Our first day will be exploring the ancient city of Cusco. We will visit some of the most important archaeological sites of the Incan empire and experience the lively local markets, where you will see a wonderful array of colourful craftsmanship and try delicious, traditional cuisine! We will guide you through the Sun Temple, called Qorikancha in Quechua, an ancient monument, composed of both Spanish and Incan architecture – a must-see! Finally we will end the day with a visit to the MAP Museum, a pre-Columbian art museum housing an incredible collection of functional and beautiful artefacts, collected from all over Peru.

Throughout our journey we work exclusively with local people who provide us with food and shelter, all of which is grass-roots and fair-trade. We use local horses to support the Andean economy, plus our guides speak Quechua and English! By using local horses to carry our luggage through the mountains, we assure you are in for an authentic experience!

Early in the morning at 8:00am, we will leave from Cusco and travel to Chincheros, a town renowned for its unique, handwoven textiles. We will visit the archeological site of Chincheros, full of Incan terraces and pre-Incan stone structures. We continue to the salt mines of Maras to see the artisanal Andean way of extracting salt, which has been a tradition for hundreds – if not thousands – of years. We then continue our journey to Moray, also known as the “experimental terraces” created by the Incas to test which crops grow best at different altitudes.

Today we will drive out of the city to visit the four archeological sites next to Cusco; Saqsayhuaman, Qenqo, Pucapucara and Tambomachay. These sites are relics of a forgotten civilization which predate written records. Archaeologists remain baffled by the technology used to build the structures, which must be seen to be believed.  

After this nice morning, we continue with a short hike to a beautiful place for our picnic lunch. Then we continue hiking to the archeological site of Inkilltambo, nestled in a beautiful valley complete with a waterfall, terraces and ceremonial ruins! After some pictures, we will arrive at the other side of Cusco where our transportation will be waiting for us…

…finally preparing us for the adventure of a lifetime; The Andes.

• Breakfast
• We will arrive at the south bank of the Kimsacocha lagoon, where the community will welcome us.
• We will start walking until we stop at a first station. There, we will talk about the Potato Park and its purpose, agricultural diversity and the importance of ecological floors and borders……
• We will continue our journey to the Llamas ranch. Our guide will explain the society, the management and the economy of the breeders of Alpacas and Llamas. We will have the opportunity to observe them in their daily work with the cattle.
  Then, accompanied by some Llamas, we will return to the reception center of the association that will welcome us.
• Lunch: nutritious, tasty, rich and healthy lunch, prepared by the women of the community. Presentation of Andean products
• Farewell to the community
• Visit of PISAQ – This great archaeological complex is located in the district of Pisaq, province of Calca, 33 km. east of the city of Cusco. The Castilianized form Pisaq derives from the Quechua word p`isaqa, gallinaceous, a bird that abounds in the place, similar to the partridge or lluthu. An unconfirmed version says that the Inca city of Pisaq has the shape of this bird, which was the tutelary deity of the tribe that inhabited this area in pre-Inca times.
• At first, amazement is inevitable, then a feeling of deep respect arises for the creators of those centuries-old buildings, silent witnesses of the greatness of an empire. The beauty of its walls, built with large polished stone blocks with extraordinary symmetry and unparalleled handling of stone, leaves the visitor perplexed.
• Pisaq is made up of a set of enclosures such as houses, aqueducts, roads, bridges, a cemetery, walls and large areas of huge terraces.
• Return to Cusco in the afternoon.

The Super Ausangate Trek

With a very early start, we will begin the four-hour drive from Cusco to Kairahuire, stopping enroute for breakfast in a local restaurant. Kairahuire is the beginning of our trek, and after a forty-minute hike we arrive at the stunning and unique Rainbow Mountain ranges, to enjoy the experience of walking on this multicoloured mountain range. We spend some time here enjoying the scenery, then continue to Huarmisaya for lunch, where we’ll camp for the night under the stars in the rolling, rugged mountains.

This day commences with an easy uphill to the Puka Qocha pass, beginning our famous trek of the seven lakes. Filled with spectacular landscapes including lakes of different colours, ranging from light green to turquoise to deep blue, there are no words to describe how beautiful the views are on this adventure, with clouds hugging the mountains and steep, snow capped mountains.  We will take an easy uphill to arrive at Huchuy Pumacocha for a delicious lunch, then we will continue our trek and finally arrive at Ausangate Q’ocha lagoon, after a day of unforgettable scenery.

Today the trek will start early after breakfast and will begin by passing herds of alpacas and vicuñas. These animals have been cared for and cultivated by locals since time immemorial for their thick wool that protects from the freezing cold of the Andean mountains! We will walk through magnificent mountain ranges, always keeping the view of Ausangate Mountain to our left. Ausangate is a sacred mountain to the local people, and is said to take prayers to heaven.

After reaching the top of the pass you’ll be rewarded with breath-taking views across the South-East mountain range. This is also a perfect location to see condors, and marvel at their enormous size! After descending back down, we will follow the Jampamayo River through the small village of Jampa, before arriving at the Hampa campsite.

Today is an easier and equally beautiful trek, following the winding Hampa valley. You will see local people and shepherds in their traditional outfits, and the sun is incredibly strong as ever.

This Valley is a great place to spot wildlife, so look out for vizcacha, vicuñas and bobcats on the snow-covered peaks – all rare and special animals belonging to the high Andean region. After another pass, we will be rewarded with amazing views of more snow-capped mountains and glaciers.

From this section you can see seven famous and incredibly-colored lakes, revered as holy by the local Q’ero culture, glistening in the sunlight. After enjoying this spectacular view from above, we will begin our descent down to the other side of the valley, and camp beside the Ninaparayoq lake, a huge teal-coloured lake.

Today is a very easy and relaxing day, much needed after all the hiking! After three hours of walking we will arrive at Pacchanta, where our crew will prepare for us the famous pachamanca. This is a primitive Andean barbeque, whereby rocks are heated with fire and put in the earth, and cooked alongside meat, potatoes and vegetables. After this amazing lunch, we have free time to relax in the natural hot springs located very close to our campsite.

From Pacchanta we travel north along the front of the mountain range for four-hours, with an incredibly rugged backdrop, and then down to the other side to have lunch. After descending into the valley, we go up the other side for 2-3 hours to reach our camp at the rugged Armacocha, with great views of snowcap Callangate.

Our trek will complete with a peaceful walk along the shore of the turquoise Singrinacocha lake, after lunch and hotsprings, we will begin the descent into the town of Mallma, where our car will pick us up to finally bring us back to Cusco.

Departing from Ollantaytambo train station, we will take the train to kilometre 104, just before the end of the line at Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu. This hike is approximately six hours in total, accompanied by your expert guide, with a delicious lunch included. Enter Machu Picchu via the Sungate portal, as the Incans once did.

Stay overnight in Aguas Calientes, enjoying this bustling tropical town and the hot springs, of course!

In the morning we will drive for thirty minutes to Machu Picchu, the Inca City and modern wonder of the world. Once we enter the citadel of Machu Picchu, our guide will show you the most important monuments and you will learn the magic of this cloud-covered, hidden citadel. After a two-hours or more guided tour, packed with information and site-seeing, we leave Machupicchu, returning to Aguas Calientes.

After lunch we go to the train station, where we get on board for a ride that lasts 90 minutes. In Ollantaytambo our van will be waiting for us, then we drive for another 90 minutes until Cusco.