5-Day Machu Picchu Express

So you want to see the best of Cusco and the Sacred Valley but you don´t want to do it with crowds of people? This is how to do it. We swapped the order around, so that you visit places when they are at their quietest.

First you stop amongst the huge megalithic walls of Sacsayhuaman, fifteen minutes above Cusco. Wander among the old stones of this Inca complex and listen to stories of the rebel Incas and Spanish who fought here in 1536. Tread the bloody battlefield where a few desperate Spanish horsemen broke the siege they were under and took on the masses of the Inca army.

Next you drive half an hour through the hills to the small market town of Pisac. Barter with local artisans for handicrafts, munch on an empanada fresh from the town oven and snap away as the local mayors emerge from the church, dressed in their finest traditional clothing, serenaded by assistants blowing conch shells.

Take a break for lunch and try a local Peruvian delicacy. Then hop in the vehicle and drive twenty minutes to Pisac ruins. The views are stunning.  Ask your guide everything you ever wanted to know about Peru and the Incas. Such as why they decided to build so high up this hill. He will be delighted to answer.

Once you have filled your camera with photos, your brain with information and your lungs with fresh mountain air drive back down to the valley and check into your hotel for the night.

Night in Sacred Valley

Included: breakfast, lunch, snacks, water, entrance fees, hotel

Drive high above the Sacred Valley through patchwork farmlands to the gleaming white Maras salt-pans. Watch the locals extract salt by hand as they have done since the times of the Incas. Compose the perfect photo or just sit back and take in the beauty of the place. You can even buy some  pink salt to sprinkle on your food back home.

Fifteen minutes more and you arrive at the strange circular ruins of Moray. Look around and decide what you think it was. Was it a landing pad for alien spaceships or was it an experimental Inca agriculture centre?

You then take a secret shortcut to the old Inca town of Ollantaytambo where you enjoy a special Pachamanca lunch on an organic farm. A Pachamanca is a traditional way of preparing food in the Andes. In the absence of a stove an oven is built out of stones, the stones are heated with a wood fire and once brought to a very high temperature. The meat and vegetables are then carefully covered with the rocks. Herbs are then added and the whole mound is covered by wet sheets and finally a mound of earth.

While the meal is cooking, you will be shown around this farm, working to sustainable methods to provide food for the Cafe Mayu restaurant. After 45 minutes the meal is ready and we have the pleasure of digging our delicious potatoes, yams, corn, fava beans, lamb, pork, alpaca, and chicken straight from the earth.

You can enjoy your meal under a thatch roof in the middle of the farm with views of the Inca temple of Ollantaytambo, mount Pinkulluna and the Veronica glacier. Food is served family style accompanied by chicha, fresh salads and a variety of sauces, including our tasty uchucutas. Beer and wine are available upon request, and we offer our signature Matacuy as a complimentary digestif after the meal. This is made in the on site distillery, where you can also taste Caña Alta, a sugar cane spirit being distilled here in an attempt to revive lost traditions.

Finally you board a train for the ninety minute ride, along the river to the town of Machu Picchu where you will sleep for the night.

Night in Machu Picchu town

Included: breakfast, lunch, snacks, water, entrance fees, hotel

For many of you, Machu Picchu is the very reason you come to Peru. So we thought hard how to make it extra special.

Board a morning bus  for the twenty minutes ride to the entrance to Machu Picchu. It is a pretty busy place in the morning so you can avoid the crowds by taking a gentle stroll to the Sun Gate. Here you can enjoy a wonderful overview of the world famous site and take those all important photos.

Sit down to a nice lunch at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge hotel where you can sample a selection of classic Peruvian dishes, then, once the crowds have calmed down a bit, take the time to enjoy a full tour of the ruins with your guide. The afternoon is in our opinion the very best time to enjoy Machu Picchu.

Finally, you ride the bus down the mountain, take the train back along the river and transfer to your hotel. If you still have energy, you can enjoy a  refreshing Pisco Sour in one of the many Cusco bars.

Night in Cusco

Included: breakfast, lunch, snacks, water, entrance fees, hotel

Back once more in the old Inca capital you have time to enjoy all that this city has to offer. Museums, chocolate making classes, souvenir hunting or even just sitting in one of the many cafes and watching the world go by. The new late flights out of Cusco allow you to really maximise your time and get the most out of this holiday of a lifetime.

For those with more time we can offer you extensions to the Amazon rainforest, Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon and Arequipa or even to the little visited northern Peru.

In order to fully enjoy your trip it is very important that you choose the right trip for you and fully understand what it involves.

There are risks inherent in travelling in Peru, as indeed there are in most of the activities that we provide. Many of the activities we offer also involve a significant level of effort on your part.  After all, it is called Adventure Travel for a reason.

It is really important that you read both the trip notes above and the Risk and Safety Section on our website, to enable you to choose the best trip for you. Once you have read them both, please make sure you ask if there is anything you do not understand. We classify this trip as:

• Cultural… This trip does not involve any particularly physical level of activity, but just being in Peru can have its own challenges. Your trip may involve being at altitude which can take some people a bit of time to get used to. Much of it will take place outdoors where you can be exposed to weather conditions. Many of the places you visit have uneven ground and sets of steps. Most of Peru is very well set up for tourists, over one million people successfully visit Machu Picchu each year, but it is important to understand that it is not quite like being at home.