After breakfast at the hotel, we'll ride up the twisting roads to the entrance of the Pisca Inca site at 11,300 feet.  But don't worry, we're not climbing today. We'll first get a guided tour of the beginning of the site, then we'll continue through the vast complex and make our way back to the village, about 5 miles, mostly down hill. We'll stop many times to take photos of the spectacular scenery unfolding before us. We'll creep down "andines", terraces hillsides tamed by the Incas for farming (from which the Andes get their name) and we'll be back for a late lunch. Use the afternoon and evening to revisit the Inca Market and other parts of the town you may have missed.  

Soraypampa – Humantay Lake – Soyrococha.

This spectacular Andean mountain adventure begins when we pick you up at your hotel and drive to the trailhead at Soraypampa. Pass through two picturesque indigenous villages called Iscuchaca and Limatambo, have amazing views of stunning valleys and the snow-capped, famous Salkantay Mountain.

Once we reach the trailhead in Soraypampa, have breakfast while admiring the breathtaking views of the mountain glaciers of Humantay (19,356 feet) and Salkantay (20,396 feet). Take a 2.5 hour round-trip hike to the turquoise Humantay Lake. Next, take one and a half hour hike to Salkantay Pampa, where you can look forward to a great lunch in front of the majestic glacier.

Next, we make our way to our first campsite or hostel near Soyrococha, situated at the foot of the towering Salkantay Mountain. At camp, we will have afternoon tea to warm you up and appetizers waiting for us. The tents will be set up and you can settle in before dinner.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea and Dinner

Accommodation: Camping or hostel facilities

Hiking time: Around seven hours

Distance: 9.6 km / 6 miles

Trekking difficulty level: Moderate

Soyroccocha – Salkantay Pass – Colpapampa

The guide will wake you with a hot mug of tea or coffee before you get up for breakfast. After a hearty and delicious breakfast, we continue our Salkantay journey with a climb for about an hour to the trek’s highest point, salkantay pass at 4,650m / 15,367ft. At the pass, take a well-deserved rest and photos while being amazed at the massive snow-capped mountains of Huayanay, Humantay and Salkantay towering above us and at the lakes and rivers below.

As a side trip, we take 30 minutes to enjoy the exquisite and panoramic, turquoise Salkantay Lake. Next, we continue down to Rayanniyoc for lunch. Then, we trek for a couple of hours to our final stop for the day at our camp near the tiny village of Colpapampa. Hot drinks and appetizers will once again be waiting for you when you arrive.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea and Dinner

Accommodation: Camping facilities

Hiking time: Approximately eight hoursDistance: 16km / 10 Miles

Trekking difficulty level: Challenging

Colpapampa – the Hot Springs – Lucmabamba

This day marks our midway point. We start by walking to our next destination, Lucmabamba. On the walk this morning, you’ll see a variety of wonders, including birds, fruit plantations with their flowering orchards, cacao and coffee trees. We’ll reach our destination for lunch with plenty of time to relax.

After lunch, we’ll tour a coffee plantation close to the campsite. Here we take a relaxing tour, where we get to learn about the source of Peruvian coffee, which is

increasingly popular around the world. We begin by browsing the fields, learning about the different types of beans as well picking our own. Then, we roast and grind

them into coffee. Finally, we get to brew and drink our own coffee! It is a truly unique experience.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea & Dinner

Accommodation: camping/hostel facilities

Hiking Time: Around five to six hours

Distance: 14km / 8.7 Miles

Trekking difficulty level: Moderate

Lucmabamba – Llactapata Inca ruins – Aguas Calientes

We resume our journey by travelling along the remote and ancient Inca Trail for three hours to the Puncuyoc Pass. During this journey, you’ll see the spectacular scenes of the fruit plantations and distinct valleys. Our next destination is the Inca Ruins in Llactapata. Enjoy seeing the Citadel of Machu Picchu from across the valley, along with the Aobamba Canyon and the neighboring mountains: Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu.

Next is a two-hour trek down to the hydroelectric plant. This serves as Cusco’s primary power source, a renewable and ecologically produced electricity. Nearby we have lunch, where we enjoy another hearty and delicious meal.

The last leg of your memorable Salkantay adventure involves a short trek to Aguas Calientes via the National Park of Machu Picchu. Appreciate the lush sub-tropical jungle, full of orchids and epiphytes growing on the trees. Excitement builds as you travel closer to the town of Aguas Calientes. You aill have time to check into the hotel before dinner together at a restaurant in town.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: hotel

Hiking time: Approximately nine hours

Distance: 14.5km / 9 Miles

Trekking difficulty level: moderate

Machu Picchu: Today we’ll have breakfast at our hotel and then get on a shuttle bus taking us up 25 minutes to the archaeological complex of Machu Picchu.

Once in Machu Picchu, our guide will show us the most important attractions of this antique Incan site such as its main square, the Sun Temple, Intiwatana (Sun Clock), the Royal Rooms, the Temple of the Three Windows and the Royal Incas Cemetery. This tour takes about 3 and half an hours and then you are given time off to explore around the complex and to take some amazing panoramic photos of Machu Picchu. 

We'll take a shuttle bus back to Aguas Calientes where we can have lunch.  

In the afternoon, we take a trainback to Ollantaytambo where our driver expects us in front of the train station to transfer us to Cusco, where we'll spend the night. 

Colored Mountains

A guide will pick us up at our hotel in Cusco and drive us 3.5 hours to the base of Colored Mountains. From there it’s a short walk but high walk at 16,000 feet (that's higher than any point in USA's lower 48 states) to a unique  mountain landscape, only discovered recently after glaciers melted to reveal the stunning colors. This is an amazing place for photos! On the return drive we can stop at an authentic restaurant and try some grilled guinea pig.     

Today we’ll explore Inca ruins in Cusco, if you have time in the morning. Most flights depart in the evening, when you'll catch a flight home. Take some more time to continue exploring Cusco before a taxi takes you on the 20 minute trip to the airport for you flight to Lima and home.