6-Day Machu Picchu Express Tour

After your arrival to Cusco, we will take you to the hotel and then you`ll join your guide for a briefing about the whole trip that awaits ahead of you. Today, you can spend the day at leisure visiting and exploring the city of Cusco (the capital of the Incas). In case you want an optional tour, we can offer: Cusco City tour (not included) We will pick you up at 13:00pm from your hotel to start the tour and visiting the following places: • The Koricancha: Temple of the sun. • The Cathedral: Marvel of the religious art. • Sacsayhuaman: a majestic place with impressive works in stone, some up to 120 tons. • Q´enqo (Labyrinth): a religious center dedicated to the adoration of the Earth. • Puca pucara (reddish place): that was used as a military control center. • Tambomachay (Temple of the Water): a center of adoration and worship of water. Ending around 6:30pm, we will drop you off back to your Casa Andina Cusco Classic.

Today you'll be free to explore on your own or take an optional tour. OPTION 1: FULL DAY SACRED VALLEY TOUR Additional Price: USD 45 per person After breakfast, we will pick you up from your hotel at 8:00am. This is a full day excursion to the Urubamba Valley visiting the colorful Indian market in Pisac where you will be able to appreciate the mixture of color and tradition and have an opportunity to test your bartering skills, interact with the local craftsmen and purchase their hand-made souvenirs. Pisac is located at the entrance of the Sacred Valley. The Valley is (31km)/ (19mi) from Cusco, and at an altitude of (2,970m)/ (9,700 ft.). Followed by Pisac is Urubamba where we have a delicious buffet lunch at Tunupa restaurant then we continue through to Ollantaytambo, the oldest continuously occupied town on the American continent. The narrow streets of Ollantaytambo, along with their canals, have not changed much from the time of the Inca Empire. They evoke their ancestral inheritance and give you a feeling of what it would be like to live during this time. The last visit will be the Chinchero market. Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow. Its major claim to tourism is its colorful Sunday market, which is much less tourist-orientated than the market at Pisac. At the end, we will return you to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco at approximately 6:30 pm. Included: • Transportation • Professional English speaking guide. Not included: • Tourist ticket (extra PEN 70) • Meals • Gratuity

We will pick you up at 8:00am (to be confirmed) and take you to the train station. The train leaves at 11:30 am (time may change depending on availability and changes to timetable). After a 3.5-hour journey of majestic views you arrive to Aguas Calientes (Hot Springs Town) where you will spend the night. There will be plenty of time to relax if you want to have a hot bath in the natural springs! Things to do in Aguas Calientes: • Visit the Machu Picchu 'Manuel Chávez Ballón' museum and orchid exhibition. This is open from 9am to 4.30pm, and is a 35 minute walk down the road from Aguas Calientes to Puente Ruinas. It is a very illustrative museum that gives an interesting introduction to Machu Picchu. • Thermal baths –10 soles per person. http://www.casa-andina.com/casa-andina-classic-machu-picchu/ or similar

You will have breakfast and then your guide will pick you up from your hotel at 5:40am. You will take the bus up to majestic Machu Picchu to catch the sunrise, and then begin your walking tour (approximately 2 hours) with your guide. After this, you can explore the mysterious city by yourselves. You will meet your guide in Aguas Calientes (you can get back by bus or on foot) for lunch and to be given your train tickets back to Cusco. You will then get the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo, followed by a bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco. Note: If desire to climb up the Waynapicchu Mountain, please request it as soon as you can in order avoid any disappointment if you miss it. We usually do this at 10:00am. http://www.casa-andina.com/classic-cuzco-koricancha/

After breakfast, enjoy the beauty of Cusco with the optional tours. OPTION 2: MARAS MORAY & SALT MINES (Additional Price: USD 40 per person). We will pick you up from your hotel around 8 AM an take you to Moray “The Inca agricultural greenhouse or laboratory”. We will drive for about 1 hour and 20 minutes through the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, through lush yellow fields of wheat, past some villages. Finally, you will arrive to the fascinating display of terraces in Moray. Moray boasts three amphitheater-like terraces made by the Incas. These terraces, which are carved deep into the earth in a bowl shape, were thought to be used to determine the optimal conditions for growing crops. When we are done exploring Moray we will continue and visit the salt mines of Maras, which is about 2 miles away. This village is known as a former salt-producing center that is thought to date back all the way to pre-Inca times. There are over 3000 salt pools all carved into the mountainside, the highly salty water emerges at a spring, a natural outlet of the underground stream. The flow is directed into an intricate system of tiny channels constructed so that the water runs gradually down onto the several hundred ancient terraced ponds. The water, which is exposed to the sun, leaves salt on the land. After this amazing visit, we will drive back to Cusco. Included: • Transportation • Professional English speaking guide. Not included: • Tourist ticket (extra PEN 80) • Dinner OPTION 3: HALF DAY CITY TOUR (Additional Price: USD 30 per person). We will pick you up at 1:00PM from your hotel to start the tour and visiting the following places. • The Koricancha: Temple of the sun. • The Cathedral: Marvel of the religious art. • Sacsayhuaman: Majestic place with impressive works in stone, some up to 120 tons. • Q´enqo: (Labyrinth) a religious center dedicated to the adoration of the Earth. • Puca Pucara: (reddish place) that was used as a military control center. • Tambomachay: (Temple of the Water) a center of adoration and worship of water. Included: • Transportation • Professional English speaking guide. Not included: • Tourist ticket (extra PEN 105) • Dinner

After having breakfast at the hotel, enjoy the remaining time at Cusco city then in the afternoon we will drop off you to the airport to take your plane back to Lima.