The Inca Experience 6 days/5 nights, Tours in Peru

Day 2: /Cusco/Sacred Valley of the Incas

After early breakfast, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Cusco. Arrival at Cusco airport, reception and transfer to the Sacred Valley
Full day tour, including visits to the colorful Pisac Indian Market and the Ollantaytambo Fortress. At an elevation of 8,500 feet, the Urubamba Valley, or Sacred Valley of the Incas, is the historic heart of the Inca Empire. It was intensively cultivated with terraces increasing its harvest several fold. Small villages lined the valley floor, while the stone fortresses of Ollantaytambo and Pisac served the dual purpose of providing protection and serving as religious centers. Without the benefit of the wheel, the Incas built massive stone cities and ruled an empire stretching 3,300 miles over some of the harshest terrain on earth. Without the use of mortar, the Inca constructed their cities, suspension bridges, and aqueduct systems, with an engineering expertise that has survived five hundred years of natural disasters, conquest, and modern development.
Overnight at Sacred Valley hotel. PLEASE NOTE THE MARKET ONLY TAKES PLACES ON TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS. (B, L).

Day 3: Sacred valley/Machu Picchu

You will be transferred to Ollanta station where you will catch the train to Machu Picchu. The 1.5-hour train journey follows the ever-narrowing gorge of the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes town on the way you will see picturesque Andean scenery and traditional villages. As we approach the Machu Picchu Sanctuary, the valley turns into a canyon and the vegetation changes to a cloud forest. Then you’ll board a bus for a 30-minute drive up the switchback road to Machu Picchu. Once at the site and after an orientation by the guide, then have sometime guided exploration of the fabled Inca citadel. Situated on the spine of a jungle cloaked granite peak towering some 600 meters above an entrenched meander of the roaring river below, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced by the powerful equatorial sun. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may well be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. After lunch, we’ll descend by bus around 3:00 p.m. to catch the train to Cusco and then bus transfer to selected Hotel (B).
Recommended optional : Overnight at Machu Picchu at extra cost.

Price per Person

Booking

	Single	Double	Triple
Miraflores Park*** (lim) Monasterio (cus) Sol & Luna* (cus)	$ 2383.00	$ 1425.00	---
Marriott*** (lim) Libertador* (cus) Sol & Luna* (cus)	$ 1963.00	$ 1215.00	---
Antara** (lim) Sonesta Posada del Inca* (cus) Picoaga**** (cus)	$ 1334.00	$ 925.50	---
Posada del Inca San Isidro** (lim) Los Andes de América* (cus) Hotel Pakaritampu *** (cus)	$ 1188.00	$ 834.00	---

WHAT'S INCLUDED

- Airport transfers
- Guided sightseeing as detailed in the itinerary
- Ground transportation (bus and train)
- Two lunches (Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu)
- Accommodation at selected hotels with breakfast.

WHAT’S NOT

Meals not noted in itinerary, optional tipping to guides and local staff; airport taxes; and items of a personal nature (sodas, alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.)

MORE ABLOUT MACHU PICCHU

Perched high above a sinuous bend in the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu has lured explorers, poets and pilgrims to its mist-wreathed ridge top ever since its discovery by the American explorer Hiram Bingham in July 1911.
No one lived here before the Incas. Those mighty empire builders from Cusco discovered this extraordinary place, finding it rich in natural features sacred to their religion. Both inspired and humbled by its dramatic natural beauty, their answer was to create on a vast scale one of the planet's most sensitive and harmonious works of art. The aesthetic genius of its layout and architecture coupled with the durability of its brilliant planning and engineering have given us today this finest of jewels among the UNESCO world heritage sites.
Scholars still argue about the meaning of Machu Picchu: why it was built and what purpose it served, who lived there and when they departed. Most agree that its main intent was spiritual and ceremonial. Recommended optional : Overnight at Machu Picchu at extra cost.

SUGGESTED READING LIST

All available through http://www.amazon.com and / or http://www.longitudebooks.com

Lost City of the Incas, The Story of Machu Picchu and its Builders
Hiram Bingham
EXPLORATION • 2001 • PAPER • 263 PAGES • BEST SELLER
A first-rate tale of adventure by the man who rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911. This classic account is a gripping story of exploration, archaeology and natural history -- and still an outstanding overview of the site itself. With original expedition photographs. Originally published in 1952, the book is still an excellent account, not only of the expedition but also of the site itself.

The Incas, People of the Sun
Carmen Bernard
EXPLORATION • 1994 • PAPER • 192 PAGES • BEST SELLER •
A pocket-size encyclopedia in the acclaimed "Discoveries" series, this jewel of a book features hundreds of archival drawings and photographs, a chronology and long excerpts from the journals of early explorers. It's a guide to the ancient monuments, daily life of the Incas, and history of exploration.

Conquest of the Incas
John Hemming
HISTORY • 1970 • PAPER • 641 PAGES
A masterful, prize-winning history of the Inca struggle against the Spanish invasion. This classic account, by one of the best writers on South America, brings together wide-ranging scholarly material in the interests of telling a good story. With a chronology, family tree, bibliography, notes and references.

The Incas and their Ancestors, The Archaeology of Peru
Michael Moseley
ARCHAEOLOGY • 2001 • PAPER • 288 PAGES An outstanding survey of the archaeology of the Inca, Moche and Nasca civilizations. With hundreds of color illustrations and line drawings, it's an in-depth look at the ancient cultures and history of Peru, the best general introduction to the subject.

AIRPORT TAXES

- Domestic Flights USD 5.00
- International Flight USD 30.00

Prices are per person and will be paid at the different airports.