18 days in Peru: Santa Cruz Trek, Colca Canyon, Machu Picchu

Private pick-up at the Lima Airport. Transfer to the hotel in Lima for a nice meal & a good night’s sleep. Overnight Hotel.

Private transfer in the morning to the bus station. Take a comfortable first-class ride to Huaraz (approximately 8-hour journey). Move into your hotel and relax. Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)

This is a very good hike to acclimatize. From Huaraz, we will go by car to the village of Pitec. On the way, we will pass several picturesque villages, such as Unchus, Llupa, and Pitec. At 3850 m. we will start our easy hike up to Lake Churup with its blue colors sitting at an altitude of 4450 m. We will spend 40 min there to enjoy and then we will come back to Huaraz in the same way. 4 – 5 hours Approx. Overnight Hotel (B/L/-).

Departure from Huaraz on a private vehicle to Cashapampa and then we started to walk by the Santa Cruz valley until the Llamacorral camp. 3760 m. 4 to 5 hrs approx. Overnight camp (-/L/D)

A quiet walk through the valley of Santa Cruz, where we will see two lagoons: Chinan Cocha (female lagoon) and Orcon Cocha (male lagoon). Then we will continue to Taullipampa at an altitude of 4200 m. 6 to 7 hrs approx. Overnight Camp (B/L/D).

We will go up a Zig zag path to the viewpoint, where we will catch sight of the Nevado Taulliraju, Quitaraju, etc and then descend to camp at 3700m Huari pampa. 7hrs approx Overnight Camp (B/L/D).

After a good night’s sleep and a delicious breakfast, you will start to walk down to Huaripampa Valley and the village of Vaqueria, where you can experience a more traditional Peruvian way of life. After a brief rest, you will collect your luggage and head by car to Portachuelo, the second mountain pass. You can stop to take more photos of the amazing landscape and continue until to Huaraz. Walking time: 3 hours approx. Overnight Camp (B/L/-).

Transfer to the bus station and depart for Lima at 11:00 am, arriving at Lima at 7:00 pm. And transfer to the Hotel Overnight Hotel (B/-/-)

Private transfer to the Airport. In the morning – Flight to Arequipa (Approx. 1 hour journey) / Move into your hotel and relax. Explore Arequipa city in the Afternoon. Overnight Hotel (B/L/-)

We will pick you up from the Arequipa hotel at 4:00 a.m. to follow the Yura route directly to Pampa Cañahuas. We’ll see the National Reserve of Salinas, Vizcachani, and Chucura at 4,800 meters above sea level, passing by the volcanic crater and arriving at the town of Chivay, 43 km away.
At almost 1:00 pm., we’ll see Cruz del Condor, where we will enjoy our box lunch. Then we’ll return along the same route, visiting the lookout point of Antahuilque, Maca, and Yanque. We will arrive in Chivay and return to the city of Arequipa, arriving at the hotel around 5:00 p.m. Overnight Hotel (B/L/-)

Private transfer in the morning to the bus station. We will take a comfortable first-class ride to Puno (approximately 8 hours journey). Move into the hotel and relax. Overnight Hotel (B/L/-)

At 6:30 am pick-up from the hotel in Puno, transfer to the port. Then by motorboat (35 feet long with a covered section in case of rain or cold weather, 25 individual seats) we will visit the Uros floating Islands. Stepping on them feels very much like a water bed (but it is quite safe). We will see the houses, the islands and meet its inhabitants. Uros people are descendants of one of the oldest South American groups. Rides on traditional reed boats can be arranged. In the mornings these islands can be crowded. We will visit two of the 60 islands before continuing on to Taquile. After a relaxed navigation of an extra 2 1/2 hours which will give us spectacular views of Lake Titicaca, we will arrive at Taquile. There, a unique community can be observed. A long path gradually ascending will take us to the village (45 min. hike approx) to visit the communal cooperative where you will find handy craft textiles. Lunch at one of the many local restaurants. The views are magnificent. Then we descend 500 steps down to the main port of the island. At 2:30 pm approx., we will depart back to Puno City (3-hour return journey). At 5.30 pm Arrival to Puno then transfer to your hotel in Puno. Duration: 10 hours approx. Distance: 75 kilometers round trip (takes 3 hours, 10 min. OW to Taquile, By Classic Motor Boat = 11 km/hour) Overnight Hotel (B/L/-)

Private transfer in the morning to the bus station. Take a comfortable first-class ride to Cusco (approximately 7 hours journey). Move into your hotel and relax. Overnight Hotel (B/L/-)

Early in the morning, we will pick you up at your hotel and head to the train station in Ollantaytambo to the km. 104. The trip is approximately 1 hour long. At Km 104 (2,200 m / 7,217 ft), we will begin our hike, pass the bridge that is on the Urubamba river or Willkamayuc which translated from Quechua means sacred river.

Upon reaching the checkpoint, we must show identification documents. After a  15 minute walk, we will find the archaeological center and Choquesuysuy Chachabamba that are hidden in the semi-tropical forest. We will observe the sacred valley , waterfalls and different types of orchids. After 4 hours of walking, we will reach Wiñaywayna (2,650 m / 8,694 ft) and see what farming was like at the times of the Incas. The name Wiñaywayna comes from a beautiful orchid that abounds in the area. The area has more than 20 sites, among them is the Templo del Arco Iris (Rainbow Temple), also called Templo de la Fertilidad. The visit will be 1 hour on average then you will enjoy the box lunch to refuel and continue until reaching Wiñaywayna control.

On the second part of the journey, we will walk through an Andean plain, stone staircases and resting spots before arriving at the Inti Punku – Puerta del Sol (2,720 m / 8,923 ft). From this spot, you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of Machu Picchu and the valley that surrounds it, then descend for about 30 minutes to Machu Picchu (2,490 m / 8,169 ft) and finally take the bus to Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu People (2,160 m / 7,086 ft). The trip takes 25 minutes. We will spend the night in a hostel. If you are not too tired, you can visit the thermal baths, just 5 minutes away from the village. For those who like to dance and have a few drinks in a bar,  Aguas Calientes has a variety of bars and restaurants including an ATM, in case you wish to withdraw money from the bank.
Night Hostel in the towns of Aguas Calientes. Overnight Camp (B/L/D)

We will wake up very early and after breakfast, we will board the first bus at 5:30 a.m. We will travel 30 minutes and reach Machu Picchu at 6:00 am to appreciate the majestic sunrise. We will enjoy a guided tour of 2 hours and 30 minutes to discover the most important places of Machu Picchu including the Royal Mausoleum, the Temple of the 3 windows, the main temple, the sacred Plaza, the famous Intihuatana, steps, squares, fountains, etc.

After the tour, you have some free time to visit Machu Picchu on your own.
Finally, we will descend to the Aguas Calientes village to board the train back to Cusco, where we will arrive at 8:00 PM. Overnight Camp (B/L/D)

We will start from Cusco at 2:00 am and head south (Urcos) to Pitumarca (2:00 hours). Following the route, we will pass many communities until arriving at Hanchipata-Quesuno the ideal place to begin the hike. On route, we will appreciate mountains like Ausangate, Puca Puncho, lagoons, and camelids. The hike lasts approximately 3 hours until we reach Vinicunca (rainbow mountain). The return is easier than the ascent and we will arrive at Cusco at 3.00 pm. Overnight Bus (B/L/-

Private transfer to the Airport. – Flight to Lima (Approx. 1-hour journey) / Move into your hotel and relax. Overnight Hotel (B/L/-)