Your guide and driver meet you in your hotel lobby in Cusco at 8:00 a.m. The day moves from the great monuments of the city down into the calm of the Sacred Valley.

1. Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun

   The most sacred temple of the Inca state. Its precisely fitted stonework later became the base of the Santo Domingo convent, so Inca and Spanish colonial building stand one on top of the other.

2. Sacsayhuaman and Qenqo

   Just above the city are the giant walls of Sacsayhuaman, built with stones of up to 120 tons. Close by is Qenqo, a limestone outcrop carved with passages and altars that was used for rituals.

3. Lunch with a view

   A buffet of local and international dishes at a restaurant that looks over Cusco.

4. Tambomachay and Puca Pucara

   Tambomachay was dedicated to water, which still runs through its stone channels. Opposite stands Puca Pucara, a fort that guarded the roads into the capital.

5. The ruins of Pisac

   The road descends into the Sacred Valley to Pisac, set high on a ridge. You walk past palaces, watchtowers and the largest pre Columbian cemetery in South America, with terraces falling away on every side.

6. Evening in Urubamba

   Your driver takes you farther into the valley to your 3 star hotel in Urubamba. It is lower than Cusco, which helps you rest and acclimatize.

Places

Qorikancha, Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara and Pisac

Highest point

3,700 m (12,139 ft) at Sacsayhuaman

The second day is about Inca farming and craft traditions on the high plain above the valley. The order of the visits brings you naturally to the train station.

1. The salt pans of Maras

   Thousands of small terraced pools fed by a salty spring have been worked since before the Incas. Your guide explains how local families share the water and harvest the pink salt.

2. The terraces of Moray

   These circular hollows worked as an agricultural laboratory. Each ring has its own microclimate, which let the Incas adapt crops brought from the jungle and the coast.

3. Chinchero and its weavers

   In this highland village a colonial church stands on the walls of an Inca palace. Master weavers show how roots, plants and minerals are used to dye alpaca wool before it is spun and woven.

4. Buffet lunch in the valley

   Back in Urubamba you take an unhurried lunch made with fresh produce from the region.

5. Ollantaytambo

   The street plan, water channels and stone houses of this town are still as the Incas laid them out. You climb the hillside fortress and then walk to the station.

6. Train to Aguas Calientes

   The panoramic train follows the Urubamba river into cloud forest. Our staff take you to your hotel, and in the evening your Machu Picchu guide comes by to plan the visit with you.

Places

Maras, Moray, Chinchero and Ollantaytambo

Highest point

3,762 m (12,342 ft) at Chinchero

The high point of the trip is a private, unhurried morning in the sanctuary. With a guide of your own, the entry time, the pace and the photo stops are set around you.

1. Bus to the citadel

   Your guide meets you in the hotel lobby and you board the shuttle bus, which climbs through cloud forest to the main gate.

2. Private tour of Machu Picchu

   Three hours inside the site. Your guide takes you through the main sectors, explains the engineering, astronomy and history behind places such as the Temple of the Sun and the Sacred Plaza, and shows you the best spots for the classic photographs.

3. Lunch

   The bus returns you to Aguas Calientes for a relaxed lunch of local and international dishes.

4. Vistadome Observatory train to Ollantaytambo

   The train leaves at 3:20 p.m. Enjoy the lounge car, the live performances and the last views of the canyon through the glass.

5. Private transfer

   Your driver is waiting at the exit of Ollantaytambo station and takes you directly to your hotel in Cusco or the Sacred Valley.

Main visit

Machu Picchu

Highest point

2,430 m (7,972 ft)