Day 1: Arrive Lima (Overnight in Lima hotel). Transfer to hotel.  The rest of the day is free to relax.

Day 2: Cusco (Overnight Cusco): Fly from Lima to Cusco and meet with your tour leader.  Transfer to hotel.  The rest of the day is free to relax and acclimatise.  Take a look round Cusco’s beautiful Main Square with its colonial architecture or take an optional city tour (this can be arranged by your tour leader). 

Day 3: Sacred Valley Tour (Overnight Ollantaytambo): Travel through the Sacred Valley and visit the towns and Inca ruins of Pisaq and Ollantaytambo.  Get a chance to learn a little about the local people, their way of life and their traditional weaving techniques.

Day 4: Start the Inca Trail: Depart from Km 82 and cross the Urubamba River Bridge and begin our walk in the footsteps of the Incas.  We travel along the winding path that skirts the river, offering views of the Vilcanota mountain range.  Our route journeys through the narrow Cusishaca valley and later we’ll reach the indigenous community of Huayllabamba.  Our local crew of porters cook and guide look after us well for the duration of the hike.  Porters carry the majority of the gear for the hike, so those passengers doing the hike only need carry a small daypack for the daily essentials.  We camp at Wayllabamba.  Approx. walking time 5 hours 

Day 5: On the second day we climb the long steep path to Warmiwañusca, or Dead Woman’s Pass. Don’t be put off by the name – with your guide’s encouragement you’ll make it to the top and enjoy the fantastic view that awaits you!  At 4215 m (13769 ft) above sea level, this pass is the highest point of the trek. The second pass of the hike is Runcuracay (3998 m)(13113 ft) where on clear days, we enjoy superb views of the snow-capped Cordillera Vilcabamba.  Tonight we camp at Pacaymayo.  Approx. walking time 7 hours 

Day 6: Today the trail goes through some beautiful cloud forest on a climb which is steeper than Dead Woman’s Pass but shorter (1 ½ hours), you will walk through a causeway and a tunnel, both original Inca constructions. The highest point of the third pass is at 3700m (12136 ft). On clear days you are rewarded for all this work with beautiful views of the Urubamba Valley below.  Soon you reach the serene ruins of Phuyupatamarca, or the 'Town above the Clouds', at about 3650 m (11972 ft) above sea level. We camp for the final night close to Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young) ruins, a grandiose terraced hillside site, with panoramic views of the valley below and just a short hike from Machu Picchu. Approx. walking time 8 - 9 hours.

Day 7: Arrive at Machu Picchu (Overnight Cusco): Today we visit the remarkable Machu Picchu. There is no way to describe the feeling of the first views of Machu Picchu, as the mist rises off the mountains early in the morning and the famous ruin appears in front of you.  It may be called the Sun Gate but bear in mind we are in the cloud forest and sometimes “Cloud Gate” would be a more suitable name.  The morning is dedicated to exploring the extraordinary site of Machu Picchu, where your guide will be on hand to explain and give you an insight into the life of the Incas at Machu Picchu.  For the keen, there’s also the opportunity to climb the sacred peak of Huaya Picchu. In the afternoon, we take the train from Aguas Calientes back to Cusco.  Approx. walking time 2 hours.