Cusco - Center of the Inca Culture in 6D/5N

Itemised Description of the travel package in the Center of the Inca Culture in 6 days and 5 nights Cuzco. This tourist package is for people of all ages and for everyone who is really interested in learning about  and having a great experience in the center of the Inca Culture. Cusco and all its tourist attractions, its beautiful customs and magic history make of this place a great destination for your holiday. Among the most important places of visit you will have in this package are Cusco city with its archaeological, historical and religious wealth, The Sacred Valley of the Incas with its beautiful landscape, its history and all its traditions, Maras and Moray - the center of agricultural interpretation for the Incas, The South Valley with its military centers and great Temple of the Water, and of course, the crowning jewel - Machupicchu – the Lost City of the Incas. So don't miss the chance to have a great experience when coming on a holiday to Peru. Visit Cusco the center of the Inca Culture!

First day in the Center of the Inca Culture - City tour of Cusco. Our staff will be waiting for you with your name written on a sign at the airport of Cusco. They will transfer you to the hotel where you will be able to rest and drink a delicious Coca tea. We will begin with the tour of the city of Cuzco and its surroundings at about 1:30 pm. We will visit the following archeological and religious attractions in the center of the Inca Culture:

Tour of the Qoricancha Palace and the Santo Domingo Convent – This is a religious center known as "Temple of the Sun".  What stands out here is the impressive engineering that was employed in its construction and the paintings from the Cusquenian school.

Tour of the Cathedral. This is a colonial and religious monument of extraordinary artistic value; a variety of artistic works are found there. Tour of Sacsayhuaman. It is located 3 km. outside Cusco city. This is an impressive fortress of excellent architecture; it's famous for its enormous construction using rocks of which some of them are about 9 m (30 ft) high and with a weight of more than 350 tons. This is the place where the “Inti Raymi” (Party of the Sun) is celebrated on June 24th. Tour of Qenqo. This is a ceremonial and religious center which used to be an amphitheater in which sacrifices took place. Tour of Pucapucara. This was an old Tambo (rest and guard post); these posts used to be found along the Incan walkways. Tour of Tambomachay. This was a ceremonial center where the Incas used to worship the water; it is also known as the place of the waters of the eternal youth. All these tours or visits to the different archaeological, religious and natural sights last about five hours. 

Second day in the Center of the Inca Culture - Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will go on a tour of the sacred valley of the Incas (all day). We will pick you up from your hotel at 8:30 to go on a tour to Corao Market, the Mirador and finally arrive at the archeological center of Pisaq. There, we'll visit the typical market where we will learn about the customs of the inhabitants of the town of Pisac. We will then have lunch in a tourist restaurant in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Later in the afternoon, we will visit the citadel of Ollantaytambo which was built to watch over the entrance to this part of the valley and to protect themselves from possible invasions. We will walk around the different streets in this town in order to have a clear idea of what this military, religious, and cultural center was really like during the period of the Incan Empire.

On the way back to Cusco city, we will visit the picturesque village of Chinchero where we’ll visit the remains of the royal estate of Tupac Inca Yupanqui. This is a beautiful colonial temple with interesting frescoes in its portico (this place was built on the foundation of an Incan building). You will also admire the well preserved Inca Wall in the main plaza. Finally, we will continue our trip back to your hotel in Cusco city. 

Third day in the Center of the Inca Culture - Tour of Maras and Moray. We will go on a tour of Maras and Moray. After breakfast, we will pick you up at about 9 am from your hotel to take you on a tour to the interesting town of Maras. We will go past the typical small towns of the region which have beautiful landscapes. From the town of Maras, we will see the Vilacanota mountain range with its snow-covered peaks such as "El Chicón" and "La Veronica."  Currently, The picturesque town of Maras has some attractions which date back to the pre-Hispanic, colonial, and republic periods. Later, we'll visit the archaeological complex of Moray which is located 7 km. southwest of Maras; this is a collection of enormous terraces which sit on top of a giant pit. These beautiful terraces served as an agricultural laboratory (a kind of greenhouse prototype) in the time of the Incas. Finally, we will have time to visit the Salineras which is located at the northwest side of the town of Maras. Salineras are small wells numbering about 2000 with an average size of 5 square meters each that have been exploited since the Inca's times until today. Afterwards, we'll Travel back to Cuzco city.

Fourth day in the Center of the Inca Culture - Tour of the South Valley of Cusco. We will go on a tour of the South Valley. We will pick you up from the hotel at about 9:15 am to go on a tour to the south of Cusco City. Along this trip we will visit the South Valley where will see some beautiful sights which were part of the Inca culture such as the following: 

Tour of Tipón. This is a big and impressive farming space that has twelve terraces which are used  for cultivation. The walls in this site were built with finely sculpted rocks. We will also see the irrigation system which is still used in agriculture. Tour of Pikillacta. It has characteristics of a great urban center belonging to the pre-Inca period of the Wari culture. It has more than a million constructions such as plazas, colcas (food warehouses), fields, homes, temples, and long narrow streets with buildings up to four stories. Tour of Andahuaylillas. This is a typical Andean village in Cusco. Here we can visit the Catholic temple of Andahuaylillas belonging to the colonial times; it has a beautiful decoration and mural paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. This temple is also known as La Capilla Sixtina del Cusco. On the way back to Cusco, we will  visit Saylla (a typical Cusquenian town where you can enjoy a delicious Chicarron or any other delicious typical dishes. We'll travel back to Cusco city at about 3:30 pm.

Fifth day in the Center of the Inca Culture - Tour of Machu Picchu. We will go on a tour of Machupicchu. We will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the train station where you will take the train to the town of Aguas Calientes where our tour guide will be waiting for you. Together with him, you will take the bus that will take you (in a 30 minute trip up a zigzagging path) to the incredible citadel of Machupicchu. The tour includes a guided tour all around the Citadel (a visit to the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Solar Clock, the Royal Rooms, the Temple of the Three Windows, and the Incan Cemeteries) for about two hours. Later, you will be given some free time to go around the citadel of Machu Picchu. You  will then have lunch at a restaurant in the town of Aguas Calientes or in the Santuary Lodge Hotel (lunch will be at your expense). You'll then travel back to Cusco by train in the afternoon and stay in your hotel. 

Sixth day in the Center of the Inca Culture - Farewell. Transfer from the hotel to the airport (two hours before your return flight) where you will have to check in, pay airport taxes, and then go to the departure corridor where we will say our goodbyes.

What is included in this travel package in the Center of the Inca Culture

This travel package includes transfers, transportation and entrance tickets to all mentioned tourist attractions, round trip train tickets to Machupicchu, a professional tour guide in English or Spanish, bus round trip ticket (Aguas Calientes - Machupicchu - Aguas Calientes) hotel of your choice for five nights with breakfast included.

Also see other travel packages to Machu Picchu by Train:

• 1-day Tour Package to Machu Picchu by Train
• 3-day Tour Package - Aguas Calientes & Machu Picchu by Train
• 3-day Tour Package - City Tour in Cusco & Machu Picchu
• 3-day Tour Package - The Sacred Valley of the Incas & Machu Picchu
• 4-day Tour Package - CIty Tour in Cusco, Sacred Valley of the Incas & Machu Picchu
• 6-day Tour Package - CIty Tour in Cusco, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Maras and Moray &. Machu Picchu
• 7-day Tour Package - Full Cusco - The Center of the Inca Culture