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.  

The Sacred Valley Trekking group is with us today.

The next 5 days have a split itinerary, depending on which package you booked. Sacred Valley Trek will continue in the Sacred Valley, staying in hotels with easy, optional treks. The Salkantay Trek will begin early today. These trekkers will be staying in tents and enjoy moderate trekking with a mountain pass of 15,367 ft to climb (higher than any mountain in the lower 48 US states!) Salkantay includes all meals while trekking.

The two groups will rejoin on Day 7, January 11, just in time for the Machu Picchu tour.

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 at 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 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.

Around 3pm, we’ll take local transportation for half an hour to Cocalmayo, where you can bathe in the natural hot springs. It is optional if you wish to go to the hot springs by local bus and not included, but inexpensive.

We come back to camp relaxed and hungry for our dinner, made with the fruits and vegetables that we picked today.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea & Dinner

Accommodation: camping 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 magnificent Machu Picchu! When we arrive in Aguas Calientes you will have time to check into your hotel before our dinner together at a restaurant in town. We'll join the Sacred Valley trekkers tomorrow morning when they arrive in Aguas Calientes on the train.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

3* Accommodation: terrzas del inca hotel (included)

4* Accommodation: El Mapi or Tierra Viva Machu Picchu (upgrade)

Hiking time: Approximately nine hours

Distance: 14.5km / 9 Miles

Trekking difficulty level: moderate

Today Sacred Valley and Salkantay trekking groups join back together!

Enjoy sleeping in today, while we wait for the Sacred Valley trekkers to join us via train in town!

Everybody: One we are all in town, we'll 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. 

A rest day! After a long day visiting Machu Picchu, train rides, and driving back to Cusco you can sleep in and explore the town. We'll store our bags at the hotel and explore the Spanish city that was built on top of the capital of the Incan Empire. We can visit the Incan Sun Place, the Spanish cathedrals, the vast market, and choose from numerous restaurants for lunch and dinner.

If you have the typical late flight from Lima to fly back 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.

Option:  Colored Mountain Add-On (adds 1 day)

A guide will pick us up at our hotel in Cusco and drive us 2.5 hours to the base of Colored Mountain. 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. On the return drive we can stop at an authentic restaurant and try some grilled guinea pig.     

If you opted for the Colored Mountain Add-On yesterday, then today 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.