Machu Picchu Extension

Day 1 Arrive Cuzco – Urubamba Valley

Morning arrival in Cuzco. Meeting services upon arrival and transfer through the fertile countryside making our way through the "Sacred Valley" of Urubamba and our hotel. This afternoon we begin our exploration visiting the Inca agricultural experimental center of Moray, famous for its sunken amphitheater made up of four circular terraces that seem to disappear into the earth like an artificial crater. The site was apparently an ancient Inca agricultural research station designed for experimenting with crops at various altitudes. Continue to the impressive Maras Salt Pools formed by water emerging from a salt spring underneath the Urubamba Valley that is fed into terraced evaporative pools as a way of harvesting salt. Learn about ancestral techniques, which are still used, in agricultural, irrigation and salt-recollection tasks, as well as in Andean festivals and rites. Return to the hotel for overnight. (B,L)

Day 2 Urubamba Valley

Today we visit the Spanish Colonial village of Pisac for a variety of Peruvian handicrafts, jewelry and excellent bargains on Alpaca sweaters (Tue, Thur & Sun are market days). After lunch, continue to the village of Ollantaytambo, an ancient fortress of temples and terraces that tower over the valley. Overnight at the hotel in the valley. (B,L)

Day 3 Urubamba Valley / Machu Picchu

Following breakfast transfer to Ollantaytambo to board our train traveling through the sacred Urubamba Valley to Machu Picchu considered the " Lost City " of the Incas. Perched 8,200 feet above the valley, this significant archaeological find is situated along remote mountains, amid a semi-tropical jungle and therefore was hidden for 400 years until discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham of Yale University. From the train station, our tour bus will make the ascent to this ancient citadel to explore the temples, altars and more than 200 buildings. After lunch, time to explore on your own. Return to the hotel for overnight. B,L,D)

Day 4 Machu Picchu / Cuzco

Morning free to revisit the ruins on your own. Lunch at the hotel and afternoon return back to Cuzco and your hotel for overnight. (B, L)

Day 5 Cuzco / Lima – Departure

Morning brief visit of Cuzco, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the western hemisphere. Nowadays Cuzco is a delightful combination of Inca and colonial architecture dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. We will visit Cuzco’s most important landmarks such as the Cathedral, Santo Domingo Church and the Plaza de Armas as well as the famous San Blas artisan’s quarter. We transfer to the airport and for the flight to Lima. Founded in 1535 by the Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro, this colonial city became the political and military capital of the New World until it was declared the capital of Peru in 1821. This afternoon we begin our tour of Colonial and Modern Lima, “City of Kings." We visit the Colonial sites including the Plaza Mayor with its cathedral and palace; the Torre Tagle Palace modern day seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We also visit the Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum which exhibits the world's largest private collection of pre-Columbian art boasting an astonishing array of gold, silver, semi-precious stones and textiles. In modern Lima we drive along the exclusive residential areas of San Isidro and Miraflores. Late evening we transfer to the airport for departure (day room at hotel and dinner optional). (B)

Remarks

Not included:
Gratuities of any kind; airport departure taxes; meals unless included in the itinerary.