Peruvian cuisine is loved for its taste and originality; it’s well worth digging into the local delicacies. Among these are: ceviche, seafood or fish marinated in lime juice; lomo saltado, a Peruvian take on a beef stir-fry; and various hearty soups, including the delicious quinoa soup. Other dishes include roasted cuy (guinea pig) and alpaca steak. To drink, there’s pisco sour, the national beverage.

Drinking water is included throughout the trip as the tap water in Peru is not safe to drink; boiled and filtered drinking water is provided on the trek; elsewhere your leader buys large water containers from which you can refill your bottle.

Hotel breakfasts are normally simple buffets, usually including bread/toast, preserves, cereal, sometimes eggs or cooked dishes, sometimes fruit, tea/coffee and fruit juice. We cannot guarantee that wheat-free or gluten-free products are available for breakfast in all locations – if you have an intolerance you may wish to bring your own breakfast food.

Where lunch and dinner are not included in Cuzco, we visit a variety of cafes and restaurants.

During the Inca Trail, hearty breakfasts are served and good-quality cooked lunches and dinners are provided. They usually consist of soup to start, a main course with meat/fish and some carbohydrates, followed by a dessert. Between meals, snacks are also provided. Tea/coffee is brought to your tent each morning and juice or hot drinks are provided with all meals during the trek. The team can also accommodate for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or any specific food restrictions you may have – please notify us at the time of booking.

Meet your fellow travellers and meet your Tour Director over a hosted group dinner in the historic heart of Cuzco. Share first impressions, taste hallmark Peruvian cuisine, and, if you wish, toast the journey with a classic pisco sour as your leader outlines the adventure ahead.

Set within streets where Inca stonework underpins colonial mansions, this convivial evening pairs practical guidance with a warm introduction to Andean culture and hospitality, easing you into the altitude and atmosphere of the former imperial capital.

Join a guided tour through the Inca capital to step inside the Qorikancha (Sun Temple), admire the art-filled Cuzco Cathedral, and continue to the hilltop fortress of Sacsayhuaman. Traverse lanes where imperial stone walls support Spanish-era balconies and lively plazas.

Hear how finely cut ashlar once reflected sheets of gold at Qorikancha, examine masterful silverwork and cedar choir stalls in the Cathedral, and study Sacsayhuaman’s cyclopean zigzag ramparts—an enduring showcase of Inca engineering and the panoramic stage for citywide festivities.

Explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas along the green ribbon of the Urubamba River, where traditional villages and ancient fields fill a dramatic Andean corridor. Climb among the sweeping agricultural amphitheatres of the Pisac ruins and take in vast valley views.

Continue to the living Inca town of Ollantaytambo fortress, a royal estate of Pachacuti with monolithic pink-granite blocks and a still-functioning urban grid. Learn how terraces controlled microclimates and water, and how this stronghold guarded routes toward the Vilcabamba beyond.

Set out to trek the Classic Inca Trail with expert guides and full porterage, following ancient stone steps through high Andean landscapes and shaded valleys. Walk at a measured pace designed for altitude while your crew manages logistics for a comfortable, unhurried journey.

Cross upland meadows, thread into cloud forest alive with birds and orchids, and stride along astonishing sections of original paving. Your guide interprets Inca road-building, ritual sites, and waystations so the trail becomes a moving open-air museum amid mountain grandeur.

Walk beside the Urubamba River toward the terraced complex of Llactapata, an Inca administrative hub set at the mouth of a side valley. Follow gentle paths lined with queñua and chachacoma as the first Inca archaeological drama of the trek comes into view.

Explore terraces, storehouses, and residential sectors that once managed crops and traffic along the imperial road. Your guide decodes sightlines to surrounding peaks and explains how such sites secured the route between highlands and jungle fringe.

Make a steady ascent to the high point of the trail, Warmiwañusqa (Dead Woman’s Pass), where crisp air and sweeping ridgelines frame misty mountain passes. Pace yourself on time-worn steps and celebrate at the saddle with far-reaching Andean views.

Above the treeline, ichu grass ripples and the stone-paved trail etches across slopes shaped by glaciers and wind. The pass underscores Inca engineering prowess and rewards determination with a sense of scale only these heights can deliver.

Climb to the circular Runkurakay ruins, a waystation guarding the approach to Runkurakay Pass, then follow superb Inca paving toward the cliff-perched stronghold of Sayacmarca. Stone stairways and tunnels reveal a road system mastered for steep terrain.

At Sayacmarca—“Inaccessible Town”—explore labyrinthine passages, ritual niches, and lookouts over cloud forest and deep-cut valleys. Your guide illuminates the logistics of empire: surveillance, storage, and swift movement along a continent-spanning network.

Arrive on the ridge above Phuyupatamarca, the “Town Above the Clouds,” where terraces and ceremonial baths cling to a saddle overlooking the Urubamba gorge. Unpack your camera for long perspectives toward snow-capped massifs and river switchbacks far below.

As daylight softens, pathways glow and the silhouette of distant peaks sharpens—a natural amphitheatre for sunset and sunrise. Guides share insights into the site’s water channels and ritual function while the evening sky brightens with southern constellations.

Descend the famed Inca staircase through mossy cloud forest to the graceful curves of Wiñay Wayna—“Forever Young.” Wander amid swooping agricultural terraces and ceremonial baths where the sound of water threads through orchids and tree ferns.

Learn how stepped fields and channels managed fragile mountain slopes while sustaining travellers en route to sacred sites. The interplay of stone, water, and jungle hints at the threshold between high Andes and the green gateway to Machu Picchu.

Follow a contouring path to Inti Punku (Sun Gate) for your first views of Machu Picchu, rising like a stone ship above the valley. The late-day light often shafts across terraces, enhancing relief and revealing the settlement’s dramatic setting.

Enjoy time to pause for photos and reflection as your guide points out Huayna Picchu, the agricultural quarter, and sacred precincts below. The approach affirms the Inca preference for ceremonial reveal—architecture unveiled only at journey’s end.

Return refreshed for a guided tour of Machu Picchu, an urban masterpiece woven into terraces and ridgelines. Trace solar alignments at the Temple of the Sun, examine elite residences in the royal sector, and study exquisite stone-on-stone masonry.

Hear how the citadel eluded the Spanish and entered modern awareness in 1911 with Hiram Bingham’s visit. Your guide clarifies the site’s probable functions—ritual, research, retreat—while the surrounding peaks frame a setting as theatrical as it is contemplative.

Savour multi-course, tented dining with chef-prepared meals, hot drinks, and afternoon tea, before turning in on raised beds with mattresses and pillows. Camp life is unhurried and comfortable, designed to restore energy for the trail’s high passes and stone stairways.

Unwind in the dedicated massage tent, easing tired legs with targeted recovery, then step outside to admire starlit Andean skies. This thoughtful service elevates the trek—quality gear, attentive crew, and calm rituals that make the mountains feel welcoming.