Cusco, Machu Picchu & Amazon 8D

Sacsayhuamán is one of the most amazing buildings in the world. One thinks that it began to be constructed during the government of Inca Pachacutec in century XV. It is believed that more than 20 thousand men extracted the stones from the nearby quarries and moved it 20 kilometers to the hill of the city of Cusco. Today, it is estimated that Sacsayhuaman retains only 40 percent of its old structure. Even so, the site has structures of up to 125 tons of weight. How the Incas built Sacsayhuaman with structures of an unlikely weight and size for the time? Many questions are still a mystery. There lies the beauty of this archaeological site.

The Incan Empire was completely destroyed by European forces in the 16th century. Many of their massive temples, fortresses and cities were left standing, but without any clues as to their purpose. Qenqo Temple, fifteen minutes from Cusco is similarly mysterious and a dark account has formed in the historical vacuum. In Quechua, Qenqo means labyrinth or zig-zag and the temple is named for the crooked canal cut out of its rock. Although it is clear the canal carried some sort of liquid, researchers have been forced to guess at its purpose, and at what liquid it transported. Hypotheses range from carrying holy water, chicha (corn beer), or blood. All three indicate that Qenqo was used for death rituals, possibly to embalm bodies or detect whether a person lived a good life by the course the liquid followed. Qenqo is a unique temple in its construction as well, having been entirely carved out of a gigantic monolith. Stretched across a hillside, the temple is carved out of rock and marries the man-made tunnels with natural chambers. One of these chambers features 19 small niches and is set up as an amphitheater. Once again, the purpose of the theater has been lost over time, but most agree the area was used for some type of sacrifice to the sun, moon and star gods who were worshipped at the site. From the information available, it appears Qenqo Temple was an extremely holy site for the Incas. Their dead were judged and possibly embalmed in Qenqo’s winding tunnels, and blood sacrifices were offered to the heavenly gods. Despite the probable grisly purpose of the temple, its carved tunnels and chambers are an amazing work of ancient architecture, and a trip to Qenqo is sure to turn the wheels of mystery inside every visitor.

The complex holds numerous halls, inner plazas, aqueducts, watchtowers and paths. Its role would have been a "tambo" or a place of rest and lodging. According to legend, each time the Inca visited Tambomachay, he was accompanied by a large retinue that stayed in Puka Pukara. Its fortified appearance led to it being called a fortress.

4.5 miles northeast of Cusco stands Tambomachay. At 12,350 feet above sea level, the architecture of this Inca bath consists of a group of structures built with precisely cut stones. Water from nearby streams runs through the site in aqueducts and small cascades. Tambomachay was linked to the veneration of water, an important element in the Andean world view. For that reason, it has two aqueducts with artistic engravings in the rock that transport and supply a constant flow of clean water all year round. Its name, which means "place of rest," leads experts to believe the Inca came to this bath to rest. Today it is one of the best hiking routes because it offers tourists an adventure amid fascinating natural scenery.

The town of Maras lies 40km (25 miles) north-west of Cusco just off the Cusco. The town is best known for its nearby salt evaporation pool which lie less than a kilometre north. The salt pans are well worth a visit, they are certainly unusual and there's nothing else quite like them anywhere else. They date back to pre-Inca times and are still being worked today. Warm salty water appears from a natural spring in the side of the mountain and is cleverly directed into hundreds of shallow terraced ponds via an intricate system of narrow channels. The flow in and out of these ponds is carefully controlled by the workers. When the water becomes supersaturated with salt the flow of water into the pond is closed off and the pond allowed to dry out in the sun, leaving behind a deposit of salt crystals. The salt is then collected by hand into sacks. Each salt pond is managed by a separate family from the local community. However, after the salt is collected, it is then sold cooperatively.

Moray is a fascinating archaeological site which lies approximately 45km (28 miles) north-west of Cusco and about 6km (4 miles) west of the village of Maras. The site consists of several enormous circular depressions made from concentric circular stone terraces which diminish in size towards the middle in a similar fashion to an amphitheatre. The largest depression is almost 30m deep. The purpose of these structures is uncertain but their design and orientation create a range of micro-climates with temperature differences of as much as 15 C (27 F) between the top and bottom terrace. Experts have suggested that Moray may have been some kind of Inca agricultural experimental station to study the effects of the different climatic conditions on crops and possibly helping to domesticate and acclimatize certain crops for use at high altitudes. Crops from warmer climates could have been planted in the lower terraces which are warmer and more protected from cold winds and frosts.

We will stop here for lunch

Ollantaytambo is an attractive little town located at the western end of the Sacred Valley (about two and a half hours by bus from Cusco). The town has been built on top of original Inca foundations and is the best surviving example of Inca town planning. The town is divided in canchas (blocks) which are almost entirely intact. Each cancha has only one entrance (usually a huge stone doorway) which leads into a central courtyard. The houses surround the courtyard. Good examples of this construction can be found behind the main plaza. From Ollantaytambo, we will take the train to Aguas Calientes(Machu Picchu Town).

Upon reaching Aguas Calientes town, our representative will meet you at the train station and transfer you to the hotel.

After breakfast, early in the morning we will go up by bus to Machu Picchu entering in the first turn. We will have a guide tour for two hours, and then you can go as long as you want. In the afternoon we return by bus to Aguas Calientes, from Aguas Calientes we will take the return train to Ollantaytambo, from Ollantaytambo by bus to the city of Cusco, and finally to the hotel

We will leave Cusco in our mini-van, ascending to the folkloric town of Paucartambo. On the way we will visit the pre Incan funeral towers of Ninamarca. Then we will drive through the impressive cloud forest full of plants and beautiful orchids, here we will take our first hike and we would have the chance to see the country’s national bird- Andean cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola Peruvana), monkeys and many different species of birds. In the evening we will arrive at the Bambu lodge, where you will be accommodated in a typical ensuite room.

In the morning after breakfast, we will board a bus to the port of Atalaya, where will travel by a motor boat to Soga de oro Lodge, up the Madre de Dios river (40 minutes ). You can swim in the river. In our journey you will see stunning landscapes. You will also enjoy a warm climate of the tropical rain forest. In the afternoon we will walk around and explore the jungle for few hours and try to spot caimans (Caiman Crocodiles), birds and medicinal plants. We will then head back to our lodge, where we will spend the night.

On this day, we will walk around in the morning and see giant trees, medicinal plants, orchids and some big mammals like tapirs. We will cross the river in the afternoon and walk for about 30 minutes to the Lake Machuwasi where we will spot the largest rodent in the world -Capybara (Hidrochaeris), caymans and birds. At night we will walk into the lush forest to spot some typical frogs, toads, insects, bats and snakes. We will spend the night in a typical lodge where you will be accommodated in an ensuite room.

After breakfast, we will pack our belongings and would board the mini-van back to Cusco.

Then we will drive through the South Valley. The drive takes around 3 hours to get Hanchipacha community where we will stop for breakfast. We will then drive for 15 minutes to Quesiuno community (4,326 m / 14,189 ft.), where we will start the trek for 3 hours approx. to the rainbow mountain (most of the way is going up). On the way up will be rewarded with breath taking sights of herds of alpacas and llamas, the Ausangate Mountain, many red mountains and traditional local houses. When we finally reach our destination, the Rainbow Mountains (5,020 m / 16,466 ft.), you will have time to explore the area and take pictures. We will spend approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on your trekking speed and weather conditions).After the spectacular sights from the top we will go down to the starting point, that will take approximately 2 hours. (Quesiuno community) from where we will take the transport to Hanchipacha community to have lunch. Then we will start our journey back to Cusco.