This morning starts with a pick-up from your hotel.
Pick-up will take place will be between 07:00 and 07:20 in the hotel foyer. The Intrepid representative will confirm this with you at the briefing on day 1.
In Cusco some of the streets are quite narrow and many have strict parking restrictions so it's likely you will need to take a short walk with a representative to where the bus is.
Head out to the Sacred Valley on a shared bus service. Known as Wilcamayo by the Incas, this lush and fertile valley has long been the main source of food for the high Andes. Maize crops can be seen surrounding the river and covering the terraces carved high into the valley walls.
The first stop is at Pisac ruins from where you will enjoy a lovely view of the Pisac valley and the town below. Explore the market and maybe barter for a few items yourself before heading out to cross the Valley. Leaving Pisac behind you find yourself driving through amazingly fertile lands that are one of the main agricultural areas in the surroundings and that played an important part during Inca times.
We have a stop along the way to enjoy our lunch at Urubamba town and then continue approximately 20-25 minutes until we reach the town of Ollantaytambo, one of the few, if not the only, living example of a city plan that has remained the same for many centuries.
Here you’ll visit the archaeological site of Ollantaytambo, and try to figure out how those terraces were build or the big boulders that are part of the temple of the Sun got to the place where you can find them now, the top of the mountain.
Your guide will point you in the direction of the train station where you will wait for the departure of your train that takes you to Aguas Calientes. (Please note that depending on the time of your train, if your departure time is later then you may have some time to explore the town)
A 1.5 hour train ride through the winding Urubamba Valley takes us to Aguas Calientes, nestled in the cloud forest (2040m above sea level) at the foot of the magnificent Machu Picchu.
Upon arrival a representative will be waiting for you to take you to your hotel and give you the last instructions for your tour the very next day.
Overnight at Aguas Calientes hotel
