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1 Day Tours |
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Machu Picchu TREKS |
Machu Picchu Visit (3 days)
No hiking involved! Cusco, Sacred Valley, and a visit to Machu Picchu |
Short Inca Trail to Machupicchu With Sacred Valley Tour (3 Days) Recommended to those who want to hike the Inca Trail |
Inca Trail Express (4 days)
Four day trek to Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail |
| Sacred Valley + Inca Trail (5days) One of the most famous treks in the world |
Classic Inca Trail (10 days)
Cusco, Sacred Valley, 4 day trek to Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail |
Lares Trek (10 days)
Cusco, Sacred Valley, 4 day trek to Machu Picchu on the Lares route |
Salkantay Trek (13 days),Cusco, Sacred Valley, 7 day trek on Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu |
Ausangate Trek (15 days)
Cusco, Machu Picchu visit, 6 day trek along Ausangate mountain route |
Choquequiraw Trek (17 days)
Cusco, Sacred Valley, 8 day trek via Choquequiraw trail to Machu Picchu |
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Machu Picchu JUNGLE TOURS |
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Machu Picchu TITICACA TOURS |
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Perú Info |
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Mother Earth Tours’ packages explore many of Peru’s most memorable sights and places. Below you’ll find information about some of the places you’ll visit on our treks and tours. If you have specific questions about the destinations in any of our packages, please contact us for more information. |
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CUSCO AND THE SACRED VALLEY |
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Cusco |
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Located at an altitude of 3,360m above sea level, Cusco was referred to as the 'Navel of the World' and the ancient capital of the Incan Empire. In 1983 it was placed on the World Cultural Heritage List by UNESCO in 1983, and is without a doubt one of the most important destinations in South America. Where else in the entire continent can you easily reach the ruins of an amazing culture. The first thing that hits the newly arrived visitor to Cusco is the Inca walls which have survived the test of time. This, contrasted with colonial style and the modern western world helps give Cusco a special charm and beauty all of its own. |
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Machupicchu |
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Machu Picchu was an Inca settlement and was built in the 15th century. It is the most important pre-Hispanic archaeological site in Peru. This magnificent city is considered the most important vestige of the Inca culture, in terms of its architecture, engineering, urban planning, agricultural system and Andean religion and spirituality. Although it sounds a cliché, seeing the great city in the clouds is a truly humbling experience. |
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Sacred Valley |
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The Sacred Valley or Valle Sagrado is an incomparably beautiful stretch of small villages and ancient ruins, set in a fertile plain. The magnificent Inca ruins found from Pisaq to Ollantaytambo are some of the finest not only in Peru, but also in all of the Americas. Visitors can enjoy colonial era villages, local markets, traditional handcrafts and local homes, and get a real feel for the Andean way of life. Local establishments serve chicha (the fermented corn beer drunk by the Incas which is still the traditional beverage in this part of the Peruvian Andes). |
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Highlights |
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Saqsayhuamán - Located on a steep hill that overlooks the city of Cusco. The complex was expanded during the Inca period of Imperial rule and has now become one of the most famous archaeological sites in the Americas. Due to its location and immense terrace walls, Saqsayhuamán is frequently referred to as a fortress. Now, each year on June 24th Saqsayhuamán is where the celebrations of Inti Raymi (Sun festival) are performed. |
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Cathedral of Cuzco - The Catedral del Cusco is one of the largest cathedrals in Latin America. It is considered to be a museum of art, because of the incredible quantity of art work, gold and silver work, paintings and wood carvings. These works were principally created by local artists, who belonged to the Escuela Cuzqueña (Cuzco School of Art), founded during the 17th century by local artists. |
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Qorikancha - Temple of the Sun - Koricancha is a classic example of the fusion of Inca and Western cultures, and was one of the most important temples in the Tahuantinsuyu. Its finely polished stone walls were used as the foundations of the Convent of Santo Domingo. The temple, whose walls were said to have been sheathed in gold and silver, was dedicated to sun worship. |
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Pisaq - Is located 33 km to the east of Cuzco. This archaeological site is one of the most important of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and is constructed in the highest part of a mountain. People can travel to the site on a paved road. Pisaq, Incan town, includes hundreds of agricultural terraces, temples, living areas, and store houses; all of which were constructed with both fine and coarse architecture. Many people visit Pisaq to see the market on Sunday, but there are smaller markets on both Tuesday and Thursday. Pisaq is a pretty village and has plenty of small handicraft shops and is worth a visit on any day of the week. |
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Ollantaytambo - It is located 62 km to the northwest of Cuzco. The town of Ollantaytambo is the only currently inhabited Incan city in Peru. It is an important tourist attraction because of the Incan buildings showing strengthened characteristics and because it is located near the train station to Machu Picchu. |
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Chinchero - is a small Andean Indian village located high up on the windswept plains of Anta about 30km from Cusco. There are beautiful views overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the snow-capped peak of Salkantay dominating the western horizon. Its major claim to tourism is a precious colonial Church, constructed in the 17th century on the foundations of an Incan temple. Both the interior and exterior of the Church are decorated with colourful murals, painted by a local artist from the Cuzqueña Art School. Its Sunday market is much less tourist-orientated than the market at Pisaq. |
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Tipón - is a city of beautiful royal rooms and great water fountains is another one of the most important architectural complexes found in Cusco. This old town is located 23 km. southeast of the Inca capital. |
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Maras Salt Mines - Maras is the name of a colonial village, located one hour northwest of Cuzco. The salt mines are located just a few minutes from town, and consist of over 4,000 small water pans, built on a mountain slope. During the dry season, these pans fill with salt water that flows from a nearby saltwater spring. When the water evaporates, the salt solidifies gradually. |
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Moray - Located at 53 km northwest of Cusco, Moray consists of a natural depression which has been transformed three sets of concentric circular terrace. These terraces once served as an Incan agricultural research. The temperature varies between terraces at difference levels, which would have facilitated the selection of crop strains for cultivation in different areas of the Inca empire with its many ecosystems. |
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Andahuaylillas Colonial Church - The town of Andahuaylillas is located 40 km southeast of Cuzco. Andahuaylilla’s main square is decorated with native trees “Pisonay” and is the setting of an impressive Jesuit Church built on top of an Incan temple during the seventeenth century. The Church shows modest architecture, which is the type of classical architecture used in the churches constructed in small towns. It is considered the Sistine Chapel of America and the Andes, due to the quality of the artwork found within it. |
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Temperature |
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Cusco has a subtropical highland climate. Its climate is generally dry and temperate, with two defined seasons. The dry season lasts from April through October, with abundant sunshine, and occasional night-time freezes: July is the coolest month with an average of 9.6 °C (49.3 °F). The wet season lasts from November to March, with night frost less common: November averages 13.4 °C (56.1 °F). Although frost and hail are common, snow is virtually unheard of. The only-one snowfall was recorded in June 1911.
Cusco was found in 2006 to be the spot on Earth with the highest ultraviolet light level.
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Rainfall |
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Cusco receives on average 812 mm of precipitation annually or 68 mm each month. On balance there are 154 days annually on which greater than 0.1 mm (0.004 in) of precipitation (rain, sleet, snow or hail) occurrs or 13 days on an average month. The month with the driest weather is June & July when on balance 5 mm of rainfall occurrs. The month with the wettest weather is January when on balance 163 mm of rain, sleet, hail or snow falls across 25 days. |
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Map |
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