
The Peruvian couse is considered one of the top cousines in the world and we like taking our guests to top restaurants where you wil find all options for every type of taste.
How does tipping work?
Tipping in Peru has goten a traditions and restaurants, hotels, guides espect being tipped and a usual amount is between 10% to 20%
Waht to espect about altitude sickness?
Cusco is at an elevation of 3,400 meters / 11,154 feet, you should espect getting heachage or nausea.
You may also consider taking altitude pills, We often recommend to our clients DIAMOX or Acetazolamide, which are used to prevent and reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness. This medication can decrease headache, tiredness, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath that can occur when you climb quickly to high altitudes (generally above 10,000 feet/3,048 meters). It is particularly useful in situations when you cannot make a slow ascent. The best ways to prevent altitude sickness are climbing slowly, stopping for 24 hours during the climb to allow the body to adjust to the new height, and taking it easy the first 1 to 2 days. (Regarding any specific medications, Please, check about side effects, precautions, interactions or overdose or ask for an advise to your doctor).
Do I need to bring cash?
You may considere havin some cash with you, for buying water, snacks especially smallers things but most of shops, restaurants take credit cards.
Do I need to carry my own medicine or first aid?
Your guide will have a first aid kit all the time while on tours, which includes some pain killers, bandages, small bandages to prevent blisters, oxygen tank, pills for case of diarrheas and similar. if you need any special medication or you have a special medical condition, please, contact your doctor to get the best advices prior to the trek.
Can I pay the rest of the balance in credit card or does it have to be in cash?
We take the balance of the payment in cash, so you won’t need to pay extra fees,.Of course you can use PAY PAL, or CREDIT CARD, but you will need to pay the fees that are usually over 6%.
In the day of your briefing when your guide will meet you, one of the representatives will meet you too to collect the rest of the balance for your trek.
What are coca leafs? Can I chew on them? Do they help with the altitude?
Coca (Erythroxylum coca) is a plant in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. The plant plays a significant role in traditional Andean culture. Coca is best known throughout the world because of its alkaloids, methylecgonine cinnamate, benzoylecgonine, truxilline, hydroxytropacocaine, tropacocaine, ecgonine, cuscohygrine, dihydrocuscohygrine, nicotine, cocaine, and hygrine. Many of the alkaloids contained in the leaf provide physiological effects useful for medicinal purposes. When chewed, coca acts as a mild stimulant and suppresses hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue. Coca also eases sickness due to high altitudes. So, we really recommend you to get some for your trek and it is easy to find to buy in any stores in Cusco or along the way to the head point of the Inca trail. Your guide will teach how to chew on them.
Nutritional faqs.
100 grammes of coca leaf Organic acids: 3.2mg; Carbohydrates: 46.2g; Fibre: 14.2g; Fat: 3.3g; Moisture: 7.2g
Other Vitamins: A: UI 14,000; Alpha carotene: 2.65mg; B1 (thiamine): 0.68mg; B6 (pyridoxine): 0.58mg; Beta carotene: 20mg; C (ascorbic acid): 53mg; H (biotin): 0.54mg; Nicotinic acid: 5mg.
Trace elements: Aluminium: 49mg; Barium: 17mg; Boron: 24mg; Calcium: 1540mg; Copper: 1.1mg; Chromium: 0.23mg; Strontium: 204mg; Iron: 45.8mg; Phosphate: 911.8mg; Magnesium: 0.37mg; Manganese: 0.5mg; Potassium: 1.9mg; Sodium: 1110mg; Zinc: 3.8mg
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