Inca Jungle Trail 3Days / 2Nights

DAY 1: CUSCO – SANTA TERESA (BIKING OPTIONAL)

The tour will begin with a pick-up from your hotel at 7:30 am. We will make our way through the beautiful rolling hills on our way to the small village, Chinchero, which has a nice perch overlooking the Sacred Valley at about 2700 masl. After descending into the valley and making our way to Ollantaytambo, we will make a brief stop and then begin a 46 km ascent to Abra Malaga (4350 masl). That is where we will start our downhill adventure on our bicycles. If the weather is not suitable though (due to rain or snow), we will continue along for another 30 minutes to the next stop, Carrizales. We will rest here for a bit and have some lunch, before beginning our descent in the hot valleys of the high jungle. It will be a scenic 4 hour descent, as we pass through >small, rustic villages, past some fruit groves, and over ravines and streams. During the ride, we’ll also make 2 stops at the archaeological sites of Inkatambo (Lodging Place in Quechua), which was the Inka fortress that guarded the route from the jungles to the highlands (a route which has now been paved) and also Huamanmarka (Land of Falcons), an extensive set of archeological sites that includes a main plaza, a sacred temple, an urban sector, administrative areas, river side agricultural terraces and a religious & ceremonial center (Ushnu). Each of the guided tours will last for about 30 minutes. After which, we’ll eventually come to the small village, Santa Maria, at about 5 pm where will catch a local bus to Santa Teresa (an hour long ride). That is where we will have some dinner and spend the night in a hostel with basic service.

DAY 2: TREKKING

After a 6:00 am wake-up, we’ll have a typical breakfast and continue on our trek. Today, we will be walking in the direction of the Hydroelectric Power Plant for about 2.5 hours. During this portion of the trek, we will be regaled with numerous stunning waterfalls. For those who choose to, there is the option of having a refreshing swim in one of them as well. Once we reach the Hydro-Electric Plant, well visit a small archaeological site nearby that has an Intiwatana (Sundial). After the short tour of the site, we will have a break and some lunch in view of the dam before continuing on to the final destination of the day.Aguas Calientes, where will arrive to at approx. 5:30 pm. We will immediately transfer to the hotel to rest and drop off our things. You will be free to visit the artisan & handicraft market on your own until 7:00 pm, when we’ll have our final dinner along with our guide so that we can receive a briefing of the next day’s events at Machu Picchu. We will try to get to sleep early in preparation.

DAY 3: MACHU PICHU

Well wake up at 4:00 am and begin trekking up the mountain at about 4:20 am so that we can be one of the first groups to arrive at the Citadel. The guided tour will start at 6:30 am and will last for two hours, after which you will have multiple free hours to explore the entirety of the immense and mystical Machu Picchu on your own. This will also be your opportunity to ascend Huayna Pichu as well, but make sure that you begin immediately after the tour because they will only allow in 400 persons per day. We will take an evening train back to Cusco or Ollantaytambo.