Machu Picchu Express 3 days

Day 1: Airport – Hotel Cusco (Schedule your flight to arrive in Cusco no longer than 10 am) – Cusco City Tour (Cathedral, Qoricancha, Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay) – 05 hrs tour

According to the schedule of your flight, our team will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel in Cusco, where you will be greeted with a cup of the famous coca tea.

The city of Cusco is at an altitude of 3,399 meters above sea level

In this afternoon, you will get to visit the most exciting spots of Cusco and the surrounding area.

Starting with the Cathedral at Plaza de Armas, Imperial City main church, built on the palace of the Inca Wiracocha. The Cathedral has more than 300 paintings from the Cusco art school.

Then we will visit the Qoricancha, or “Temple of gold” in the Quechua language. It was the first temple built by the Incas, formerly covered with large amounts of gold and silver.

We will leave the city of Cusco and arrive at the Saqsayhuaman complex, famous for its huge lithic blocks of more than 150 tons. In the Inca era the temple was considered to lightning the god Illapa.

Next, we will visit the temple of Q’enqo , a place dedicated to the Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) where you can appreciate carved stone constructions.

Then we will arrive at the impressive Inca fort Puka Pukara, or “Red Fortress” in the Quechua language. Finally, we will arrive at Tambomachay, where is located the sacred temple dedicated to the cult of water and purification baths of the Inca rulers.

At the end of the afternoon we will return to Cusco, where we will leave you at your hotel or if you prefer in the Plaza de Armas.

IMPORTANT TIPS

First of all, when arriving in our city, you should take into account the higher altitude. Take coca tea, as it will help you with acclimatization, give you more energy and oxygenate your body.

It is important to drink plenty of water since the body is still acclimatizing.

The first days it is advisable to eat light meals.

Overnight: Hotel in Cusco
Check in: 12:00pm Check out: 9:00am
Meals included: none
NOTE: If your arrival time is before check-in time, you will be able to use the hotel’s common areas while you wait.

Day 2: Machu Picchu – Cusco 02:30h Tour

This day, in the morning at the agreed time, we will pick you up from your hotel to go to the Ollantaytambo train station (a journey of almost 02 hours), once there, we will board the train in order to go to Aguas Caliente. After, we will arrive to the Aguas Calientes train station, where our tour guide will be waiting for you with a sign with your name to head to the bus station for the 30 minute journey up to Machu Picchu. We will zigzag up 400m of road to arrive at the “Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu” also known as “The lost city of The Incas”. On arrival at the citadel with your guide, we will queue at the entrance to Machu Picchu and we will begin our tour of this mind-blowing, archaeological site. For two and a half hours, we will visit the principal sites inside the site such as the Plaza Mayor, The temple of the Sun, The Sacred Sun dial (Intiwatana) the royal quarters, The Temple of the Three Windows, The Temple of the Condor, as well as other important sites inside the citadel of Machu Picchu. After the guided tour, you will be allowed time to take photos, before we return to the town of Aguas Calientes. You will be able to have lunch in one of the many restaurants (lunch is not included), after which we will board the train on our return journey to Ollantaytambo (Depending on the departure time of the train) and we will return along the same road as we arrived, to get to the city of Cusco. In Ollantaytambo, the train representative will head you to the bus station in order to take you on the final leg of the journey back to Cusco.

TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION

Since January 1, 2019, the rules regarding the entrance to the Machu Picchu Sanctuary changed.

Now the time limit for the visit is 04 hours with entry shifts every hour. Our guided tour starts 8:00 am, as the overnight will be in Aguas Calientes.

The visit to the citadel of Machu Picchu is a one-way path; once through a part of the way, there’s no return to that point. Also, there’s no re-entry, once we leave, we can’t re-enter. Re-entering is only possible if your ticket includes the Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu moutains.

In that case, you can only have a 1:30h guided tour, approximately, since it takes more time to climb the mountain.

Important Tips

We suggest you to leave your bags in the luggage storage of your hotel in Aguas Calientes, taking with you only the entrance ticket, documentation, money, a hat, repellent and sunscreen. On the return, you may get back your bags on the way to Cusco.

If the schedule allows, we recommend visiting the Chavez Ballon Museum, wich is the site museum of Machu Picchu. Admission from 12:00h is free, just present your valid passport.

In both low and high seasons, it will be necessary to line up to board the bus and the train towards and back from our destination. Our crew will help in order to save your time.

TIPS THAT CAN MAKE YOUR TRIP EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE

Request an exclusive guide
Resquest lunch at the amazing Sanctuary Lodge. Just ask to one of our consultants to make the purchase (USD 45,00 per person)
Overnight: Hotel in Cusco
Meals: none
Visit to Machu Picchu via circuit 1 or 2: includes the complete guided tour and the walk to the classic photo.
Overnight: Hotel in Cusco
Meals included: breakfast

Day 3: Hotel – Cusco Airport (Buy return flights at the time of your choice)

According to the schedule of your flight, we will make the transfer from your hotel to the Cusco airport.

END OF OUR SERVICES

NOTE: if your departure time is after check-out time, you will be able to use the hotel’s common areas while you wait.