Cusco Charm Journey

Upon arrival at Cusco Airport, we will transfer you comfortably to your chosen hotel. Your guide will accompany you, providing helpful insights about the citys attractions and assisting you throughout the transfer. Please ensure your domestic flight from Lima arrives no later than 10:30 am, as arrivals after noon are too late for the planned schedule. Once settled, you can take time to rest and recover from your flight or explore the city at your leisure to get your first impression of life in Peru. Alternatively, you may choose to join our optional Half-Day South Valley Tour, departing at 1 pm. This private tour visits key sites between Cusco and Puno, including the archaeological site of Tipn with its remarkable Inca irrigation system, the well-preserved pre-Inca city of Pikillaqta, and the Church of Andahuaylillas, known as the Sistine Chapel of America, where you will see an original Wari pipe organ. The tour lasts approximately four and a half hours and includes pick-up, drop-off, a bilingual guide, and admission fees. You will spend your first night in Cusco.

After breakfast, your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby at around 1 pm to begin a four-hour tour of Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. We start with a visit to the Santo Domingo Convent, a striking Renaissance-Baroque complex built atop the Inca Coricancha temple. This temple was once one of the most important sites dedicated to sun worship, with its foundations still visible beneath the convent. According to historical accounts, the temple was once covered in gold leaf and adorned with golden representations of nature. Next, we visit the Cathedral, the grandest building on the Main Square. From there, we transfer to the hills overlooking Cusco to explore the fortress of Sacsayhuamn, known for its massive stone walls and panoramic views of the city. We then visit the ruins of Qenqo, believed to have been used for agricultural rituals, before concluding at Puka Pukara, or Red Fortress in Quechua. This Inca military complex features well-preserved dwellings, baths, aqueducts, walls and towers. We return to your hotel at approximately 5.30 pm for an overnight stay in Cusco.

After an early breakfast, we will collect you from your hotel at around 4.30 am the exact time will be confirmed the day before. You will be transferred to Ollantaytambo train station to begin your journey to Machu Picchu with a scenic train ride of approximately one and a half hours to Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo. Upon arrival, we will guide you to the bus for a 25-minute ride up to the ancient citadel. Machu Picchu, believed to have been built around 1450 as a retreat for the Inca emperor Pachactec, was abandoned just over a century later and remained hidden by the jungle until its rediscovery in 1911. During your 2.5-hour guided tour, we will explore the sites key monuments and learn about its history. After the tour, you will return by bus to Aguas Calientes for lunch before taking the train back to Ollantaytambo. From there, you will be transferred to your hotel in Cusco in the late afternoon for an overnight stay.

After breakfast, we transfer you to Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport in Cusco for your flight to Lima. This marks the end of your journey through Perus rich cultural and historical heartland. We hope the experiences youve enjoyed here will stay with you long after you leave.