Our program allows you plenty of time to discover your new country, culture and customs. Below are some of our recommended highlights. Some tours and packages can be organized when booking your program, please see the program price page for more information.

city tour
Explore the Inca capital which is especially know for its architecture of enormous cut stone blocks fitted so perfectly that no mortar was needed . Coricancha , the temple of the sun, and the fortress of Sacsahuaman , that was built with enormous boulders some of them weighting over 190 tons, are the most outstanding examples of this type of construction . Cusco was designed in the form of a puma with the legendary 15th century fortress of Sacsahuaman as the head , the confluence of the Huatanay and Tullumayo rivers was canalized and straightened to form the tail.

The hearth of the city ,and the puma, was the Huacaypata, it was the main square of Inca Cusco, it was located in the same place as the modern city square but twice the size. A gravel covered area ,surrounded by the palaces of past Inca kings and was the site of important ceremonies in the Inca calendar.

machupicchu
Machupicchu , situated about 80 km Northwest of Cusco, is the ancient Inca town , the fabled lost city that has been forgotten for more then three centuries, escaping detection by Spanish conquerors . It was discovered in 1911 in Perù's Andes Mountains by Hiram Bingham.

The citadel is divided in two sectors: extensive agriculture terraces and urban, which contains main squares, temples, palaces. The style of its buildings and pottery as well as its careful planning suggest that the town was built under the supervision of the Inca state, which was centred at Cusco. The most famous feature of the site is a carved natural stone, known as "Intihuatana", enclosed by curved walls of dressed stone with trapezoidal windows.

The stone and its complex of surrounding walls are probably related to the sun religion of the Inca as well as to their veneration of certain natural stones. The ruins require at least a day, some say two, other say 4! The mountains overlooking the site, Huayna Picchu (on which there are some ruins), has steps to the top for superlative view of the whole ruins, the walk up takes about one hour. The natural surroundings and the mystical atmosphere make this place unique and unforgettable.

the sacred valley of the incas
The area of the valley between Pisac and Ollantaytambo is known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a long narrow valley which, in the southern region goes back up to Urcos and towards the north, crossing Ollantaytambo before it finally reaches the citadel of Machu Picchu. Over the years, the power of the Incas became more and more firmly implanted. The terraces are a testimony of the vast production of food, and the Ollantaytambo ruins reflect the ambitious plans of the leaders of Cuzco.The best time to visit is April-May or September-October, the high season is June-Agust. The rainy season, from October to March is cheaper and pleasant enough.

pisac and its citadel
Pisac is approximately 32 kilometers from the city of Cuzco. In this area there are traditional walls of carved stone, large homes (casonas) and ritual buildings, with a complex structure of terraces and irrigation channels. Pisaq is well known for its crafts market that open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays only.

The walk up to the ruins begins from the plaza, walk along the path, which crosses the terraced gardens. The beauty of the scenery is spectacular, climbing then to the central part of the ruins: The Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Moon and the carved stone referred to as Intihuatana express evident astronomical concerns. The area reserved for what could be called storehouses or granaries demonstrate the importance the Incas granted to the conservation of the crops.

from pisac to urubamba
From Pisac, following the Vilcanota River towards the west, the narrow route between the river and the hills passes through the towns of Calca, Yucay and Urubamba before arriving at Ollantaytambo. Yucay is associated with some important events in Incan and colonial history.

In the spacious Plaza de Armas we find a beautiful, impressive tree, the pisonay, whose leafy branches and beautiful flowers grant the town an air of festivity and elegance. The ruins of the Palace of the Inca Huayna Capac can also be found in this area.

Urubamba is not located far from here.Like many places along the valley Urubamba is in a fine setting with snow-capped peaks in view, it has many restaurants and pleasant dining areas with reasonable prices. The nearby White Mountain range provides the area with scenery of extraordinary beauty. The town offers the visitor a wide range of possibilities for rest and lodging, and includes a number of hotels and other lodging houses.

ollantaytambo
The town of Ollantaytambo is located on the opposite end of the Pisac Valley. The flights of terraces leading up above the town are superb, and so are the curving terraces following the contours of the rocks overlooking the Urubamba. This was one of the last areas in which onstruction was performed by the Incas before the arrival of the Spaniards. Many of the buildings begun in pre Hispanic times were left unfinished.

The abandoned stones and unfinished walls remain as testimonies of the battle in which Manco Inca faced the Spanish conquistadors. Overcome by the invaders, the Incas fled to the Vilcabamba jungle, area that served as a final refuge for what remained of the political legacy of the Incas.

chinchero
Chinchero is located between Urubamba and Cuzco. This area is well known for its ruins and for the lovely church where one can find many paintings from the Cuzco school. It is also an appropriate region to view the splendid snow-capped peaks in the surrounding area. The church houses works of art and mural paintings by Diego Cusi Guamàn, as well as several canvases by other artists. The main altarpiece is from the seventeenth century and represents the Virgin of Montserrat, to whom the church is dedicated.

maras salt flats and the circular ruins in moray
Maras, from which one can reach the salt flats and the Moray ruins, is located on the northwestern side before entering the city of Cuzco.The salt flats display a spectacle of unusual beauty.

Located on a wide-open hill above the Urubamba Valley, the salt water runs along channels, which extend through the flooded lands and follow a more or less rectangular pattern, depending on the variations in the land. The water, which is exposed to the sun, leaves salt on the bed. Viewed from the peak, the myriad of rectangles look Like an enormous painting designed by nature. Inland, not far from Maras, one can find the Moray ruins, there are three "coliseums" , used by the Inkas as a sort of open-air crop laboratory ,the terraces arranged in concentric circles and spread out at intervals from the lower to the upper region, are reminiscent of a Greek theater.

For this reason, it is not clear exactly what role they played. The structure of these terraces seems to suggest agricultural activity which employed the air circulation within the circular area and the advantages offered by this type of construction for employing ram water as well as water from nearby regions.

other excursions
Other excursions could include trips to Lake Titikaka, Sun Island, Puno and La Paz, Uros and Taquile islands.

flora and fauna
Both are abundant and varied. Typical plant life in the historic reserve of Machupicchu includes pisonayes, q'eofias, alisos, puya palm trees, ferns and more than 90 species of orchids. The fauna in the reserve includes the spectacled bear, cock-of-the-rocks or "tunqui", tankas, wildcats and an impressive variety of butterflies and insects unique in the region. The lie of the land, the natural surroundings and the strategic location of Machupicchu lend this monument a fusion of beauty, harmony and balance between the work of the ancient Peruvians and the whims of nature.

markets
Local towns that surround Cusco offer markets most days of the week. Popular market tours including wood markets, food markets with live animals, visit the artisan area of San Blas where you can buy wonderful paintings "cusqueño" style. The market in Ollantaytambo. Modern Peru inherited pre-Incas and Inca civilizations a remarkable artisanal knowledge. The old techniques remain in the work of the noble metals, ceramics and fabrics.

horseback riding
Guided day tours are available for all standards of riders - and if you've never ridden before what better place to start than in the Andes?

rafting
The popularity of whitewater rafting in Peru grows daily. The massive Andean range gives birth to scores of rivers east and west that carve their way through spectacular gorges, canyons, valleys and jungles leaving behind hundreds of miles of breathtaking world class whitewater.

climbing & hiking
You can escape the bustle of Cusco to the fresh air of its surroundings where opportunities for rock climbing, mountaineering trekking and hiking are numerous.