THE BEST OF CUSCO AND THE SUN ROUTE ITINERARY:
High Level Itinerary:
DAY 1: Welcome to Peru!
We will meet you at the Lima airport and transfer you to your hotel, located in the in Miraflores district.
DAY 2: Flight to Cusco. Free Day in Cusco.
In the morning, we will transfer you to the Lima airport for your flight to Cusco. We will be waiting for you at the airport in Cusco and will drive you to your hotel. You will have a free afternoon to explore Cusco. *Flight to Cusco included in price*
DAY 3: Tour of Cusco
You will have a free morning in Cusco. In the afternoon, we will take you on a historic tour of the city of Cusco, which served as the Capital of the Inca Empire. You will visit the most important sites of the city, including the ruins above Cusco.
DAY 4: Tour of the Sacred Valley
Today you will venture outside of Cusco by private van through the Sacred Valley. You’ll tour many Inca archaeological sites and visit local communities scattered throughout this fertile valley. Our tour will end with a train ride to Aguas Calientes, where you will stay for the evening.
DAY 5: Machu Picchu
Today is a special day! You will discover the Lost of City of the Incas. You will wake up early and take a 15-minute bus ride from Aguas Calientes to the gates of Machu Picchu. Enjoy a 2-hour professionally guided tour of the ruins followed by free time to explore on your own. After your incredible visit, you will take a train back to Cusco.
DAY 6: Journey on the Sun Route to Puno
Enjoy a first-class bus ride through the southeastern region of Peru as you journey to Puno. During the ride, you will make several stops to tour Inca and even pre-Inca ruins. Once you arrive, our representative will meet you in Puno and take you to your hotel.
DAY 7: Lake Titicaca – The Floating Island
Boat tour across Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America. Journey to the floating islands of Uros. Explore the islands and stay overnight with a local family.
DAY 8: Lake Titicaca – Taquile Island
Breakfast with a local family followed by another boat ride to the next set of islands called Taquile. Learn about textiles and agriculture from the local inhabitants of this island. Boat ride back to Puno and private transfer to your hotel.
DAY 9: Goodbye!
Private transfer to the Juliaca Airport for your flight back to Lima.
Details For Each Day
DAY 1: Welcome to Peru!
- Accommodations: Casa Andina in the Miraflores district of Lima
- Meals Included: None
AFTERNOON/EVENING
A Kusa Treks representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel, located in the Miraflores district.
NOTE: If you booked your own international flights, please provide us your flight details prior to your arrival.
DAY 2: Fly to Cusco
- Accommodations: Hotel Rumi Punku in Cusco
- Meals Included: Breakfast
- Entrance Tickets: N/A
MORNING
In the morning, we will transfer you to the Lima airport for your flight to Cusco. A Kusa Treks van will be waiting for you at the airport in Cusco and will drive you to your hotel. You will have a free afternoon to explore Cusco.
DAY 3: Tour of Cusco
- Accommodations: Hotel Rumi Punku in Cusco
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Entrance Tickets: Included
MORNING
You will have some free time this morning to sleep in, relax or explore a little bit of Cusco on your own.
AFTERNOON
At 1PM we will meet you in your hotel lobby to begin the Tour of Cusco. You will start today with a tour Q’oricancha, the Temple of the Sun. At Q’oricancha you will see the difference between the Inca and Spanish building methods. This was the spiritual center of the entire Inca Empire, and as such the construction here is amazing. Dozens of roads lead from Q’oricancha to the four quarters of the entire Inca Empire.
After visiting Q’oricancha, the group will walk down the Avenida El Sol, where you will board a bus that will take you just outside of the city. The 25 minute drive will take you to the majestic Inca site of Sacsayhuaman, which has enigmatic monoliths weighing as much as 200 tons! Your guide will offer an explanation of this phenomenal site, and you will have extra time to do a bit of exploring on your own.
From Sacsayhuaman it is a 5 minute bus ride to the Q’enqo Inca site. These ruins include fascinating Inca altars. Following this site is another 5 minute drive to Puca Pucara, which is a small, circular Inca site. The final stop on our tour is Tambomachay, the Inca water temple thought to be used by the ancient civilization for bathing, with its impressive water fountains.
After touring all of these sites, you will drive back down to Cusco where the tour ends at your hotel.
DAY 4: Tour of the Sacred Valley
- Accommodations: Samanapaq Hotel in Ollantaytambo
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
- Entrance Tickets: Included
MORNING
A Kusa Treks van will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 8AM to begin today’s tour of the Sacred Valley. The drive will take a road that winds around the mountains north of Cusco. About 20 minutes into the drive, you will stop at a famous point known as El Mirador (Lookout Point). From here you will be able to see the Sacred Valley stretching out below you while your guide explains a bit of Inca history.
The Sacred Valley was a key area of settlement for the Incas. It has an amazing combination of agreeable climate and fertile plains that allowed for an abundance of crops for the usually unforgiving climate of the high Andes. Here the Incas sculpted vast mountain valleys with their world famous contour terracing and irrigation channels. Your guide will point out the best vantage points to get the best pictures.
AFTERNOON
After re-boarding the van, you will drive to the ruins of Písac. At these ruins, you will see and learn about different aspects of Inca culture. You will see amazing works of art carved into stone as well as impressive agricultural terraces. After exploring the upper plains, you will drive back to the lower part of Písac, where there is a bustling handicraft market where the locals buy, sell and trade goods.
At the market, you will have free time to walk around and do some bargaining of your own for souvenirs and clothing made of alpaca or llama wool. Afterwards we will meet for lunch in a nice, local restaurant where you will enjoy delicious Andean food.
EVENING
After lunch you will continue the tour with a drive along the Urubamba River towards the town of Ollantaytambo. In Ollantaytambo you will tour a set of important ruins that were constructed during the Inca’s heydays called Ollantaytambo Fortress. This extraordinary Inca site also contains an amazing rock formation representing the Inca god Wiracocha.
After touring this site, your guide will take you to your hotel in Ollantaytambo (Samanapaq Hotel, or similar). Ollantaytambo is a charming and welcoming town built by the Incas. Dinner will be on your own this evening, but we are happy to make recommendations of a wonderful place to eat in town.
DAY 5: Machu Picchu
- Accommodations: Rumi Punku in Cusco
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
- Entrance Tickets: Included
MORNING
Today you will discover Machu Picchu, the world famous Sacred City of the Incas! It is entirely up to you when you would like to start this exciting day, but the majority of travelers choose to wake up around 4:30AM. This allows you to eat a quick breakfast and head over the bus station where you will attempt to catch the first bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu.
The drive to reach Machu Picchu Park is 25 minutes back the way you came the night before, uphill on a road full of switchbacks. The gates to Machu Picchu open at 6AM as the sun is rising over the lost city. It is truly magical to experience a sunrise over these ruins, as the mists part and the city rises from the clouds stone by stone.
Your official guided tour of Machu Picchu will begin at 8AM and end at 10:30AM if you have permits to climb Huyana Picchu or it will begin between 6 and 7AM and end between 9 and 10AM if you choose not to climb Huyana Picchu. All of our guides have been to Machu Picchu hundreds of times and know this site incredibly well! Your walking, guided tour will start with the impressive Temple of the Sun. You will see several iconic areas of Machu Picchu including: The Citadel, The Royal Tomb, the Main Plaza, the Condor Temple and much more.
NOTE: Due to new regulations (effective Jan 1. 2019), the paths that lead through Machu Picchu are all “one-way”, meaning you are not able to backtrack during your visit to Machu Picchu. Each visitor without a permit to climb Huyana Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain will have ~4 hours to spend inside the park and those with permits to climb either Huyana Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain will have 6 total hours to spend inside the park (including the 2 hour climb).
AFTERNOON/EVENING
After touring Machu Picchu, your guide will take you to the bus stop just outside the gates of Machu Picchu Park. You will take this bus back to to Aguas Calientes. Depending on your train departure time (see below), you will either need to head straight to the train station, or you can go to one of the many fantastic restaurants in Aguas Calientes for lunch (not included).
There are several train class options for the ride back to Cusco. The main two trains are the “Expedition Train” (included in the price) and the “Vista Dome Train” (additional $70 USD per ticket). We usually try to get tickets for a train leaving in the 15:00 (3PM) hour, which will have you back to your hotel in Cusco around 19:00 (7PM).
If you have a preference for departure/arrival time, and provide us with 4+ months notice, we are able to book tickets for the following departures:
Expedition train departure times (train ticket included in price):
- 14:55, 15:20, 16:20, 18:10
Vista Dome train departure times (additional $70 USD per ticket):
- 15:20, 16:20, 17:10, 18:20
- 13:37, $25 USD only available for those who do not do the Huyana Picchu hike
All trains that depart from Aguas Calientes will arrive at one of two stations:
- Ollantaytambo station, 2 hour drive back to Cusco
- Poray station, 30 minute drive back to Cusco
Your arrival station will depend on the time of year of your trip, departure time and class of train. Once you arrive to either station, a Kusa Treks van and driver will be waiting for you at the station to take you back to your hotel.
NOTE: Train times depend on: the number of people in your group, the time of year of your trip and the class of train you prefer.
DAY 6: Journey on the Sun Route to Puno
- Accommodations: Hotel Casa Andina in Puno
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
- Entrance Tickets: Included
MORNING
Our private van will pick you up directly from your hotel at 6:30AM and transfer you to the bus station. Enjoy a luxurious ride on the Inka Express VIP Tourist Bus from Cusco to Puno (6 hour ride).
You will be accompanied by an English Speaking guide for the ride to Puno. There will be three stops at different sites that you can choose to explore with your guide. These sites are called: Andahaylillas, Raqchi and Puka Pukara, they’re a mouthful, but they each have incredible views!
AFTERNOON
You will enjoy an amazing buffet lunch in the town of Sicuani, which is halfway to your destination. After lunch you will jump back on the bus and continue your journey to Puno.
EVENING
You will arrive to the bus station in Puno around 5PM. Our private transfer will be there to meet you and take you to your hotel.
DAY 7: Lake Titicaca – The Floating Island
- Accommodations: Overnight stay with a local family
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Entrance Tickets: N/A
MORNING
We will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to the lake’s port. You will begin the day by traveling across the lake on a boat tour to the floating islands of Uros, where you will have time to explore.
Your guide will show you some of the more remote parts of the island, where you’ll enjoy a delicious lunch.
AFTERNOON
Following lunch, you will take a boat to the next island, where you will meet the local family that you will be staying with for the evening. You will learn how the indigenous people of the lake live.
In the late afternoon, you will climb a mountain to watch the sunset and participate in a party with locals.
EVENING
Tonight will be a basic but memorable accommodation, as you will be surrounded by a nice family. The family will cook an incredible dinner made with local dishes.
DAY 8: Lake Titicaca – Taquile Island
- Accommodations: Hotel Casa Andina
- Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Entrance Tickets: N/A
MORNING
You will have an early breakfast with the family before you board a boat that will take you to the next set of islands called Taquile.
AFTERNOON
You will spend the afternoon learning from locals about agriculture and textiles and how generations have thrived on these islands.
Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, and Taquile Island is one of the larger islands in the lake. Enjoy the incredible views of the crystal blue water and the rugged mountain landscape that surround you. This is an incredibly beautiful place in the world, and you will have time to appreciate its natural beauty before your boat ride back to Puno.
EVENING
We will get back on the boat around 4:30PM and ride back to Puno. Our representative will meet you at the dock to drive you to your hotel.
DAY 9: Goodbye!
MORNING
When you are ready, we will transfer you to Juliaca Airport for departure to the Lima Airport.