For forty years, from the time of the Spanish conquest until 1572, the last “free Incas” inhabited the area now known as Vilcabamba, a wild region of mountains and jungle between the Urubamba and Apurímac rivers. In 1539, the first capital of this region, Vitcos, was abandoned by Tito Cusi Yupanqui after the death of his father Manco Inca. He moved his people deeper into the forest where he founded a new capital which came to be known as Vilcabamba the Old. This last refuge was finally captured by the Spanish in 1572. By the beginning of the 20th century, Vilcabamba's original location had been forgotten and its very existence was doubted. Hiram Bingham made a brief visit to the site in 1911, found a few ruins among the dense vegetation and declared the site of little importance. He believed that he had already discovered the site of Vilcabamba the Old at Machu Picchu.
In 1994 another American, Gene Savoy, retraced the route taken by Bingham to Espiritu Pampa. After a detailed study of the Spanish chronicles, Savoy concluded that Machu Picchu did not match their descriptions of Vilcabamba and that Espiritu Pampa fitted them perfectly.

We leave Cusco very early by bus and arrive in Quillabamba after an eight hour journey over a dirt road. Overnight in a local hostel.

After a four hour bus journey we arrive at Huancacalle, where we will make our first camp. In the afternoon we will make a short hike to the carved rock outcrop known as Yuraq Rumi, which was once one of the most sacred sites in the entire Inca Empire.  

Today we will begin to follow the route taken by the last Incas, as well as pioneers like Bingham and Savoy, to Vilcabamba. This first day is a relatively easy one as we ascend to the source of the Vilcabamba River at the pass called Qollpaqasa, the highest point of our trek (12,400ft). The scenery here is truly spectacular: the foothills of the Andes are covered in green vegetation and their snow-capped peaks rise to more than 18,000 feet. Camp.

From the pass we will descend through fields sown with potatoes along a paved trail, following the course of the Consevidayoc River. We will be able to observe a great variety of fauna and flora in the cloud forest. We will camp close to Vista Alegre.

Machupicchu was discovered by archaeologists in 1911. It stands at the summit of a steep, forested hill overlooking the Urubamba River; the site was hidden by dense vegetation for centuries until the American explorer Hiram Bingham began to clear the site. Today the city has been completely restored and even if it has lost some of its mystery it still remains an unforgettable sight.

Our tour includes a visit to the temples, plazas, palaces, watercourses and residential areas of the city and you will also have time to explore the ruins independently.