SHORT INKA TRAIL + RAINBOW MOUNTAIN 3D/2N
SHORT INCA TRAIL
Most of the time the classic inca trail is full but Destiny Cusco Adventures has another option for you, in this case you can do part of the classic inca trail but only in two days and you will have the chance to see Machu Picchu twice. So this is an alternative trail to Machu Picchu following an original inca trail and get in there by the famous sungate where you will get the first view of this amazing place. Besides you have the option to mix the short Inca Trail with other tours.
itinerary
DAY 1: Km 104 – Wiñaywayna - Machupicchu
In our first day we start very early in the morning (04:00 am) we pick you up from your hotel and then we go driving from Cusco to Ollantaytambo station for taking the train. You must know that at this time is going to be dark so we can sleep in the car because the driving is about 2 hours. Once we get into Ollantaytambo station, depending what time we arrive here, we can get something to eat for breakfast which is not included. Then we take the train which is going to drop us off in the 104 km which is the beginning of the inca trail. Once we get in, we will feel a different weather in the area because it is lower altitude (2100 m.a.s.l/6889 ft.) than Cusco (3400 m.a.s.l/11154 ft.). We start our hiking for 5 or 6 hours until Machu Picchu,and you must know that the first part will be for 3 to 4 hours uphill till Wiñaywayna archaeological site (2666 m.a.s.l/8746 ft.)considered the hardest part of our hike, in the way our guide is going to explain the local flora and fauna that lives in this environment but the temperature in the area is changing fast and depending in the season that you come here we could have warm temperatures, but in the raining season is fresh but we get wet easily. We have also the chance to see other archaeological sites like, Choquesuysuy, Chachabamba and Intipata which are part of the landscape as well. After getting in Wiñaywayna the way becomes much easier because we don’t have that much uphill, still but is nothing compared with the first part. Then after 1:30 minutes of hiking we reach the highest altitude in the tour and also the view will be worth it cause we will arrive at the famous Sungate (2700 m.a.s.l/8858 ft.) and see from there the whole area of Machu Picchu. We have time for taking pictures here and then finish with the hike going down around 40 minutes to the main spot for taking the famous picture of Machu Picchu with not many people because at this time it is less crowded . By the end of the day we will take a bus down to Aguas Calientes town for 25 minutes and rest in our hotel before getting dinner. We expect to arrive here around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, depending how fast are you walking the time could change, sometimes people are well prepared that they spend less time or taking longer time cause you can’t be that fit, anyway you have to know this is not a competition so we will take our time and stop in different spots for taking different views.
DAY 2: Aguas Calientes - Machupichu - Cusco
Finally, on our last day we will see Machu Picchu again so we need to wake up early to see the sunrise but that means to start around 05:00 am because we have to queue for taking the bus which is only 25 minutes or you can decide for a later time because when you do the short inca trail you have the option to decide a time for getting in Machu Picchu Archeological site. But if your plan is to get nice views from Machu Picchu you have to start early in the morning when we can see how this place gets clear little by little and feel the magic environment that surrounds this place, then see the most important temples of this huge archeological site like the sun temple, the quarries, houses and sacred areas for incas. In the afternoon we go back to the town by bus and have another chance to visit the hot springs or the craft market. At the end of the day, you will take the train back from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo where the driver is waiting to bring you back to Cusco and we drop you off at your hotel where the tour ends. This last journey will take 3 hours from Aguas Calientes to Cusco city.
DAY 3: RAINBOW MOUNTAIN
Early in the morning we pick you up from your hotel at 4:30 am and drive for two hours to Cusipata village where we will have breakfast in a local restaurant. We stop for 30 minutes here, for stretching our feet, using toilets and to get some snacks before going to the rainbow mountain. Once we finish breakfast, we continue for one more hour in the car to the starting point of the hike. We start walking around 4800 m.a.s.l/15748 ft. for two hours, so means that here is very cold and we need to dress warm clothes, but once we start the hike to the Rainbow mountain in a sunny day, you will take off some clothes because gets warm but when gets cloudy is cold again. That's why the weather in the Andes is considered very unstable, sometimes it could be rainy for a while but we recommend bringing good equipment for enjoying the hike. In the way up you will enjoy the view which is surrounded by snow capped mountains, alpacas walking in the way, local birds and if we have luck we can find condors (Andean bird) or vicuñas which are from the same family of alpacas and llamas, very strange to see but sometimes they appear on the distance and that would and awesome experience. Once we get to the summit (5030 m.a.s.l/16502 ft.) we get from there the best views of the Rainbow mountain and we see the highest mountain of Cusco city, Ausangate mountain (6385 m.a.s.l/ 20948 ft). After getting the pictures we start going down, back to the car for 1 hour, then we drive to our restaurant in Cusipata village for 1 hour as well and have a buffet lunch before going to Cusco city. We arrive in Cusco city around 5:00 pm to 6 pm and we drop you off close to the main square of Cusco city.