Trip Style: Cultural – Archeological
Altitude:
Temperature:
Peru does not have one climate. Because Peru is close to the equator, the seasons are hardly affected by changes in the state of the sun. However there can be observed some differences between the months November to April and April to November. Due to the diverse landscape that Peru has, there are several distinct climate zones. The climate depends on the geographical location, altitude and sea currents, so we can divided Peru in three climatic zones:
From Lima: 1h20 min
From Arequipa: 0h45 min
From Puno Juliaca: 0h45 min
From Lima: 21h30
From Arequipa: 10h00
From Puno: 08h00
Cusco is a city in southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. In 1983 the historical capital of the Inca Empire was declared World Heritage Site. Today the city is a jumping-off point for the Inca Trail and famous Inca city Machu Picchu. Cusco got his name in a special way; Legends tells that in the 12th century, the sun god Inti looked down on earth and decided that the people needed organizing, so he created the first Inca, Manco Cápac, and his sister-wife, Mama Ocllo. They came to life on Isla del Sol (Sun Island), way over in Lake Titicaca, with a long walk ahead of them. Inti gave Manco Cápac a golden rod and told him to settle in the spot where he could plunge it into the ground until it disappeared: this would be the navel of the earth, Qosq´o in the Quecha language, Cusco.
The Sacred Valley of the Incas or the Urubamba Valley is a valley in the Andes of Peru, close to the Inca capital of Cusco and the ancient city of Machu Picchu. The valley was formed by the Urubamba River. The star attractions are the lofty Inca citadels Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Pisac is known for its craft market, by far the biggest in the region.You can visit the market daily but the official market days are Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Ollantaytambo is an Inca archeological site and dominated by two massive Inca ruins.
Machu Picchu is a 15th century Inca site located 2.430 meters above sealevel. It is also called ¨Lost city of the Incas¨ and declared by the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. In 2007 Machu Picchu was voted one of the ¨New Seven Wonders of the World¨.
After breakfast your guide will meet you at your hotel and will go with you to the Machu Picchu. Our guide will give you a guided tour of approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, visiting the Inca Terraces, The Agricultural Sector and Urban Sector. Then you will be able to have plenty of time to explore this mysterious city by yourself.
Things to do:
In the afternoon, you will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes in order to catch the train back to Cusco. When you arrive in Ollantaytambo´s or Cusco´s train station we will pick you up and take you to your hotel.