Day 1
Sacred Valley Hiking Tour (Or Optional Bike Ride)
Today, we'll pick you up and begin the journey to the Sacred Valley for the first day of our hiking tour.
Our first stop is the Chinchero weaving market. Here we will meet women who spin, dye and weave wool for a living, a traditional lifestyle that's common among the Quechua women of Peru. From here we will head over to the Moray ruins. These ruins are a sight to behold. These unusual ruins were most likely used for agricultural purposes. The difference between the upper terrace and the lower ones is a whole 15 °C/27 °F. Close by is our next stop, the salt pans of Maras. These small pools of salt are all individually owned by locals of the area. They are passed down for generations and worked by hand. Next we'll head to Ollantaytambo, referred to by many as the "living Incan village." Ollantaytambo, and famous for having preserved the designs of many ancient Incan buildings — in fact, the stones from which the village is built are original Incan stones. Here we will visit the ruins of Ollantaytambo and sleep for the night.
The bike ride is virtually the same without the Chinchero weaving market. The ride starts at Cruz Pata and takes you on a dirt road mixed with single track past the salt mines of Maras. Epic views!
Stats: Hiking time 3-5 hours. Difficulty: Easy-Moderate.
Lodging: Hotel in Ollantaytambo, Tunupa Lodge
Meals Included: Lunch
Not included: B, D, Tourist Ticket (70 soles)
Note: All hotels are based on availability
Day 2
A Raging River, Crystalline Hot Springs, and Hand-Roasted Coffee
Today you'll start early — your tour guide will pick you up in the morning and take you on a beautiful drive up to a 4570 m/15,000 ft mountain pass, then down into the lush cloud forest near Machu Picchu. You'll stop in the small town of Santa Teresa, which is right on the banks of the raging Vilcanota river. After lunch and a dip in the crystalline Cocalmayo hot springs, your guide will take you to an organic coffee farm where the local farmers will welcome you and introduce you to their world of planting, harvesting, and roasting coffee beans. The tour of the farm will include you taking part in the whole process — picking the beans, seeing how the age-old machines peel the coffee, roasting them over an open fire in clay vessels, grinding them, and, finally, tasting the result. Everyone says it's without a doubt the best cup of coffee they've ever had!
Tonight, you'll sleep in simple lodges provided by a local family. They'll cook both dinner and breakfast for you (and provide one last cup of coffee from the farm before you leave!)
Stats: Car drive, hot springs, Ruta del Cafe tour. Difficulty: Easy.
Lodging: Simple homestay lodge
Meals Included: B, L, D
Day 3
Llactapata: Alternative Inca Trail Hiking Tour
Wake to the smell of coffee and breakfast cooked entirely from ingredients grown locally. Today you'll hike with your guide up an ancient Inca trail to the ruin of Llactapata. Archeologists believe Llactapata was an important religious stop and roadside shrine for Incans on the journey to Machu Picchu; from it, you'll have unrivalled views of Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain. Often, we have the ruins to ourselves — just you and the ghosts of the Incas. Once you've explored the ruins, it's just a quick 20 minute walk to a local's lodge where you'll have a delicious home-cooked Peruvian lunch overlooking Machu Picchu.
After lunch, it's a downhill hike to 'el Hidro', the hydroelectric station that supplies electricity to towns all the way to Cusco. Here you'll board a train (we provide the tickets!) that runs beside a river to the town of Aguas Calientes — also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo. Your guide will take you to your hotel and brief you on the next day's Machu Picchu trip before you end the day with a luxurious 3-course meal that we've arranged for you at a top restaurant.
Stats: Hiking time 4-6 hours · Distance 11 km/7 mi · Max 2816 m/9239 ft · Descent 1058 m · Ascent 614 m. Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult.
Lodging: Hotel Machu Picchu Pueblo, Wiracocha Inn
Meals Included: B, L, D
Day 4
Machu Picchu Hiking Tour
You made it! Today you'll experience Peru's historical holy grail — Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas." If you wake up early enough, you'll get to see the sun rise on Machu Picchu, a sight you won't soon forget. Haku will provide a two-hour guided tour of the ruins and, if you would like, we can add on a hike to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain as well.
Most people spend upwards of five hours here. Explore the ruins, take lots of photos, or just enjoy the views. At some point, however, you'll have to make it back down in time for your return train to Cusco or Ollantaytambo, which will sadly be the end of our 4-day Alternative Inca Trail hiking tour. You'll say goodbye to your guide, take one last picture, and head back to either continue your Peru vacation or head home.
Stats: Hike to Machu Picchu, Historical Tour of the Ruins, Hiking at Machu Picchu. Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult.
Meals Included: B, Boxed Lunch
Not Included: Lodging, Dinner, Tips for guide
