Pick up at your hotel at 4:00 AM for a 2-hour bus ride to the train station in Ollantaytambo. Once there, we will board the Expedition or Voyager train and travel for about 1 hour and 45 minutes to Km 104 (start of our hike). (It's worth the effort of getting up early and taking this train, which allows us to enter and start our hike early at Km 104.) After presenting our passports at the checkpoint, we begin a gentle walk just a few meters from the Vilcanota River. At the start of the trail, we will see the ruins of Chachabamba, a stone altar in situ that was used to worship the sun and the mountains, still revered by the locals. After visiting Chachabamba, we continue southward on the trail and begin a gradual ascent up the mountain, before entering a cloud forest with abundant vegetation. The trail then leaves the forest and heads west, while we continue uphill through an open meadow. After walking for 3 hours, the trail descends into a stunning forest. Here we will find a beautiful waterfall, and then we will reach the lower part of the Wiñaywayna ruins. We will appreciate the beauty of this place, complemented by the information from our expert guide. After having our box lunch at Wiñaywayna, we will continue in the afternoon through the cloud forest, full of bromeliads, orchids, and ferns. As we walk through this last part of the trail, we will pass many impressive features such as stone steps and tambos ("resting places"). You will climb 60 steps before reaching Inti Punku ("the Sun Gate"). From this point, you will be able to admire and observe this marvelous place. We will then descend for 45 minutes to reach the famous viewpoint area, from where you can watch the sunset. We will descend to the entrance of Machupicchu, where we will board the bus to Aguas Calientes. Overnight at our selected hotel.
Breakfast at 6:00 AM, then we will board the bus to Machupicchu, the park. We will have a guided tour of Machupicchu, this enigmatic and mysterious city will be explored for approximately 2 hours with explanations from our expert guide. You will visit the most impressive places, including the Temple of the Three Windows, the main temple, the Sacred Plaza, the famous Intihuatana where the Inca sages tied the sun during the winter solstice in June, stairways, plazas, fountains, and more. After finishing our insightful tour, we will take the bus down to the assigned restaurant and then board our train back to Cusco. The train departs from Aguas Calientes in the afternoon. Afterward, transportation will take us to our selected hotel in Cusco.
