MYSTICAL MACHU PICCHU

Day 1

ARRIVE PERU'S SACRED VALLEY (D)

You arrive today in Lima, capital of Peru, early this morning where you'll be met by a representative of Walking Adventures and directed to your domestic flight to Cuzco. Upon arrival in Cuzco, our first stop is a sampling of the amazing Inca stonework at the monumental fortress of Sacsayhuamán. From Sacsayhuamán, we descend into the Sacred Valley of the Incas to a beautiful country inn on the edge of a remote Andean village. NOTE: Many flights into Lima are evening arrivals. WAI will provide lodging for an additional cost at an airport hotel for travelers arriving into Lima the evening before Day 1.

Day 2

SACRED VALLEY - AGUAS CALIENTES (B,D)
Maras Salt Ponds & Moray Inca Terraces Walk 5 km, rated 2+

After more incredible scenery on this morning's coach ride, our first activity is a walk through the Andean countryside to the circular farming terraces of the Incas at Moray, a perfect setting for a picnic lunch.Nearby Maras offers a fascinating collection of evaporating salt pans carved from the mountainside by villagers to exploit the natural salinity of the mountain spring. Later this afternoon, we'll board the train from the Inca stronghold of Ollantaytambo. Following a spectacular riverside rail ride through the mountains, we arrive at Aguas Calientes, staging point for Machu Picchu.

Day 3

AGUAS CALIENTES-SACRED VALLEY (B,D)
Mystical Machu Picchu Walk 3 km, rated 4

From Aguas Calientes, it's a short bus ride to the ruins of Machu Picchu, never revealed to the Spanish and virtually forgotten until discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.Our local guide will unveil for us the theories and legends surrounding this mysterious “Lost City of the Incas.” The aura of Machu Picchu defies description: incredibly isolated, architecturally astounding, breathtakingly beautiful, and mysteriously mystical are just a few adjectives that have been tried. This afternoon we'll enjoy a scenic return train trip to Ollantaytambo, and the same lovely Andean inn.

Day 4

ACTIVITIES IN THE SACRED VALLEY (B,D)
Inca Ruins & Villages Walk 10 km, rated 3+ (mostly due to elevation)

The first part of today's walk takes us to a spectacularly situated Inca ruins further up the Sacred Valley, high above the colonial village of Pisac. Pondering the amazing engineering feats of the Inca terrace makers and looking down through the rarefied air into the pastoral beauty of the Urubamba Valley awakens the Inca mystique once again. After lunch at the Quechua market town of Pisac, we'll finish the walk with a stroll down a country road that provides captivating glimpses of rural life in the tiny farming communities of the valley.

Day 5

SACRED VALLEY-CUZCO (B,D)
Chinchero Andean Village Walk 4 km, rated 3 (mostly due to elevation)

The charming Quechua town of Chinchero offers yet another perspective on life in the Andes. Following the stroll around town, we'll visit a textile shop to observe traditional Inca weaving techniques, then enjoy a lunch in a village home you are sure to remember.We finish the day in Cuzco at our hotel located just off the Plaza de Armes in the continent's oldest, continuously inhabited city.

Day 6

CUZCO - LIMA (B,L,D)
Cuzco Old Town Walk 3 km, rated 1+

We'll finish our Adventure in the land of the Incas with a relaxing walking tour of this high-elevation (11,000 feet) former capital of the far-reaching Inca Empire. The highlight of the walk is a visit to the Santo Domingo Church, built by conquering Spaniards atop the foundation of Coricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun. The wonder of Inca architecture with its massive, multi-surface boulders fit so tightly together must be seen to be believed. Following the walk, and time for lunch, we'll depart for the airport and a flight to Lima for our last night in Peru.

Day 7

LIMA-USA (B,D)

Since all flights to the USA depart late in the evening, we have all day to explore the sights of Lima on a guided city tour of this busy Peruvian capital. A visit to a pre-Columbian archeological treasure trove - the Larco Herrera Museum - is included. Following dinner, we'll transfer to the airport for our flights back across the equator to the USA.We return home enriched by the Adventure of a lifetime in another hemisphere and, in many ways, another world. Travelers continuing on for Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands will fly to Quito this evening.