You will be collected from your hotel in Cusco at around 7am and privately transported towards Cachora. Following a 2 hour drive you will reach Tarawasi where you will be guided around an Inca Usno. Usno’s were important places of worship for the Inca who used them to praise Pachamama (Mother Earth). Leaving Tarawasi the road continues, meandering alongside the Apurimac River before crossing it to reach Saywite. Here the group stops again for a couple of hours in order to admire the famous granite monolith that is thought to be a representation of the Inca Empire with beautiful carvings of animals, deities and what could yet be undiscovered places. Leaving Saywite you will continue to Cachora where the group stops for lunch. It is here that the hike starts, and after lunch you set off in earnest up a pass called Abra Capuliyoc. From the top of this pass one can enjoy superb views over the surrounding valley and the Apurimac River. Upon your decent you will reach Chiquisca where you stop and make camp for the night. Enjoy an evening around the camp fire in this amazing place. (L, D)

After a delicious camp breakfast you will head out and hit the trail once more going down to Rosalina beach. The trip there takes about an hour and is very scenic, you’ll have a little time to look around on Rosalina before the group crosses the Apurimac River and starts climbing towards Santa Rosa. It’s a steep climb and takes roughly two hours. The group stops halfway to take a break and enjoy a little traditional snack before continuing on towards Marampata where you will stop for lunch. Following lunch it’s a 2 hour walk to the Choquequirao archaeological complex. You will arrive at the site in the mid afternoon. You’ll be guided around and after setting up camp by the ruins you can explore the terraces and Inca buildings at your leisure. In the evening you may want to relax and admire the site of the sun setting over the ancient ruins – it is a site not easily forgotten. (B,L,D)

After admiring the site of the sun rising over the complex and enjoying breakfast you will complete your guided tour around Choquequirao. Your guide will introduce you to the upper level (Hanan) and the lower levels (Urin). Much of this amazing site is hidden beneath a jungle of foliage, a lot of which is however being cut back in order to give it the look that it had in the days of the Inca. Following the tour the group returns to camp and after packing up you will set off once more. After a couple of hours on the trail you reach Pnchaunuyoc, another Inca complex with numerous constructions and terraces for agriculture. Here you eat lunch amongst the ruins before starting your descent towards the Rio Blanco. As it’s a steep descent the path zigzags its way down. It takes a couple of hours to reach the river and once you arrive you’ll be able to cool yourself off with a nice swim before setting up camp next to the river. Make sure you bring some insect repellant as the mosquitoes can be rather bothersome in the evening. (Meals – B, L, D)

After a very early rise and a quick breakfast you depart camp at about 6am in order to make it to Maizal by lunch. The walk is impressive with an array of flora and fauna to be seen en route. Upon arrival in Maizal you’ll be able to enjoy a box lunch. The lunchspot hosts excellent vantage points over the Apurimac River below and the surrounding Andes. Following lunch you will be guided round two recently discovered sites close to Maizal. The first site is called Qoriwayrachina and was only discovered in 1999. Over the next couple of years over 200 structures and storehouses were found here. The site itself is overgrown with orchids and bromelias and while its function to this day remains unanswered, it is thought to have been a supply town for Choquequirao. The second site is called Cota Coca and was only discovered in 2002. The site itself consists of some well preserved compounds with high walls – some over 2 meters. After being given sometime to explore the site you will return to Maizal where camp is made. The evening will be free for you to spend at your leisure after a long day on the trail. (Meals – B, L, D)

Following breakfast the group leaves camp at about 7am and begins their climb up the San Juan Pass. The climb takes roughly 4 hours and the view of the surrounding snow peaks from the top is phenomenal. After being given some time to appreciate these views you will begin your descent, arriving approximately two hours later in Yanama, a remote agricultural community. Camp will be made here for the evening and you can spend sometime getting to know the charming inhabitants of this tiny village. ( B, L, D)

CAT Tip - Make the Most of Trip:  You may want to stay an additional day in the valley or in Cusco, which would allow for one of our walking tours, a free day to enjoy the city, or the possibility to attend one of our other adventures in the Sacred Valley/Cusco

Again you will rise early to enjoy a filing breakfast before you and your group departs for the Yanama mountain pass. You will arrive at the top of the pass at about 12 pm and be given some time to take in the amazing views of Mount Salcantay while enjoying your lunch. Following the trail the vegetation soon changes as you descend into a cloud forest. Through this forest you trek for a further couple of hours before reaching Hornopampa. This small rural community is where camp is made for the night. Two rivers meet in the area close by and camp is made on a grassy path in between them. It is a very tranquil area and the sound of the rivers rushing past the tents as you rest sets the mind at ease. (Meals – B, L, D)

The group departs from Hornopampa early in the morning after breakfast and heads towards Collapampa. It takes a couple of hours to reach this small village which lays on the edge of yet another cloud forest. A number of interesting natural rock formations surround the town and you will be able to swim in the thermal baths located at the edge of town. The group then heads on to Wiñaypocco where you can enjoy some lunch before continuing upon the trail. The path starts to descend quite quickly and leads you through a number of fruit trees and orchards. Passion fruit vines drape over the trail itself and create an amazing effect as you pass through them – especially when they are in blossom. After roughly four hours you reach Lucmabamba where camp is made for the night. (Meals – B, L, D)

The group will be woken up early and after breakfast you will leave camp and follow the trail over an original Inca stone built pathway before descending down towards the Machu Picchu Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Aombamba valley. Upon reaching the plant you will be given a tour around it as well as around the hidden archaeological site behind it. From the plant one can make out parts of Machu Picchu itself as well as the Intihuatana. Lunch will be eaten at the power plant and in the mid afternoon the group will board a train for the short ride to Aguas Calientes. Upon reaching the town your guide will transfer you to your comfortable hotel where you may unwind, have a hot shower, eat some dinner and relax after a long hike. There are some hot springs on the edge of town should you want to unwind there and enjoy a pisco-sour or two from the bar before retiring for the night.( B, L, D)

You will rise early in order to make your way to the magnificent ruins of Machu Picchu that lay just a short drive from the small town. Following your private guided tour of the ruins, you will break for a full course meal at the Sanctuary Lodge. You will then have the rest of your afternoon to explore the ruins and its surroundings, such as Huaynapichu and the temple of the Moon, at your leisure. In the late afternoon you return to Aguas Calientes and your train back to Cusco. (B)