Peru - Package - CUZCO AND MACHU PICCHU

MULTI-DAY TOURS	PACKAGES	TOURS	HOTELS	GENERAL INFO

CUZCO AND MACHU PICCHU
WITH OVERNIGHT AT THE SACRED VALLEY
AND MACHU PICCHU
5 days/4 Nights
Private Service. Shared Services departures only on Mon, Wed & Sat

Day 1: Cuzco
Arrival, reception and transfer to hotel. Morning at leisure to adapt to altitude.
In the afternoon, guided visit of the four ruins nearby, the Sacsayhuaman Fortress, overlooking the city of Cuzco, a pre Inca architectural masterpiece; Kenko, a rock sanctuary whose main attraction is a monolithic altar representing a puma, the red Fortress of Puca-Pucara and Tambomachay, a beautiful fountain fed by a spring forming a series of basins Continuation to the city to visit the Main Square, the Cathedral with its religious Art Museum, the Santo Domingo Church built on top of the Koricancha, temple of the sun during the Inca period. Overnight at hotel
Day 2: Cuzco – Sacred Valley
Breakfast at the hotel. Full day excursion to Urubamba, the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Pisac Market.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas was undoubtedly a key area of settlement to the Incas. Its agreeable climate and fertile plains make a rare and fruitful combination for the high Andes. It was also the route to the jungle and therefore an area with access to the fruits and plants of the tropical lowlands. The Sacred Valley served as a buffer zone, protecting Cusco from incursions of the Antis, the fierce jungle tribes who from time to time raided the highlands.

Visit to the village of Pisac, founded during Colonial times, set at the foot of a hill crowned by the remains of an Inca city. Everyday in the main square, Indians barter their products and artisans from all over the area sell their woven alpaca wool blankets and ponchos, engraved gourds, antique reproductions, jewellery, etc. On Sundays it is also the meeting place for Mayors from all the villages in the region, dressed in their traditional costumes to attend morning Mass. After lunch visit to Ollantaytambo, the only Inca town which is still inhabited, and explore the ruins which tower above it. Accommodation in selected hotel in The Sacred Valley.
Day 3: Sacred Valley – Machu Picchu
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Ollanta rail station, departure by

The ruins of Machu Picchu, rediscovered in 1911 by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham, are one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world. While the Inca people certainly used the Andean mountain top (9060 feet elevation), erecting many hundreds of stone structures from the early 1400's, legends and myths indicate that Machu Picchu (meaning 'Old Peak' in the Quechua language) was revered as a sacred place from a far earlier time. Whatever its origins, the Inca turned the site into a small (5 square miles) but extraordinary city. Invisible from below and completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population, and watered by natural springs, Machu Picchu seems to have been utilized by the Inca as a secret ceremonial city. Two thousand feet above the rumbling Urubamba river, the cloud shrouded ruins have palaces, baths, temples, storage rooms and some 150 houses, all in a remarkable state of preservation. These structures, carved from the gray granite of the mountain top are wonders of both architectural and aesthetic genius. Many of the building blocks weigh 50 tons or more yet are so precisely sculpted and fitted together with such exactitude that the mortarless joints will not permit the insertion of even a thin knife blade. Little is known of the social or religious use of the site during Inca times. The skeletal remains of ten females to one male had led to the casual assumption that the site may have been a sanctuary for the training of priestesses and /or brides for the Inca nobility. However, subsequent osteological examination of the bones revealed an equal number of male bones, thereby indicating that Machu Picchu was not exclusively a temple or dwelling place of women.

train to Aguas Calientes, at the foot of the Machu Picchu ruins. Minibus up to the ruins and guided visit of Machu Picchu, which is totally built of stone blocks, fitted with masterful precision. This fabulous city has houses, temples, warehouses, a large central square, all connected by narrow roads and steps, and is surrounded by terraces cut into the mountain side which were used for agriculture. Lunch at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. In the afternoon check in at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge or go down by minibus to Aguas Calientes and overnight at selected hotel.
Day 4: Machu Picchu – Cuzco
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning at leisure, a new opportunity to visit the Machu Picchu ruins. Lunch at Cafe Amazónico. In the afternoon return to Cuzco by train. Transfer from the train station and overnight at the selected hotel.
Day 5: Cuzco – Next Destination
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning transfer to the airport or to the bus or train station.

SOUTHERN HORIZONS VACATIONS PACKAGE PRICES INCLUDE (unless added):
Accommodation in single or double room with private bath in the suggested hotels or of similar category
Breakfast Daily
Lunch when noted
Dinner when noted
All Domestic Airfares
Transfers
Tours & Excursions as per itinerary (based on shared services with local)
English Speaking Guides

SOUTHERN HORIZONS VACATIONS PACKAGE PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE:
Meals not specified in this itinerary
International air tickets
All Airport taxes
Personal expenses such as telephone calls, laundry expenses, drinks, tipping, etc. Insurance against theft, loss, illness or accident
International air fare
We do offer special discount air from any gateway in the United States

CUZCO AND MACHU PICCHU WITH OVERNIGHT AT THE SACRED VALLEY AND MACHU PICCHU 5 days/4 Nights Private Service. Shared Services departures only on Mon, Wed & Sat

CUZCO AND MACHU PICCHU
WITH OVERNIGHT AT THE SACRED VALLEY
AND MACHU PICCHU
5 days/4 Nights
Private Service. Shared Services departures only on Mon, Wed & Sat