We will depart from the city of the Cusco aboard a tourist bus, headed towards the starting point of our trek. At the highest point of our journey, on the Cerro Sicllajasa mountain pass, we will will be able to see Cusco City, as well as the mountains and snow-capped peaks that surround the Sacred Valley. The backdrop to our hike up the side of the mountain will be the gorgeous mountain landscape, peppered with ichu grasslands (wild weed that grows in the puna ecoregion).

Along the way, we will find the Qoricocha lake, whose name is the combination of two Quechua words: Qori (“gold”) and Cocha (“lake”). The locals will greet us with flowers and music. Later, we will have lunch and enjjoy a brief cultural exchange before having dinner and spending the night at the community-managed Qoricocha Lodge. The cultural exchange consists of demonstrations of the daily activities of the community, such as textile weaving, and the raising and grazing of camelids and ovine cattle.

In the evening, we will have a bonfire dinner with the community in front of the Qoricocha Lake, amid music, singing, and storytelling.

After breakfast, we will resume our hike to the archeological site of Huchuy Qosqo. Upon our arrival, we will enjoy a picnic lunch with members of the Qencco community, who will accompany us to this point. We will say our goodbyes before the start of our guided tour of Huchuy Qosqo and its double-jamb doors, three-story houses, and mixed constructions built with stones and mud. From the archeological site we will have a spectacular view of the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the Urubamba mountain range. Afterwards, we will begin our 2-hour descent to the town of Lamay, where a tourist bus will be waiting for us to take us to the Inca town of Ollantaytambo. Here, we will have dinner and spend the night.

We will have breakfast before heading to the Ollantaytambo train station, from where we will ride the train to the entry control point at Km 104. This is the starting point of our hike. Our first stop will be the Chachabamba archeological complex (2,250 meters above sea level). From here, our guide will us to the Wiñay Wayna agricultural research center, appreciating the beautiful landscapes of the Urubamba river and the different native orchid species we find along the way.

After soaking in the magnificent landscapes of the Inca Trail, we will take a small lunch break before continuing our journey to the Llaqta of Machu Picchu. Here, we will get to see a breathtaking sunset over Inti Punku (Sun Gate). Following this unforgettable experience, we will descend to the control point of the Llaqta of Machu Picchu before taking the bus to the town of Aguas Calientes, where we will spend the night.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will take a 30-minute bus ride to the Llaqta of Machu Picchu, where we will enjoy a guided tour and have some free time to explore and snap pictures. Then, we will return to the town of Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes), from where we will head to the train station and ride the train back to Cusco.