Sacred Valley & One-Day Inca Trail Trek

• Six nights in hotels
• Group normally 4 to 16, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
• Travel by private bus and by train
• Airport transfers included

All breakfasts and two lunches are included in the price of the tour. Peruvian cuisine has developed a reputation for its flavours and originality and it’s well worth trying a few of 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 such as the delicious quinoa soup. Other dishes include roasted cuy (guinea pig), alpaca steak and, to drink, the national beverage: pisco sour. Drinking water is included throughout the trip as the tap water in Peru is not safe to drink; your leader buys large water containers for you to refill your bottle from. Hotel breakfasts are normally simple buffets, usually including bread/toast and jam, cereal, sometimes eggs or cooked dishes, sometimes fruit, tea/coffee and fruit juice. Regrettably, we cannot guarantee that wheat-/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, we visit a variety of cafes and restaurants.

The diverse geography of Peru results in a climate that varies greatly by both region and season.

Cuzco and the Andes have a temperate climate. December to March is the rainy season in Cuzco/the Andes and April to November is the dry season, characterised by clear skies and strong sunshine in the mornings, sometimes clouding over as the day progresses. Daytime temperatures are usually pleasant (approximately 20C/68F on average) but night times only 5C-10C (41F-50F), except for May, June, July and August when days are cooler and nights are often close to, or a few degrees below, freezing. In the Andes, anything is possible at any time of year, including cloud, rain or even snow, with rapid and unexpected changes.

Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu are in the cloud forest and, as such, attract large amounts of precipitation all year as clouds move up from the Amazon Basin. Rain here can be heavy but is seldom prolonged. Cold fronts sometimes occur from July to August.

Peru is affected by El Niño weather phenomenon whereby warming of Pacific Ocean surface water off South America drives a shift in the atmospheric circulation, resulting in abnormally high levels of rainfall over parts of South America. These events occur at irregular intervals of two to seven years, and last nine months to two years. A strong El Niño event occurred in 2014-16.

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Leisurely/Moderate) – please refer to our Activity Level guidelines. Anyone of reasonable fitness and with prior walking experience should find no real difficulties. No experience of trekking at altitude is required.

Please note, it is essential you read the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu regulations in the Important Information section of the Trip Notes before you book this trip.

As this trip spends considerable time at altitude in Cuzco, we ask you to refer to the altitude warning in the Trip Notes. All our itineraries have built-in acclimatisation days before starting our Inca Trail treks.

Walking hours stated within the itinerary are given as approximates only. Timings stated include lunch and photo stops and vary depending on the group’s pace.