Tour the Inca trail to Machu Picchu

Andean Route

Name of the Tour: Andean Route

Description: This trip includes 3 of the most interesting destinations in Peru: Machu Picchu, lake Titicaca and the Colca canyon in Arequipa. You will have the chance to hike a new trail to Machu Picchu and do rafting in the Urubamba river (optional). Also, you will home-stay in one of the islands in lake Titicaca and enjoy the lovely cities of Cusco and Arequipa. This tour is full of history, fun and adventure.

Destinations: Cusco, Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, lake Titicaca, Arequipa and the Colca Canyon.

Duration: 17 days

Comments:

	Amy Wong (USA, CA): "I had the most amazing, incredible, exciting, fun, enjoyable vacation in Peru. I truly believe Indiana Expedition is the reason. I thought your tour was well organized."
	Sinead Connolly (Ireland): "I highly recommend Indiana Expedition, they made our holiday to Peru one we will treasure forever."
	Ryan Goebel (USA): "This trip was the greatest experience of my life. I absolutely loved it. Your company was great, and I will recommend it to anyone I know that may be considering a trip to Peru in the future."

Day	Activities	Accommodation
01	Arrival to Lima: We will pick you up from the airport upon arrival and take you to the hotel in Lima.	Lima
02	Flight to Cusco: In the morning we will take you to the airport in Lima for your flight to Cusco (1 hour). Once in Cusco we will take you to the hotel there. You will have time to rest and drink a "coca tea" to get used to the altitude. Cusco City Tour: 1st day After settle in the hotel, you will visit the high points of Cusco City as the Cathedral (great example of the colonial architecture of the 17th century) and the Qoricancha (main Inca temple in the city of Cusco). Also available is the visit to the Inca museum if time and energy allows.	Cusco
03	City Tour Cusco: 2nd day You will visit the Inca remains in Cusco. The tour will start in Sacsayhuaman, in this site are massive walls made of huge stones that fit perfectly, a impressive example of their architecture. From there you will ride on a horse for 3 hours to visit 2 other archaeological sites: Qenqo (a temple where the Incas mummified their dead) and Tambomachay (a temple where the Inca king went to take ceremonial baths to purify himself and the whole empire).	Cusco
04	Excursion to the Incas Sacred Valley We will take you to Pisac, the first town in the Urubamba Valley. There you will do a short hike (without backpacks) of 3 hours to visit the Inca temple on the top of a mountain and the Inca cemetery on a cliff. Then, we will take you back to Pisac to lunch and some shopping in its famous handicraft market. Afterwards, we will take you to Ollantaytambo town, after a nice ride along the valley. In Ollantaytambo you will visit a huge Inca temple. Finally, you will return to Cusco city in the evening.	Cusco
05	Inca Trail: 1st day. From Piscacucho (a.k.a. "Km 82") to Wayllabamba (Distance: 9 Kms / 5.6 miles). A bus will pick you up from the hotel to take you to the beginning of the Inca Trail (2,720 mts / 9,000 ft); from there you will hike for 2 hours before lunch, and then 2 hours more to reach the campsite. You will see Llactapata ruins and camp at Wayllabamba (2,950 mts / 9,800 ft) with an amazing view of Veronica snow-capped mountain.	Campsite
06	Inca Trail: 2nd day. From Wayllabamba to Pacaymayo (Distance: 12 Kms / 7.5 miles). This is the toughest day of the trek. After 4 hours hiking, you will reach the Warmiwanuska pass, the highest point of the trail (4,200 meters / 14,000 ft). After rest at the pass, you will descend to the Pacaymayo campsite (3,600 mts / 11,900 ft); there you will lunch and rest.	Campsite
07	Inca Trail: 3rd day. From Pacaymayo to Winay Wayna (Distance: 16 Kms / 10 miles). This day is the nicest one, the hike starts with a climb to the Runkurakay pass (3,990 meters / 12,960 ft), from there the view of the mountains and the cloud-forest is quite impressive. After the pass, the path is mostly downhill and the sceneries change dramatically. Along the path it are 3 main Inca sites: Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca and Winay Wayna. You will camp in Winay Wayna campsite at 2,700 meters (8,900 ft).	Campsite
08	Inca Trail: 4th day. From Winay Wayna to Machu Picchu (Distance: 5 Kms / 3.2 miles). You will wake up early in the morning (4:30 AM) to reach Inti Punku (Sun's Gate) before 6:30 AM to watch the first sun beams over Machu Picchu (2,400 mts / 7,900 ft). Once in there you will have a guided-tour for 2 hours; afterwards, you will have free time to explore by yourself. In the afternoon, you will take the train back to Cusco (4 PM).	Cusco
09	Free day in Cusco: You will have the day free to do some shopping and to tour the city by yourself. OPTIONAL: Rafting in the Urubamba river In the morning (9 AM), we will take you to the Urubamba river to raft for 2 hours and an half. The level of it is very good, adventurous but safe (class 2 and 3). After a picnic lunch, you will return to Cusco at 4:30 PM.	Cusco
10	Journey to Puno At 8 AM you will take the bus to Puno. Along the road you will see wonderful landscapes as snow-capped mountains and valleys. You will arrive to Puno at 2 PM.	Puno
11	Excursion to lake Titicaca: 1st day In the morning, you will take a boat to visit the Uros and Amantani islands. The first stop is Uros islands, known as the "floating islands" because they are made with "totora" reed by its inhabitants. Then, you will continue to Amantani island, there you will be welcome by the community and you will stay with a local family in their house. After lunch, you will walk to the top of a hill in the island to watch the sunset on the lake. In the evening, you will be the guest of a party with the local people.	Amantani
12	Excursion to lake Titicaca: 2nd day After breakfast, you will continue your journey to Taquile Island by boat. After one hour, you will reach this island home of an ancient community. There, the people still wear typical costumes. If you want you can swim in the lake. You will be back in Puno in the afternoon (4:30 PM).	Puno
13	Tours in Puno You will visit two archaeological sites: Sillustani and Chucuito. The first one is a sacred cemetery of the Incas with tombs as big as towers, done with huge rocks. The second one is an Inca temple for fertility with phallus-shaped stones, it's very funny. Journey to Arequipa In the afternoon (2 PM), you will take the bus to Arequipa. You will arrive there at 8 PM.	Arequipa
14	Arequipa City Tour In the morning, you will tour the highlights of the city of Arequipa as the Cathedral and the Santa Catalina Convent. Most of these buildings were built with the "sillar" rock (a white volcanic rock). Journey to the Colca valley After lunch, a 6 hours bus ride will take you to Cabanaconde town. There you will stay for a night in a nice hotel.	Cabanaconde
15	Colca Canyon Trek: 1st day You will hike down 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) from Cabanaconde town to the bottom of one of the deepest canyons in the world. At the bottom you will stay in a lodge with bamboo huts and a nice swimming pool filled with spring water.	Oasis Campsite
16	Colca Canyon Trek: 2nd day Early in the morning, you will hike for 3 hours from the bottom to the top of canyon. Once in Cabanaconde town, you will have the chance to eat a second breakfast and wash yourself in the hotel before take the bus to Arequipa. You will get in Arequipa city at 7 PM.	Arequipa
17	Flight to Lima We will take you to the airport for your flight to Lima.

OPTIONS: If you don't want to hike the Inca trail, we will include a tour to Machu Picchu by train instead, and the trip will be 3 days shorter. Ask for the price.

INCLUDES:

	Accommodation for 11 nights at nice hotels in Lima (1 night), Cusco (5 nights), Puno (2 nights), Arequipa (2 nights) and Cabanaconde (1 night). More information on the hotels included
	Home-stay for 01 night in Amantani Island (lake Titicaca).
	Campsites along the Inca Trail (3 nights) and the excursion in the Colca Canyon (1 night).
	Camping equipment (except sleeping bags and backpacks).
	Mules to carry your backpacks on the Colca canyon.
	Three meals per day during the Inca Trail (3 days), the home-stay in Amantani island (1 day) and the excursion to the Colca Canyon (1 day).
	Breakfasts at hotels.
	All transfers to airports and hotels listed in the itinerary.
	All transports to visit the places included in the tour.
	Entrance fees to the places included in the itinerary.
	A Peruvian Tour leader (English speaker) who will accompany you the whole trip.

PRICE:

Number of people in the group	Price per person US dollars
3 people	1,790
4 people	1,620
5 people	1,530
6-7 people	1,460
8 or more	1,390

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EXTRAS: not included

	Single Supplement (single rooms): 150 US dollars.
	Flight LIMA-CUSCO: 150 US dollars.
	Flight AREQUIPA-LIMA: 150 US dollars (airport's tax is not included).
	Rafting in the Urubamba river: 45 US dollars (it includes the complete equipment and box lunch).
	Personal porter to carry your backpack on the Inca trail: 100 US dollars.
	Extra night in Lima: Single room US$55 / Double room US$60 (breakfast included).

PAYMENT:
To confirm your booking you have to pre-pay 300 US dollars per person. The rest can be paid upon arrival. For payments with Credit Cards (Visa, Mastercard or American Express) we use a secure online platform. All payments using a credit card are subject to a 6% fee. If you prefer you can also wire the money through your bank or via Western Union.

Please, read our "Terms and Conditions" that apply to all our tours.

DATES: You can book this trip for anytime (except in February), just tell us when is the best time for you to start this tour.