Our trip runs like this:
Day one: arrive Lima in the evening, private coach to hotel for overnight (welcome drinks).
Day two: we take our private coach to airport and catch an early flight to Cuzco (we include this flight) a Private bus picks us up and takes us to our hotel just off the main square. You can relax, shop, eat, whatever you like, until 2:00pm when we are picked up by our driver and begin our guided tour of Cuzco with a local english speaking guide. We tour churches, ruins, and markets all over and around Cuzco until early evening. When we return to the hotel and meet our Inca Trail guides. We answer any questions and set our departure time. Then we go to dinner (I have a great little place that's kind of hidden away that has local music)
Day three: We leave some of our gear that we don't need on the trail in a secure storage room at the hotel. Our bus picks us up and we head toward the trail. We make a stop in Ollentytambo for snacks and last minute stuff. (I drop off a duffel of donated clothing to a small relief center) We pick up the last of our porters and drive another 45 minutes to the trailhead. Check in, take photos, and start walking. Hot lunch on the trail. 4-5 hours to camp. The porters have our camp set up and hot water to wash up. We have "tea and cookies" at 6:00 and Dinner at 7:00.
Day four: porters wake us up with tea and cookies at about 6:30am. We pack our camp gear in our duffel's that the porters carry and then have a hot breakfast at about 7:30. Start walking. Their are ruins all along the trail and we gather to rest and get an explanation of the ruins. (our guides are state certified with degrees in Inca history) walk until lunch, walk until camp and dinner as day before. We do this for 3 days.
Day five: Trail day, tour ruins, eat, walk.
Day six: We arrive at the Sungate at about noon or 1:00. It is foggy in the morning so trying to get to the gate at sunrise is pointless about 80% of the time. At the Sungate we get our first look at Machu Picchu, still 40 minutes away. Photos, Photos, Photos! When we arrive at Machu Picchu you can get drinks or snacks then we do a two hour guided tour of Machu Picchu (our guide) then take the bus down to Aguas Calientes where you check into our hotel and shower, shave, and dress for our celebration dinner. Dinner lasts a while as there is live traditional Andean music, wine, steaks, trout, etc. Then to bed.
Day seven: FREE DAY, shop at the indian craft market, sightsee. go back up to Machu Picchu, or Climb Huana Picchu. We meet at the train station at 4:30pm and take the train back to Ollentytambo, our private bus picks us up and we head back to Cuzco.
Day eight: We fly to Lima in the morning. A private bus picks us up and we meet our Lima Guide. We tour Lima, cathedral, catacombs, monestary, ocean cliffs, main square, etc. Lunch at an outdoor cafe on the square where the have the best ceviche on earth. After the tour we go to the airport for an evening flight out and home.
This is the schedule we try to keep although some of the details may change a bit, it IS "Adventure Travel"!!
Everything is included except, tips, a few meals ($2-$10) and drinks. We hire only Quechua porters (about 12) and our guides are Quechua as well. You carry a day pack with you rain gear, snacks (provided), a camera, and water. The porters carry everything else. We have 02 and a couple of large firstaid kits.
We have a guide on our staff in Peru who is always with us and we hire 1 guide for Cuzco, 2 guides for the trail, 1 guide for Lima.We don't miss ANYTHING.
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