CLASSIC + AREQUIPA HIKE (4D/3N) + PUNO

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Lima

Upon your arrival to Lima, one of our representatives will meet you at the airport and accompany you and take you to your hotel in Lima. * An extra day in Lima can be added upon request. Please ask our agent for activities in Lima

Day 2: Flight to Cusco & Afternoon City Tour (B)

We transfer back to the airport for the short, one hour flight to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas, located at 11,100 feet above sea level. You will be met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel of choice. You will have the remainder of the morning to rest and freshen up. It’s best to take it easy this morning to let your body adjust to the altitude. Some find enjoying a cup of hot coca tea a real help in adjusting to the high elevation and that is what the locals traditionally use coca for. Both lunch and dinner are on your own today as there are so many choices available at reasonable price either in or near your hotel. * Depending on which domestic flight you choose you will have more or less time to rest.

After lunch, you will set out on grand tour of Cusco, the former capital of the once vast Incan Empire. The city’s Spanish Colonial architecture both overlays and is interlaced with the earlier Incan architecture. We walk Cusco’s impressive Plaza de Armas and visit both the Spanish cathedral and Incan temple of the sun, Qoricancha. The Spanish conquistadores destroyed significant portions of the Inca civilization while leaving their mark on Cusco. Ornate cathedrals, adobe walls, carved balconies, hidden courtyards and cobblestone streets add to the historic richness of the ancient Incan capital.

Next we set out to visit the ruins above the city that were considered an essential part of the ancient capital. We start with one of the most impressive of them all, Sacsayhuaman. This is where Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, is held during the Summer Solstice. Some of the stones used to build the site weigh up to 70 tons yet are fitted so precisely–without the use of mortar–that one cannot slide even the thinnest object between them. Some believe that the site forms the head of puma or jaguar and that the huge triangulated walls form its teeth, or symbolize lightening. Tambomachay, the Temple of the Sacred Waters, is another site we will visit and is a marvel of hydraulic engineering. Its waters still flow today. At Q´enqo we’ll see the remains of a ceremonial site used for fertility rites and for celebrations of the solstice and equinox. *An extra day in Cusco can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities.

Day 3: Sacred Valley Tour (B, L)

After breakfast, we set out into the Urubamba Valley, also known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our first stop will be a visit to the the Pisac market. The Pisac market has a wide variety of artisan arts & crafts and you will have the chance to see the many different products that the sacred valley produces. This is a great opportunity to for you to do some unique shopping, and to purchase souvenirs for your family and friends. After the market, we head deeper into the Sacred Valley and visit the Inca town of Ollantaytambo, still inhabited by the locals in much the same way as it was during the time of the Incas. The lodging area is formed by complex structures known as “canchas” or apartments. The Inca built a temple on a terraced site above the town. The impressive, standing stones they erected, conjure up images of Atlantis. This is the site where Manco Inca and his warriors staged a temporary victory over the Spanish Conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizarro. During this victory, the Inca warriors flooded the fields, while raining down spears and arrows from above, making it difficult for the Spanish horses to maneuver, ultimately forcing a rare retreat on the part of the Conquistadors. We then return to Urubamba, where you will have a chance to break for lunch and recover energies to continue with our tour.

After lunch, we head out to the bustling market-town of Chinchero, our final visit today. The town of Chinchero is the the Birthplace of the Rainbow, situated at over 11,500 feet. Its extensive agricultural terraces made it, in Incan times, the breadbasket of Cusco city. The main sight to see at this location is a catholic church, with fine paintings from the Cusquenian School. Modern Chinchero has a very active community of women weavers who create textiles on backstrap looms using only natural dyes. The weavers make fine, high quality mantas, table runners, pillows, bags, belts, and scarves in soft natural colors. At the end of the day you will go back to Cusco. All of our suggested hotels are well situated, so that you can relax and enjoy more of both ancient and contemporary life this evening. * An overnight at the sacred valley can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities.

Day 4: Machu Picchu Tour (B, S)

The day you have been waiting for! After breakfast we catch the train to the town of Aquas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. Continue by bus for the short ride up switch backs to the Machu Picchu citadel overhead. We enter the ruins for a breathtaking view of the city in the sky. You will enjoy a full tour of the lost city and have lunch on your own after the tour. In the afternoon we say farewell to Machu Picchu as we set out by train heading to the station at Poroy and then on to Cusco Hotel by car arriving at night. * An overnight in MachuPicchu can be added upon request. Also, we can add bus and entrance tickets for a second day at the citadel. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities.

Day 5: Trip to Puno by Tourist bus (B, L)

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up, and taken to the bus terminal in Cusco, where once you arrive; you will embark on your way to Puno. During this excursion, you will see the following towns and sites:

Andahuaylillas: A beautiful and charming town. The unique Church of San Pedro de Andahuaylillas is the most popular tourist attraction for visitors. Built at the beginning of the 17th century, the church walls are decorated with beautiful murals that depict the roads to glory and to hell. Raqchi: This town is located following in route to Puno. The Raqchi town has a unique church that dates back to the Colonial period church. The local craftsmen produce beautiful pieces of clay pottery to sell during the town fair. Four kilometers past this town, you will arrive at the archaeological site of Raqchi, an Inca sanctuary built by Pachacutec after his victory over the Chancas Nation. This is a gigantic construction. The most outstanding features of the construction are two rows of round columns, unique in Inca architecture, and a large longitudinal wall that runs parallel to the buildings. In this site, there is also a small museum managed by local residents as part of the complex. La Raya: Is a community dedicated to sheep farming. There are hot springs in the area. This is the highest point on the route of Puno and the doorway to this Department. Pucara: This is a quaint village in the Vilcanota Valley. The potters of Pucara are famous for the small ceramic toritos or bulls they make. Traditionally, Cuzquenian people build their houses with the help of the community.  When the house is finish, the padrino (godfather) puts one of these toritos on top of each house.  You can see examples of this all over Cuzco.  The area is also well-know for the pre-Inca Pucara culture. Architectural ruins and stone monuments of this important culture period, the intermediate formative (between the 3rd and 8th centuries A.D), are situated close to the San Cayetano precipice. At the conclusion of your journey, you will be met by a representative from our team will be there to meet you and take you to your hotel in Puno. * Optional train or flight to Puno could be arranged.

Day 6: Uros & Taquile Island Tour (B, L)

After breakfast, we will pick you up for your guided tour of Uros Island. The residents of Uros islands are Aymaras who have inherited the way of life of the long-gone Uros. Their livelihood is based on the benefits of a unique plant: the totora reed. They use it to build their homes, boats and even the floating islands they live on, periodically adding new layers of reeds. After this visit you will be transfer to Taquile, where you will enjoy lunch. Finally you’ll set out on a grand tour of Taquile Island. Its inhabitants speak only Quechua. Farmers, fishermen and weavers, they wear distinctive outfits. Heirs of the ancient, commune-like system called ayllu, Taquile has several hills and many archeological ruins. After the tour, you go back to Puno where dinner is on your own. There are many places in Puno you can explore this night. * An extra day or two in Puno can be added upon request. Please ask us about other tours in Puno. *Also visit to the private island of Suasi is one of our client’s favorite, please ask us and we will send you an itinerary including that visit.

Day 7: Trip to Arequipa (B, S)

After breakfast at your hotel in Puno, you will be picked met by one of our representatives and taken to the bus station in Puno. After this short trip, you will arrive at the Puno bus terminal in order to check-in, and catch your 6-hour bus from the city of Puno to the city of Arequipa. During this bus ride, you will have a chance to rest and relax, or enjoy a light snack on board. Upon your arrival to Arequipa, you will be met by one of our representatives at the bus terminal, who will escort and accompany you to your hotel in Arequipa. Once checked-in, and after you have been given some time to get settled in, you will take part in a short, yet important briefing prior to your Colca trek excursion. This briefing is intended to prepare you for the next day’s activities, and will advise you on what and how much to bring, how to dress, and some other general things to ensure you will be fully prepared. * Optional flight to Arequipa could be arranged. * An extra day in Arequipa can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to also add additional activities.

Day 8: Colca Canyon Trek Program 4D/3N (B, D)

After a very early breakfast at your hotel in Arequipa, you will be met by our representative, and escorted directly to the beautiful Colca Canyon, in order to begin your Colca Trek experience. You will arrive approximately at 10am at the “Cruz del Condor,” where we will take some time to take in, what many call one of the most beautiful sceneries in all of Arequipa. Depending on the time, and with some added luck, we may be able to see the flight of the famed bird, the Peruvian condor, which is one of the most grandiose sights you will ever experience. We then continue the excursion by traveling towards Cabanaconde, where we will get the chance to see this large, desert plain, with over 500 pre-hispanic rock carvings, depicting warriors, dancers and stylized animals. After Cabanaconde, we will take a short break, prior to embarking on our 5-hour trek to Llahuar. Llahuar is a typical, quaint and small-town, located at 2100 meters above sea level. It is situated nearby the impressive Canyon, which means you will be able to enjoy the majestic scenery and landscape, along with the wonderful waterfalls of Oruro. In the afternoon, you will have the choice to either be able to bathe in the hot-spring baths, in order to relax and invigorate yourself, or the possibility of going fishing (note: additional fees will be incurred if you choose to access the hot-spring baths). In the evening, you will be treated to a delicious and nutritious dinner, prior to calling it a night at one of the townspeople’s homes for the evening.

Day 9: Colca Canyon Trek Program 4D/3N (B, L)

After breakfast, we immediately begin the 4-hour trek to the town of Fure, where we will have the chance to pass by the very small town of Llatica, on the way to Fure, which is located at roughly 2800 meters above sea level. Once we arrive in Fure, we will break for a nutritious lunch, prepared especially for you. After lunch, we will continue on by departing on a 2 and a half hour trek to the Oruro waterfalls, in order to get a much closer, and more accurate view of the majestic sight. You will have plenty of time in order to take in all the scenery, along with the opportunity to take pictures and generally take-in the experience as a whole. Once you have had the chance to see the falls, we begin heading back to the town of Fure, where you will break for the remainder of the evening, and lodge at one of the townspeople’s home’s once again.

Day 10: Colca Canyon Trek Program 4D/3N (B, L, D)

After an early, 7am breakfast (approx), we begin the day by embarking on the next stop of our Colca trek: Sangalle. Sangalle is often called the “Oasis” because of its rich vegetation in the high plains of the Andean strip. You will once again have plenty of time to take in the scenery at your leisure, in order to ensure you don’t miss a second, allowing plenty of time for exploring and picture taking. We will then break for lunch at Sangalle, which will allow you to have a delicious meal overseeing this wonderful and serene landscape. At the conclusion of lunch, you will have the chance to enjoy a refreshing dip in the water pools of the area. These pools are meant for people to enjoy and relax, while at this once-in-a-lifetime portion of the trek. In the evening, you will enjoy a specially-catered dinner, before you once again retire for the remainder of the evening in the local cabins.

Day 11: Colca Canyon Trek Program 4D/3N (B)

After a very early, 5am wake-up call, we once again ascend on the hike to the town of Cabanaconde. This is the final trekking portion of your hike, as we climb up, in moderate elevation, for approximately 3 hours until we arrive at Cabanaconde, where once settled, we break for a nutritious breakfast. After breakfast, we once again head out to the “Vista del Condor” viewpoint, in order to hopefully catch a second viewing of the flight of the condor. You will have plenty of time to be able to take photo’s of this truly remarkable experience, that you will surely cherish for a lifetime. At the conclusion of the “Vista del Condor,” you will be picked up and taken to the town of Chivay, in order to break for some lunch. You will have this lunch on your own, since there so many options in chivay for you to choose. In the afternoon, we begin our trip back to Arequipa. Once you arrive in Arequipa, you will arrive at your hotel in the late afternoon/early evening, in order for you to retire in your hotel room for the remainder of the evening. *Lunch in Chivay may be included upon request. * An extra day in Arequipa can be added upon request. Please let us know if you like us to also add additional activities.

Day 12: Flight Back to Lima – Home (B)

After breakfast at your hotel in Arequipa, you will be met and taken to the airport in Arequipa, where you will catch your short-flight back to the capital, and ultimately back home. * * While in Lima, we highly recommend adding culinary activities such as cooking classes and tasting dinners in the best restaurants of Latin America, for more information check our Culinary site: taste-of-peru.com and ask our agents for more information. You could add a day hotel if your flight is late at night. Please let us know if you like us to add additional activities for this day.

NOTE: Some people prefer to go directly to the sacred valley upon arrival to the Cusco Airport. Please let us know if you prefer that to send you an updated itinerary

Not exactly what you want?

Remember that Magical focuses on providing the best available options and can work with you on customizing your tour to better fit your interests and budget, without compromising the quality of your tour. Just contact us with your questions and preferences and we can modify this tour based on your expectations and requests.

About MachuPicchu Entrance Tickets

As the popularity of MachuPicchu has increased in the last few years, and in order to preserve the ancient paths of MachuPicchu, the Peruvian Cultural Institute (INC) has restricted the number of people that could enter MachuPicchu to 2,500 people per day. This means that, once the 2,500 tickets are sold out, no further entrance tickets will available. Also, please note that to avoid a secondary market for these tickets, all tickets are issued with the name of the passenger, his/her passport number, nationality and date of birth. Therefore, tickets are non refundable and non transferable.

About Huaynapichu Tickets

Entrance tickets to Huaynapichu are not longer free, entrance tickets are now US$12.00 per person. There are two scheduled visits per day, with a limit of 200 people per visit (Total of 400 per day). If you are interested in hiking the Huaynapichu, we will need you to let us know at the same time you book your trip since the Huaynapichu tickets need to be purchased in conjunction to the MachuPicchu tickets.

Price

This tour (*) is available from:

USD$944.90 per person – Group with Private Transfers

For single supplement and prices in a private service, please contact us!

* Based on double occupancy, 4 people, Budget Accommodations

IMPORTANT: As price depends on each passenger choices, please contact us to send you an updated price based on your specific request. Please send us the following information and we will respond within 24 hours with your updated price.

• Number of people in your party
• Level of accommodation (3, 4, 5*). Please see options
• Choosing a Private or Group Tour?
• Train choice. Please see options
• Adding options: if you like to add day tours, extra days, meals, etc
• Need domestic or international flights?
• Have a special request (e.g.: special diet, wheelchair, children, senior, etc)

What’s Included?

• Expedition train Roundtrip. Upgrade to other trains: Vistadome train, Hiram Bingham Train upon request.
• Bus to Machu Picchu roundtrip.
• Tourist Bus from Cusco to Puno
• Expert leadership, guides & support personnel for all listed tours
• Accommodations: 1 night in Lima, 3 nights in Cuzco, 2 nights in Puno, 2 nights in Arequipa, 3 nights at a local house.
• Meals as noted (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, S = Snack). We can add any meals upon request
• Land excursions as noted including entrance fees (BTG, Cathedral, Qoricancha, MachuPicchu, Uros & Taquile and Colca Canyon)
• Private Transportation: Lima Airport/Lima Hotel, Lima Hotel/Lima Airport, Cusco Airport/Cusco Hotel, Cusco Hotel/Train Station, Train Station/Cusco Hotel, Cusco Hotel/Cusco Bus Station, Puno Bus Station/Puno Hotel, Puno Hotel/Puno Bus Station, Arequipa Bus Station, Arequipa Hotel, Arequipa Hotel/Arequipa Airport.
• Group Transportations during your Arequipa Hike.

What’s Not Included?

• Airport taxes: Local ($5-6) and International ($31) departure tax of payable in local currency by each passenger at Lima International Airport upon departure (if applicable)
• International and domestic airfares, usually quoted separately
• Insurance of any kind: mandatory evacuation insurance; suggested cancellation insurance, interruption, baggage loss, damage and delay
• Visas. Please be advised that some citizens other than Canadians and US may need visa to travel to Peru. Please advise us of your nationality to help you or check with the Peruvian Consulate.
• Tipping & Gratuities (Guides $4 per person per day / Drivers $1 per person per day)
• Hot Springs entrance tickets
• Excess baggage charges
• Medical immunizations
• Items of a personal nature (clothing, sodas, liquor, snacks, laundry, etc.

Important Notes for Trekkers

• Participants need to be in good physical health and condition. It is good for travelers who are in condition to hike up to seven hours, with breaks in a single day to enjoy the Arequipa Hike. The trekking will be difficult if you have not exercised regularly before your trip. To fully enjoy your Arequipa Hike adventure, we advise passengers to get into an exercise program for their own safety and enjoyment. If a passenger suffers from any medical condition, we advise him/her to consult a physician prior to joining the Arequipa Hike.
• Take only the necessary items for the 4 days trek (8-12 Kilos), the rest of your luggage you can leave it at your hotel in Arequipa (most of hotels has an storage where to keep until your return)

We suggest for your Trail

• Drinking lots of liquids
• Warm Jacket or sweater, raingear (specially from November to April)
• T-shirts, shorts, long pants, layers.
• Back pack, Day pack, trekking shoes, sandals
• Sun hat, wool hat, sunglasses
• Water bottle, flash light
• Insect repellent /Sunscreen
• Water Purification Tablets (optional)
• Hand Towel, toilet paper
• Swimsuit (you can swim in the hot springs – Chivay)
• Extra US$50 changed in soles for any emergency and for tipping the porters

Domestic Tickets

Lima/Cusco/Lima: From US $190 per person. This is an example price. Prices depend on the airline, date and time of booking.