The Inca Trail - Machu Picchu by train

Arrive at any time.
Arrive early and spend some time exploring the city. Meet the group at the welcome meeting, check for the start time on the welcome note at the hotel.

Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting with G Representative: The adventure begins today. Feel free to explore, but make sure you're back in time to meet the group. Your G Representative will pick you up from your hotel at 15:30h and take you to the local G Adventures office to review the details of your tour.

Fill up on breakfast at your hotel in Cusco before walking to the Cusco Cathedral where your guide will meet the group for your walking tour of Cusco's colonial side. See the colonial and Inca architecture visible throughout the city and visit the Sapantiana staircase waterfall aqueduct before having lunch near the main plaza. Afterwards, walk back to the hotel and enjoy free time for the rest of the evening.

Cusco Colonial Side Walking Tour: Spend time on a group walking tour of the colonial areas in Cusco. Start in Cusco City and finish with a visit to the Sapantiana waterfalls before having a delicious lunch at a restaurant near the main plaza.

Free Time: Spend more time getting to know this fascinating city and surrounding area. Free time is yours to explore any way you want.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST, LUNCH

Enjoy a full-day guided tour of the Sacred Valley. Stop at the G Adventures-supported women's weaving co-op before visiting a local pottery making community. Break for lunch at the G Adventures-supported Parwa Community Restaurant in Huchuy Qosco. After lunch, opt to head out on a hike to the Ollantaytambo storehouses and look out over the ruins. Or, wander around the cobblestone streets and visit a local Chicheria (corn beer bar).
Travel through the stunning Sacred Valley of the Incas, visiting a G Adventures-supported women's weaving co-op. Meet the women and learn about traditional weaving and dyeing. Opt to pick up some handmade souvenirs and textiles directly from the women who made them. Have lunch at the G Adventures-supported Parwa Community Restaurant. Learn about the G Adventures for Good project and eat a delicious buffet-style lunch. Proceeds of this meal go directly back to the remote community.

Ccaccaccollo Community and Women's Weaving Co-op visit: Visit the Ccaccaccollo community centre which G Adventures travellers' donations helped create in 2005, thereby enabling local women to sell traditional textiles to travellers. See local weaving and dyeing techniques used to create garments and souvenirs, and learn how the Planeterra weaving co-operative has impacted the community and those who visit it. This includes the purchase of alpacas to provide a steady supply of wool, looms, and sewing machines as well as several training courses on production, sales and small business management.

: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST, LUNCH

Enjoy the Sacred Valley with your G representative today. Explore the sites of the Maras Salt Mines and the ancient Incan agricultural terraces of Moray. Continue on a scenic drive through small villages and stunning views of the Andean countryside. Then visit the Chincheros ruins. Known to the Incas as the birthplace of the rainbow, this site offers stunning views of the Andean countryside. Return to Ollantaytambo for the evening.

Maras Salt Mines and Moray Visit: Drive a little more than an hour to get to the Moray archaeological site. Tour these unique Inca ruins, consisting of circular terraces and a sophisticated irrigation system located at 3500m (11483 ft). Learn about the history and study of this fascinating site – speculation has it that it was an Inca agriculture experiment station. Visit the impressive Maras Salt Mines, after Moray. See thousands of individual ancient salt pools spilling over a hillside. Learn about the different varieties of salt, and try the renowned pink salt, famous worldwide.

: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST, LUNCH

After breakfast visit the Ollantaytambo ruins where you'll walk up the 200 stone steps to reach the top. Then, catch the scenic train to Aguas Calientes. After enjoying a quick orientation walk around the town of Aguas Calientes the group will have free time for optional activities. Opt to visit the Machu Picchu Museum, the Mandor Waterfalls, and the butterfly garden. Or consider taking a dip in some thermal baths to relax those muscles.

Ollantaytambo Ruins Visit: Explore this ancient site right in the heart of Ollantaytambo city. Learn about the principles of Incan architecture and get a first taste of climbing around a massive ruins site.

: Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Free Time: Spend free time getting to know the area. Maybe visit the local hot springs for a nice rejuvenating soak.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Rise early to enjoy a guided tour of Machu Picchu. After, catch the train towards Cusco.
Rise early to catch the first bus up to Machu Picchu with your guide. Enjoy a guided visit to the ruins, then head back down by bus to Aguas Calientes to meet up with the rest of the group. Take the scenic train back to Ollantaytambo to meet the van for the ride back to Cusco.

Machu Picchu Guided Tour: Set off with the local guide to explore Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Learn about the history and gain insights into this massive mountaintop citadel while wandering through ancient dwellings, stone temples and along sculpted terraces. Feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll.

: Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Depart at any time.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST