Day 1: Early morning transfer from the hotel to the airport for the 50-minute flight to Cusco (3,400 metres / 11,150 feet). Transfer from airport to hotel. Cusco was the spiritual and political heart of the Inca Empire and today it is a unique blend of pre-Hispanic and colonial architecture. After a morning free to acclimatise, you will be picked-up after lunch for a tour of the city. We begin with a visit to the cathedral, which was built between 1560 and 1654 on the site of the palace of the Inca Wiracocha. From the cathedral we move on to Qoricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun, which boasts some of the finest remaining examples of Inca stonemasonry. From the city we will go on to explore the Inca remains in the hills around Cusco. The Sacsaywaman Archaeological Park is home to the great fortress temple of Sacsaywaman itself, as well as the ritual baths of Tambomachay, the temple site of Qenqo and the fortified construction known as Puka Pukara.  In the evening you will have the opportunity to enjoy Cusco’s fine Novo Andean cuisine – based on traditional local ingredients and international gourmet techniques – and a show featuring Andean music or dance.

Day 2: Today we leave Cusco and drive towards the imposing presence of Mount Ausangate on the south-eastern horizon. We will make our first camp that afternoon near the small community of Mayuwani and rest in preparation for the next day’s hike to Qoylluriti.

Day 3: On our 12 kilometre hike along the trail to the sanctuary we will be accompanied by the many thousands of pilgrims on their way to Qoylluriti in a colourful mass of humanity made up of ordinary people and dance groups in traditional costumes. Arriving at the sanctuary, we will camp in the valley at the base of the glacier.

Day 4: Today we will awake to the sounds of the many groups of musicians and dancers surrounding us in the valley and the collective murmur of the up to 30,000 pilgrims who gather each year at Qoylluriti. Following in the footsteps of the Ukukus – men dressed in a traditional costume which evokes the man-bear creature of pre-Hispanic legends – we will climb the glacier and watch as the faithful carry down with them on their shoulders blocks of ice from the mountain which they will take back to their communities as sacred water. That afternoon we will once again join the river of humanity on the trail back to our vehicle for the return drive to Cusco.

Day 5: In another stunning manifestation of the synergy between indigenous and Catholic rites, we will walk to Cusco’s historic main plaza today to witness the celebration of Corpus Christi. Worshippers from the parishes of Cusco gather at the plaza carrying the effigies of the saints and virgins from their churches and form a procession around the square and the surrounding streets. This ostensibly Christian ritual in fact dates back to the Incas, who each year at around the time of the Spanish celebration of Corpus would take out the mummies of their deceased emperors and carry them on litters around the plaza known then as Haucaypata, “the place of tears”.

Day 6: We will take a fascinating and little-known route to the Sacred Valley of the Incas today, heading southeast out of Cusco and visiting the pre-Inca Wari culture remains of Pikillacta on the way. This rarely-travelled and picturesque road will take us to Pisac in the Sacred Valley. The quiet village of Pisac is home to a colourful market and high above the village stand the ruins of the Inca ceremonial and fortress site of the same name. We will spend the night in our valley hotel where typical colonial architecture and the quiet village atmosphere provide the perfect backdrop for all the comforts of the modern world.

Day 7: Today will be spent in the Urubamba Valley - also known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Apart from the valley’s breathtaking scenery – with fertile slopes surrounded by towering peaks – the main attractions include ancient ruins, colonial villages and traditional markets. At the far end of the valley, Ollantaytambo is the only remaining example of Inca urban architecture, where descendants of the Incas live beneath the imposing ruins of the temple built by their ancestors. And on the plain above the valley floor the salt pans of Maras and the circular Inca terraces of Moray provide a perfect end to a full-day in the Sacred Valley.
 
Day 8: From the village of Ollantaytambo we take the train to Machu Picchu on what is widely considered one of the world’s most spectacular train rides, following the Urubamba River through the gorge it cuts down into the tropical forest. We will spend the rest of the day visiting the picturesque Mandor Falls, beyond the village. The short hike to the waterfalls takes us through lush subtropical forest adorned with many species of orchids and inhabited by hummingbirds and other native fauna.

Day 9: Machu Picchu is set amid forested hills, on a saddle between two peaks, where it remained undisturbed by the outside world until its discovery in 1911. We will have the entire day to explore Machu Picchu’s streets, temples, palaces and residential areas in the company of an expert guide, before returning to Cusco on the afternoon train, arriving early evening to be transferred to the hotel in time for a free evening in the city.

Day 10: After breakfast in the hotel, you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight to Lima and home flight or transfer to the hotel of your choice and an optional city tour of Lima. However, for those with more time, we recommend that you spend an extra day in Cusco to enjoy everyday life in the city after the festivities of the preceding week.

Cusco Snow Star Festival 2009: Saturday June 6th / Monday June 15th
Cusco Snow Star Festival 2010: Saturday May 29th / Monday June 7th