Cusco Basic 3D2N

Arrival at Cusco airport and transfer to the hotel. Check-in. Around midday, we will pick you up from your hotels to begin our tour at the venerable Cusco Cathedral, featuring magnificent carved altars in various colonial styles and splendid paintings from the Cusco School of colonial art. We continue to Qoricancha—the legendary Temple of the Sun and the Inca Empire's principal ceremonial site—which, alongside the Convent of Santo Domingo, showcases a fascinating blend of Inca and colonial architecture. Next, we ascend to the impressive archaeological complex of Sacsayhuamán overlooking the city; this is one of the Incas' greatest feats, featuring massive walls of perfectly fitted megalithic stones and offering the best views of Cusco. From there, we visit Qenqo, an ancient site for ceremonies and sacrifices, followed by the Inca military outpost of Puka Pukara ("Red Stone"). Built for military purposes, it served as a checkpoint for entering Cusco and as a resting place. Finally, we visit Tambomachay, a center dedicated to the worship of water, where the Incas prayed to the gods for the rains needed to ensure fertile crops. We will then return you to your hotel.

The tour begins early in the morning (between 4:30 and 5:00 AM) with a pickup from your hotel in Cusco. We will travel to the PeruRail station to board a bimodal service bus bound for Ollantaytambo—a journey of approximately two hours—where we will board the tourist train to the town of Aguas Calientes, enjoying wonderful views of valleys and mountains alongside the Vilcanota River. Upon arrival, our staff will meet you outside the station and escort you to the Consettur bus station; from there, a short bus ride will take us to the Machu Picchu archaeological complex, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. As you walk through the complex, you can admire the impressive architecture while our certified guide shares fascinating theories regarding the history and significance of Machu Picchu to the Incas. The magnificent views and the magic of the site are truly incomparable. After a two-hour tour, you will have free time to explore further, rest, or simply soak up the energy of this extraordinary place. At a scheduled time, we will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes for a delicious three-course executive lunch. Finally, we will board the tourist train and the bimodal bus to return to Cusco, where a vehicle will be waiting to take you back to your hotel, arriving between 8:00 and 9:00 PM (depending on the specific train schedule in your itinerary).