Briefing 15:00 hrs.

Leaving your hotel, we will head north through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Ollantaytambo, where you can visit the village and ruins in the company of our guide.

We will then continue by private vehicle for about one hour to the village of Patacancha (3825 meters / 12,545 feet), a charming community of small houses built from mud brick and thatch. This is where our trek begins.

We will walk through typical inter-Andean valley scenery for approximately four hours, arriving at our campsite on the Yanaqaqa plain (3915 meters / 12,841 feet), where we will camp.

• Accommodation: Campsite (1 night).
• Meals Included: Lunch/Dinner.

Leaving our campsite in the early morning, we will make a brief ascent to the next pass at 4392 meters (14,405 feet), before descending into the Qelcanca Valley, home to a rural community of llama and alpaca herders. These welcoming villagers will demonstrate their ancestral weaving techniques for peruvian textiles, and depending on the time of year, visitors are welcome to participate in farming activities.

The village school teaches its children in their native Quechua, and the residents are friendly and welcoming. On the way to the community we will pass through smallholdings where local people produce different types of Andean crops.

We will camp in the mountains beyond the village at 3916 meters (12,844 feet), with a fine view of imposing Mount Terijuay (5800 meters / 19,025 feet).

• Accommodation: Campsite (1 night).
• Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner.

During the morning we will climb to beautiful Lake Yuraccocha, formed by the melt waters of Mount Terijuay.

From the lake, we will head downhill, with plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful surrounding countryside, until we reach Lake Yanacocha, near the village of Cochayoc, where the local community is famous for its textile tradition, and where we will make our camp.

• Accommodation: Campsite (1 night).
• Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner.

In the morning we will visit Cachin, whose inhabitants are famous for their weavings. Local people’s houses are built in the traditional Inca style.

Around midday we will descend towards the Lares Valley, with its warm, agreeable climate, as far as the village of Lares. Located at an altitude of 3207 meters (10,521 feet), this is a typical colonial village with a church, a main plaza and narrow streets. The local thermal baths are famous throughout the Cusco region.

Leaving Lares, we will travel by road to the village of Ollantaytambo. The highest point of this road stands at 4265 meters (13,990 feet), from where we will be able to see the mountains of Sawasiray and Pitusiray, before descending into the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

In the late afternoon, participants can continue by train to Machu Picchu, overnighting in the town of Aguas Calientes, or optional to return to Cusco by road.

• Accommodation: Hotel (1 night).
• Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner.

Known throughout the world as the “Lost City of the Incas”, Machu Picchu remains intact because it was never discovered by the invading Spanish. Built some time during the 15th century, Machu Picchu is the greatest surviving achievement of the architects of the Inca state.

The site covers an area of 13 square kilometers and would have originally served as an administrative and religious center. Our guide will carefully explain the history of this unique place and escort you around its terraces, streets, temples, palaces and watercourses.

You will return to Cusco by train in the afternoon.

• Meals Included: Breakfast.
• Optional Activities:
  Mountain Wayna Picchu USD 75.00 per person.
  Mountain Machu Picchu USD 75.00 per person.