PISAC - Duration: Half Day
Located above the town of Pisac are the Pisac ruins, including a stone fortress with an impressive view of the valley. On the colonial town of Pisac, which preserves its Inca foundations, rises the hill known as the Intiwatana, with one of the finest terraces (Andenes) in the region. On the summit, the Incas built an astronomical tower with nice carved stones from which they could observe the course of the sun.
CHINCHERO - Duration: Full Day
Visit to Chinchero, a picturesque town near a pleasant small lake on a high plateau with an attractive church built on an Inca temple. Recent excavations have revealed many Inca walls and terraces. Every Sunday, at the market, there is a wide selection of hadicrafts, including weavings, pottery and alpaca goods.
PIQUILLACTA AND ANDAHUAYLILLAS - Duration: Full Day
Piquillacta, pre-Inca citadel from the Huari culture, keeps its strange architecture. It is located in the Cusco Valley near the Huacarpay Lake. Andahuaylillas is a town built by Spaniards, famous for its church dating from the 17t h century. Its interior is richly decorated with numerous murals and paintings, it is known as the "Peruvian Sistine Chapel".
TIPON AND KAIRA - Duration: Full Day
In the ancient times, the Incas made research and experiments in Tipon. This tour includes a short visit to the town of Tipon and Kaira, the University of Cusco's Andean Plant Research Center, were technicians are trying to recover the forms of agriculture used by the Incas.
INTI RAYMI FESTIVAL - Duration: Full Day ( June 24th)
This is the most majestic pre-Hispanic ceremony to render homage to the sun. Today, the Inti Raymi festival evokes the splendid Inca ritual of Yore, being carefully scripted by Cusco professors, archaeologists and historians. The central event is acted out on the esplanade below the imposing fortress of Sacsayhuaman, 2-Km.s outside the city of Cusco. There, step-by-step, thousands of actors enact a long ceremony giving thanks to the sun god, Inti. The Inca ruler is borne on a royal litter from the Koricancha, or Temple of the Sun to the Huacaypata, the city's main square, where he commands the local authorities to govern fairly.
For those passengers staying in Yucay or Urubamba, the following excursions are available: |
WALK ACROSS THE AGRICULTURAL TERRACES OF YUCAY - Duration: 1 hour
Visit to a native's house and walk across agricultural terraces from the time of the Incas. The visitor will learn the oldest techniques for organic cultivation, which are still practiced today.
MOUNTAIN BIKING OR HORSEBACK RIDING TO HUAYLLABAMBA - Duration: 1 hour
Bike through a beautiful road along the Urubamba River. Ride through paths and fields of crops and admire the landscape as well as local farming communities. Also included is a visit to interesting artisan workshops.
MOUNTAIN BIKING OR HORSEBACK RIDING TO HUYCHO - Duration: 1 hour
Visit old colonial mansions and Mateo Pumacahua's house. Pumacahua was a mestizo leader. While appreciating paintings and old colonial objects is will be possible to hear fascinating stories and local legends.
EXCURSION TO THE SALT MINES OF MARAS - Duration: 3 hours
The inhabitants of Maras and Pichingoto will explain to us the process of extracting the salt that comes from a natural resource. Also included is a visit to a "chichería" and learn about the different ways of using corn. Then, continue to Pichingoto, where people live in natural caves.
WALK TO MORAY - Duration: 1 hour
Visit the circular terraces of Moray, ancient Inca laboratories used to domesticate the cultivation of plants, which are now in use all over the world.
PERUVIAN PASO HORSES RIDING TOUR
The day starts with a coffee or tea and a briefing about the tour, the horses and riding instructions. Around 9:30 a.m. we start our ride in the beautiful Sacred Valley with its magnificent Andean countryside, and return to the riding stables of Perol Chico around 4:00 p.m. Two routes are available for this special experience.
1. Perol Chico - Pichingote - Rio Grande - Pumahuanca - Perol Chico - Duration: 5 to 6 hours
Enjoy the fascinating ride that only the Peruvian Paso horse can give! We will visit out of the way Quechua communities and meet local people in a natural village setting. Cross the Urubamba River and visit the ancient settlement of Pichingote, a tiny village of 6 families, who claim to be close descendants of the original Inca settlers. The village is nestled against a cliff and the houses of the inhabitants are partly built into the rock face. Picnic-lunch in Pumahuanca, an area protected to preserve its ecologically important fauna and flora.
2. Perol Chico - Pichingote - Salinas - Maras - Moray - Perol Chico - Duration: 6 hours
This is a route for experienced riders who are in good physical condition. We will climb approximately 1000 meters to an altitude of 3.750 m. Cross the Urubamba River and visit Pichingote, an old Andean village. Then head off to the saltpans of Salinas, a fascinating system of platforms used since the Inca times to extract salt from a natural mountain spring. Visually the shining salt-encrusted terraces are extraordinary. Enjoy lunch in Maras, a typical Andean village that boasts a beautiful 400-year colonial church. In the afternoon we arrive at the Inca experimental agricultural terraces of Moray (they believe the ancient terraces allowed the highland Indians to develop highland corn, critical for the development of the Andean civilization). From Moray we return to the riding stables of Perol Chico.
For those passengers staying at the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, the following excursions are available: |
BIRD WATCHING TOUR - Duration: 1 hour
More than 130 birds' species (including 14 hummingbirds) may be observed within the hotel's gardens. Follow the various trails and leisure at our observation and feeding points, and contemplations areas. Assisted by a knowledgeable guide.
The hotel has planted native trees and shrubs whose fruits are the favorites of the birds at Machu Picchu, offering an ideal feeding area for the abundant wildlife. Up to now, 154 bird species has been identified in their natural habitat on the hotel grounds; this is a very unusual ecological niche, well worth visiting. Various trails and observation points allow visitors to enjoy the beauty of birds and their habitats.
Some of the various birds that can be observed are the Andean Cock of the Rocks (Rupicola Peruviana), Hummingbird (Coeligena Torcuata) and Mot Mot (Momotus aequatorialis).
You can also walk for about an hour over a mile-long route from the old "Puente Ruinas" train station (kilometer 112) towards the Mandor Valley (kilometer 115). There the trail ascends to the level of the treetops, which permits the observation of birds coming and going in search of food.
According to visitor's interest this tour can be extended.
ORCHID GARDEN TOUR - Duration: 1 1/2 hours. Daily.
372 native orchid species may be observed in their natural habitat within the hotel's Orchid Garden. A specialized guide shall assist you to identify and learn more about these beautiful flowers and their environment. The best time to enjoy the flowers is from November to April.
On the trail, you will appreciate amongst, heliconias and ferns and other native plants in the hotel gardens. The trail goes through the forest, where hundreds of orchids are found on the trees and rocks. Some of these are the Waqanki (Masdevalia veitchiana), the White Orchid (Lycaste fimbriata), the Wiñay Wayna (Epidendrum secundum) as well as the Kefersteinia koechlinorum, which blooms twice a year from September to November and from March to May.
ECOLOGYCAL WALKS:
To enjoy Ecological Walks, you just need good shoes, be healthy and full of spirit to enjoy Machu Picchu. Climb the ladders up the Putukusi mountain; hike to Mador waterfall or along our mile long gardens and cloud forest. Assisted by bilingual guides.
1. Machu Picchu Mountain - Duration: Approximately 5 hours.
Walk over a rock-paved Inca trail. Since it is seldom used, the surrounding nature is almost intact. You may see birds, lizards, butterflies, begonias, bromelias and orchids in natural display. From this trail, the Wiñay Wayna, Choquesusuy and Intipata remains can be observed from afar. At the summit, are three large fortified watchtowers, overlooking the historic citadel of Machu Picchu, the ice-capped mountains of Salkantayand La Veronica, as well as Putukusi and Wayna Picchu mountains.
2. Wiñay Wayna - Choquesusuy - Aguas Calientes - Duration: Approximately 6 hours.
From Machu Picchu's historic citadel, the last part of the Inca Trail winds, upwards to the Wiñay Wayna remains. Near these ruins a waterfall intensifies the magical and sacred character of this archaeological ritual complex. From there we return to the hotel down a zigzagging trail used by the lodge, descending the mountain, to the Choquesusuy remains. The beautiful walk offers a new experience on the Inca Trail: a visit to sacred places, part of the Inca purification rituals.
3. Choquesusuy Remains - Duration: Approximately 4 hours.
Starting at the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (Km.. 110), we pass alongside tea plantations, vegetable plots, and native woods following the train tracks to Km.. 107. There we cross a hanging bridge at the foot of Choquesusuy. These remains are a very important part of the archaeological complex of Machu Picchu, with five large water fountains in the lower part, and a large altar with circles of stone facing the rising sun. This could be the first step in the purification of the soul previous to the ascent of Wiñay Wayna and further up to Machu Picchu. Visit to the ruins. One hundred meters farther up, is the 60-meter cascade of the Quetzal waterfall.
4. Mandor Cataract - Duration: 3 1/2 hours.
From the hotel go to Puente Ruinas and continue to Mandor, one of the best places for bird watching. As you walk along the old railway you will find yourself high up, walking almost at the level of the canopy of trees, with a magnificent view. Here nature offers you its parrots and may distract you as you spot orchids, bromelias, butterflies and birds. The cloud forest is dense with large trees and giant ferns.
5. Putukusi Mountain - Duration: 3 1/2 hours.
Climb a steep rustic wooden stairway nailed to the rock with an almost vertical ascent amid cloud forest vegetation, an adventure not suitable for those who fear highs. The view of the mountain is magnificent, crowned with a panoramic view of the Machu Picchu remains and at your feet the village of Aguas Calientes and the Mandor Valley.
6. Botanical Walk - Duration: approximately 3 hours.
Walk within the hotel gardens; see the tea plantation, avocado orchard, vegetables, medicinal plants, bananas and orchids, surrounded by the lush cloud forest.
