CUSCO TO HUAYLLABAMBA Your bi-lingual guide picks you up at your hotel in Cusco for the 2 hour ride by private bus to the small Andean town of Chilca and on to the trailhead at Piscacucho.. Here we will meet our porters and camp staff. As our porters load the heavy gear, we head off down river alongside te rushing Vilcanota river, through pretty cactus gardens with magnificent views of the Wakay-Wilca snow-peak, to our right. We'll arrive at the Inca town of Llactapata and spend some time exploring this site before continuing up the Cusichaca valley to the hamlet of Huallaybamba where we camp for the night within view of the river (L.D)

HUAYLLABAMBA TO PACASMAYO. After breakfast, we continue up through remnant cloud forest , ascending steadily to the head of a valley below the high pass of Warmiwanusca. If the weather is clear we’ll get spectacular views of the Huayanay snow peaks as we climb steadily over the pass and down to tree-line in the Pacasmayo Valley. (B.L.D.)

PACASMAYO TO PHUYUPATAMARCA. Today, a steady one to two hour climb takes us over the second pass where we pick up out first real signs of paved Inca road, climbing an impressive carved stairway to the minor ruins of Runturacay. Continuing up this Inca stairway we cross the pass and drop down to the major and spectacular ruins of Sayacmarca.for lunch. Your guide will explain some of the mysteries of Incan architecture and Inca life and we’ll continue on along an exquisite paved Inca road, passing through moss and orchid laden cloud forest, to our camp at Phuyupatamarca. (B.L.D)

PHUYUPATAMARCA TO MACHU PICCHU. From Phuyupatamarca the trail descends through some of the finest, intact paved Inca road known, passing through moss and orchid laden mature cloud forest and down a steep Inca stairway to Winay-Wayna. This site was only discovered in the 1940's and rivals Machu Picchu in splendor. From here it's 2 hours through tree-fern laden cloud forest to Intipunku, the sun gate, where we get our first and awe-inspiring view of the citadel of Machu Picchu. We'll linger here and then wander through Machu Picchu itself in the late afternoon. We’ll bus down to our camp camp by the rushing Urubamba river. (B.L.D.)

MACHU-PICCHU TO CUSCO.A full day to explore the citadel of Machu Picchu before returning to Cusco by train. On arrival in Cusco we drop you at your hotel. We take the bus both ways (B.L.)