Itinerary:
Day 01: Reception and tour to the city of Cusco:
On the day of your arrival at the Cusco airport, we will be waiting for you with a sign with your name, then we will transport you to the selected hotel, where you will rest for an hour, have a coca tea and in the afternoon we will come to pick you up from 1:00 p.m. 00 hrs, to start the tour to the city of Cusco and surroundings. Tour to the city of Cusco and surroundings: This circuit begins, with the pick up of the passengers from their hotel and then visit the following Archaeological and Religious attractions that will be guided by a tourism professional from the University of Cusco:
- The Koricancha Palace and Santo Domingo Convent: Religious Center known as the «Temple of the Sun» highlights the impressive engineering used in its construction.
- Cathedral: Colonial religious monument of extraordinary artistic value.
- Sacsayhuaman: Located 3 km from the city of Cusco, impressive fortress of monumental stones and excellent architecture. It is famous for its huge carved stones, some of which are 9 m / 30 feet high and weigh over 350 tons. This is where the Inti Raymi or «Fiesta del Sol» takes place.
- Qenqo: Ceremonial and ritual center, amphitheater where sacrifices were made.
- Puca-Pucara: Old dairy farm, lookout point along the Inca roads.
- Tambomachay: 7 km from the city of Cusco, ceremonial center of worship to water, traditionally known as the place of the waters.
Day 02: Tour to Machu Picchu in one day
We leave every day between 05:45 a.m. to 06:00 a.m., we will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco and transfer you to the train station, it is possible that we carry out the lock system, this as long as the company is available de Trenes PERURAIL, if this were the case we will take the Train in Ollantaytambo, so our trip would be less heavy, since the trip from Cusco will last four hours to the Citadel of Machu Picchu, known as «The Lost City of the Incas». to the Aguas Calientes station where our guide will be waiting for us, with him we will take the bus that will take us on a 30-minute trip, ascending a zigzagging path, towards the incredible Machu Picchu. The excursion includes a guided tour of the Citadel, visiting the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Solar Clock, the royal rooms, the Temple of the Three Windows and the cemeteries, for approximately more than two hours. Then you will be given free time to take a walk around the citadel. Lunch at a restaurant in the town We will arrive at the Aguas Calientes station where our guide will be waiting for us, with him we will take the bus that will take us on a 30-minute trip, ascending a zigzagging path, towards the incredible Machu Picchu. The excursion includes a guided tour of the Citadel, visiting the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Solar Clock, the royal rooms, the Temple of the Three Windows and the cemeteries, for approximately more than two hours. Then you will be given free time to take a walk around the citadel. Lunch at a restaurant in the town of Aguas Calientes or if you wish at the Santuary Lodge Hotel (lunch is on your own). In the afternoon, return to Cusco by train, transfer to the selected hotel.
Day 03: Farewell
Seeing the time your return flight leaves, we will be at the hotel to take you to the Cusco airport, two hours before, we will pick you up and accompany you to the airport to check your ticket, you must pay the airport tax and then board the room boarding, until there I will accompany you and there we will say goodbye. This is the end of the Cusco to Machu Picchu Tour 3 Days.
Included:
- Transfers and transportation
- Professional English / Spanish guide
- Train: Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes round trip
- Income: Places to visit
- Bus: Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes round trip
- Security warehouse: Baggage and valuables
- Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu.
- Buffet lunch in Machu Picchu.
- 2 night stays
- Assistance to tourists throughout their visit
Not Included:
- Income to other recreational sites, such as hot springs in Aguas Calientes and / or amusement parks
- Unscheduled food and drinks.
- Entrance to Huayna Picchu
- Other expenses and services not mentioned in the itinerary
What to bring to the Cusco to Machu Picchu Tour 3 Days?
- Wear sneakers or light shoes or tennis.
- Drink plenty of fluids on your excursions.
- Raincoat (long poncho) in the rainy season.
- Long sleeve shirts.
- Long pants.
- Insect repellent.
- Sunscreen, wide-brimmed hat for sunny days.
- Binoculars.
- Sunglasses, plastic bags.
- Medicine and / or articles for personal use (liquid for contact lenses).
- One backpack or light briefcase per person
- Camera or camcorder and films.
- Carry currency in small denominations dollars or soles.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How to get to the city of Cusco?
Airway
It is the fastest way to get there, the trip lasts 1.10 hrs from Lima. It is preferable to buy tickets or flight tickets in advance, the cost is USD 150.00 (base price).
Land route
You can take direct buses from Lima, the trip lasts approximately 21 hours.
There are also buses from Arequipa, in this case the trip lasts 10 hours.
The price varies depending on the transport company and the type of service they offer.
2. What is the best season or time to travel to Cusco?
Cusco presents warm days with cold nights.
The best time to visit Cusco and Machu Picchu are from April to October – November.
The rainy season in Cusco is from December to March.
3. What is the BTG or tourist ticket?
It is a ticket that contains the income to various tourist attractions in the city of Cusco. There are 2 kinds of tickets:
Partial tourist ticket
There are 3 circuits of this type of ticket that cover the following routes:
- Circuit 1 – Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay (these are the 4 nearby ruins that are visited during the city tour)
- Circuit 2 – Museum of Contemporary Art, Regional Historical Museum, Museum of Popular Art, Museum of the Qoricancha site, Qosqo Center of Native Art.
- Circuit 3 – Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Chinchero, Moray (tour of the Sacred Valley tour).
The cost is S / 70.00 (USD 27.00 approximately) in any of the aforementioned circuits and the validity of the ticket is 1 day (in circuit 1 and 2) and 2 days (in circuit 3).
General tourist ticket
This ticket allows entry to 16 tourist attractions located in the city, outside the city, and the 3 tourist circuits of the partial ticket.
The cost is S / 130.00 (USD 50.00 approximately) and the validity of the ticket is 10 days from the date of issue.
4. Are there limited spaces to enter Machupicchu or for the train ticket?
In order to achieve a better preservation of Machupicchu, there are currently limited quotas for daily entry to this wonder of the world. Regarding the train ticket, they also have limited capacity in each type of service offered by the railway companies. For this reason we recommend buying them in advance and not waiting at the last minute as there is a risk of not finding available spaces because Cusco is one of the busiest destinations throughout the year.
5. Is it possible to visit Machupicchu in just one day?
The tour to Machupicchu is a full day (full day tour) leaving from Cusco in the morning and returning at night.
If you are in another city (Lima, Arequipa or another) it is not possible to visit Machupicchu the day you arrive in Cusco since generally the trains to go to Machupicchu leave minutes before 7:00 am, from the station. trains located 30 – 40 minutes from Cusco. To visit Machupicchu quietly, at least 3 days / 2 nights are needed.
6. What is altitude sickness?
Cusco is located at 3300 m.s.n.m. (11,000 feet), so there is the possibility of shortness of breath, headaches, or tiredness, all of which are symptoms of altitude sickness. So we recommend resting for a few hours after landing or arriving in the city and drink plenty of fluids (bottled water or preferably coca leaf infusions) to acclimatize.
In case the discomfort does not subside with rest, you can buy pills against altitude sickness (or soroche) in a pharmacy or you can also buy a small oxygen bottle, both have affordable prices.
