Compare Inca Encounter by Intrepid Travel vs Amazon, Inca Trail and Machu Picchu by Audley Travel

Day 1 Lima

Bienvenidos! Welcome to Lima, Peru. On arrival at Lima's Jorge Chavez International Airport, you'll be transferred to your hotel in the well-known coastal suburb of Miraflores. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 2 pm where you'll meet your tour leader and travel group. From here, you’ll jump on public transport and head downtown for a guided walking tour of the city's historical centre. Take in the ornate spectacle of the colonial mansions, palaces and churches that line the streets, pay a visit to the San Francisco Monastery and its catacombs, and browse the fresh produce on offer at Lima's central market. Your walking tour wraps up in Lima's main square, with the rest of the day free to do as you wish. Perhaps head out for dinner with the group – your leader will have plenty of local recommendations.

Day 2 Amazon Jungle

Rise and shine early today for your journey into the wilds of the Peruvian Amazon. Take an early morning transfer to Lima airport, then board a flight to Puerto Maldonado. From here, you’ll board a motorised canoe and cruise deep into the jungle. The journey to your eco-lodge in the Madre de Dios region will take around three hours, and you'll be given a packed lunch on the way. Arrive and settle in to your thatched-roof lodge before a short orientation walk of the area close-by. Spend the evening getting acquainted with the sights and smells of the jungle and fall asleep to the sounds of nature.

Day 3 Amazon Jungle

Get ready for an unforgettable day exploring the depths of the Amazon Jungle. Set out on a half-day walk guided by local experts on the area's flora and fauna. Learn from your guides about the medicinal and practical uses for some of the plants that grow here, which Indigenous people have been studying and using for thousands of years. On your walk, keep an eye out for rainbow coloured macaws and butterflies, and listen for the barking call of the peccaries and chattering of monkeys that call the jungle home. This part of the Amazon is also known to house capybaras, giant otters and jabirus, so keep your eyes peeled for these creatures. Return to the lodge for lunch and some free time to relax. Once the sun goes down, venture out on a night walk in search of some of the jungle's nocturnal inhabitants.  

Day 4 Cusco

Leave behind the natural wonders of the Amazon for the man-made wonders of Cusco today. Return to Puerto Maldonado on a three-hour canoe ride to collect your luggage, then take a flight to the lofty city. When you arrive, get acquainted with Cusco during an orientation walk with your leader. This evening, you may like to head out for dinner with your fellow travellers – your leader can recommend some great local places to grab a meal. If you're feeling adventurous, why not try one of the many establishments serving up cuy, which you might know by the English name of guinea pig.

Day 5 Sacred Valley - Ollantaytambo

Start the day with a visit to Sacsayhuaman – the archaeological site of an Incan citadel on the outskirts of Cusco. Travel by private bus through the Sacred Valley. Known as Wilcamayo to the Incas, the valley has been a source of livelihood to the locals for hundreds of years. You’ll see maize crops covering the terraced valley walls and the sacred river beneath. Along the way, you'll stop for coffee and cake at a restaurant that gives single mothers from the Sacred Valley (who often struggle to find work that allows them to care for their children) job opportunities and a chance to earn an income. Here, you can tuck into sweet treats made from local, organic produce. Then continue on to your next stop – the Huilloq community above Ollantaytambo. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any tourists in this village. You’ll get a chance to meet the locals and learn about their traditional textile weaving and join in on an offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth) before enjoying lunch together. In the afternoon you’ll continue to your final stop for the evening – Ollantaytambo, where you’ll visit the town’s archaeological site of ancient Incan ruins.

Day 6 Inca Trail / Inca Quarry Trail or Train option

Depending on the travel arrangements you made before the trip, during the next four days you’ll be doing one of the following: hiking the Inca Trail (Route 1), hiking the Quarry Trail (Route 2) or staying in Cusco for two days before taking the train to Aguas Calientes (Route 3). All routes visit Machu Picchu. While away from Cusco, the bulk of your luggage will be stored at your hotel. If you’re hiking the Inca Trail or the Quarry Trail, the evening before you leave Cusco you'll receive a small duffle bag to carry your clothes in for the next four days (5 kg maximum). Your team of porters will carry these bags for you, together with the food and equipment for the trail. You won't have access to these items until the end of each day, as the porters will always be ahead of the group. If you’re travelling to Aguas Calientes by train, you'll be able to leave most of your luggage at the hotel in Cusco and travel with only a small bag for the overnight stay in Aguas Calientes. Route 1 Inca Trail Today travel by minivan to the 82 km marker and meet your crew of local porters, cook and guide. The first day includes uphill trekking to the campsite, which is at 3100 m above sea level. On the way you’ll see the Inca sites of Ollantaytambo, Huillca Raccay and Llactapata, as well as incredible views of snow-capped Veronica Peak. In the evening, unwind at the campsite with a nourishing meal prepared by your cook. Route 2 Quarry Trail Make an early start today and drive to Choquequilla, a small ceremonial place where Incas worshipped the moon. Drive to the starting point of the trek, Rafq'a, and meet the horsemen who join us on the hike. After an hour’s walk, reach the small community of Socma. Carry on to the Perolniyoc Cascade lookout, an opportunity to stop for photos and a food break. Continue to the campsite, which is 3700 m above sea level. You should reach the campsite around lunchtime. After lunch, set off to explore the Q'orimarca archaeological site, which once served as a checkpoint to the Incas. Route 3 Cusco For those travellers not hiking, today you visit the archaeological site of Chinceros, on the way back to Cusco. Your Intrepid leader travels with you and is at hand to provide recommendations for your time in Cusco.

Day 7 Inca Trail / Inca Quarry Trail or Train option

Route 1 Inca Trail This is the most challenging day of the trek as you ascend a long steep path (approximately 5 hours) to reach the highest point of the trail. Colloquially known as 'Dead Woman's Pass', Warmiwanusca sits at a height of 4200 m above sea level, providing amazing views of the valley below. The group will then descend to the campsite in the Pacaymayo Valley at 3650 m. Route 2 Quarry Trail This is the most challenging and rewarding day of the hike. A 3 hour walk takes you to the top of the first pass of Puccaqasa (approximately 4370 m high). After enjoying picturesque views of the valley, it’s a short walk before stopping for lunch. After, make the two-hour hike to Kuychicassa, the highest pass of the trek at 4450 m. From here, descend to the sacred site the Incas called Intipunku. This is a sun gate, where the sun will stream through at particular times of the year and there are views of the Nevado Veronica mountain year-round. The Incas built several sun gates, the most notable overlooking Machu Picchu. Head to the campsite, only a stone’s throw away and at 3600 m. Route 3 Cusco Enjoy a free day in Cusco, the heart and soul of Peru. You may like to purchase a boleto turistico, which allows entry to the city's many museums and archaeological sites. Ask your leader for their recommendations.

Day 8 Inca Trail / Inca Quarry Trail or Train option

Route 1 Inca Trail Start the day with a climb through the Pacaymayo Valley to Runkuracay Pass (3980 m). Enjoy views of the snow-capped mountain of Cordillera Vilcabamba before descending for around 2 to 3 hours to the ruins of Sayacmarca. Continue over the trail’s third pass to the ruins of Phuyupatamarca (3850 m), also known as 'Town Above the Clouds'. Start the 2 hour descent down the Inca steps to the final night's campsite by the Winay Wayna archaeological site. Route 2 Quarry Trail to Aguas Calientes Today’s hike will all be downhill. The first stop is the incomplete Kachiqata quarry, where the Incas were intercepted by the Spanish. Around midday, come to the end of the trek. Explore the cobbled streets of Ollantaytambo before taking the short train journey to Aguas Calientes. This is where you’ll meet up with the travellers in your group who didn't hike. Spend the night in a comfortable hotel before tomorrow’s visit to Machu Picchu. Route 3 Train to Aguas Calientes After a 1.5 hour drive to Ollantaytambo, catch a train through the winding Urubamba Valley to Aguas Calientes (another 1.5 hours). The city is nestled in the cloud forest at the foot of Machu Picchu. This is where you’ll meet up with the travellers in your group who hiked the Quarry Trail. Spend the night in a comfortable hotel before tomorrow’s visit to Machu Picchu.

Day 9 Machu Picchu/Cusco

Route 1 Inca Trail This is the final and most spectacular leg of the trek to Machu Picchu. The day starts before dawn with breakfast at 4 am. Say farewell to the porters as they descend to the train station and then begin hiking by 4.30 am. Once the final checkpoint opens at 5 am, begin the final leg of the trek. The walk to Intipunku (the Sun Gate) takes around 2.5 hours. Weather permitting, enjoy unforgettable views over the ‘Lost City of the Incas’ as you enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate. Route 2 Machu Picchu to Cusco Take an early bus up to Machu Picchu at 5.30 am. The city was built around 1440 AD as a country retreat for Incan nobility, but there’s evidence that the land had been a sacred Incan site for much longer. Take a guided tour around the ruins of temples, palaces and living quarters. Route 3 Machu Picchu to Cusco Take an early bus up to Machu Picchu at 5.30 am. The city was built around 1440 AD as a country retreat for Incan nobility, but there’s evidence that the land had been a sacred Incan site for much longer. Take a guided tour around the ruins of temples, palaces and living quarters. For all travellers, after taking advantage of the seemingly endless photo opportunities, it's time to catch the bus to Aguas Calientes where you’ll stop for lunch together. From here, take a scenic train ride to Ollantaytambo, then drive back to Cusco, arriving in the evening.

Day 10 Cusco

Your Inca Encounter comes to an end after breakfast this morning. There are no activities planned for the final day.

Day 1 : International outbound flight

Today you begin your journey by boarding your international outbound flight to Lima.

Day 2 : Hacienda Concepcion

On arriving in Lima, take a connecting flight to Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to the Southern Amazon. The flight lasts just over an hour and a half. You'll be met at the airport by a representative from your lodge and board a motorised canoe with a few fellow guests. Travel for approximately half an hour by river to reach your lodge. You may wish to rest and relax on arrival at the lodge, but if there's time, you may start on the lodge's programme of activities that evening.

Day 3 : Hacienda Concepcion

Today take part in different activities with your lodge guides. You may explore one of the trails through the rainforest, seeing a cacao plantation, bread fruit trees, and rubber trees. After lunch back at the lodge and some time spent relaxing, at dusk you take a canoe trip on the river, learning about its ecosystems and the local nocturnal wildlife.

Day 4 : Hacienda Concepcion

This morning might see you visiting the oxbow Sandoval Lake, canoeing around it while your guide explains about its formation, the water palms and other vegetation that grows there, and the animals that live there. Keep an eye out for giant river otters and black caiman. In the afternoon, you may explore the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway, climbing towers into the canopy and crossing hanging bridges connecting the treetops.

Day 5 : Cuzco

Take a shared transfer by motorised canoe and road back to the airport at Puerto Maldonado in time to catch your onward flight to Cuzco. After the 50 minute flight you're met at the airport by your private guide and taken to your hotel by private transfer. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting accustomed to the altitude.

Day 6 : Cuzco

Enjoy a half day guided tour of Cuzco's historic central district and some nearby Inca ruins. Your private guide and driver pick you up at your hotel and your tour likely includes the following sites (although order may vary): Koricancha, an Inca Temple of the Sun turned conquistador church; the cathedral on Plaza de Armas; the ruins of the Inca ceremonial area in the hills surrounding the city, and Tambo Machay, an Inca fountain and bathing place. You have the afternoon at leisure: we suggest asking your driver to drop you in the arty San Blas district so you can browse its galleries.

Day 7 : Sacred Valley of Incas

Embark on a full day group guided trip into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Leaving your hotel early, your first stop may be the terraces and market of Pisac. Visit the sturdy ruins of Ollantaytambo, a former important administrative hub for the Incas, and look across the valley to see a carved face on the mountain opposite - believed to be a messenger from the gods. You stay in a hotel in the Sacred Valley tonight.

Day 8 : Sacred Valley of Incas

Today you start the Inca Trail. You're collected from your hotel and taken to the trailhead where you're given a briefing before starting the trek. Today is relatively gentle and should ease you into the trek. The trail follows the river through the valley before developing into an undulating path. You will be camping for the next three nights, but when you arrive into camp everything is ready and set up for you by your porters.

Day 9 : Sacred Valley of Incas

Today is often considered the hardest day on the trail: much of the day is spent climbing. But the views and the terrain is exciting. After traversing woodland and a small plateau, you reach treeless grasslands. As you climb to Dead Woman's Pass, the highest point on the trail at 4,200m (13,779 ft), you can look across to the snow-covered peaks of the Huayanay Massif. Camp tonight in a clearing in the Pacaymayo Valley.

Day 10 : Sacred Valley of Incas

You third full day on the Inca Trail brings more thrilling views today, and you also pass several small ruins as you walk down Inca staircases and through Inca tunnels. There's a fair amount of downhill today, which some people find harder than the climbs. You camp near Wiñay Wayna, a complex with numerous terraces. Sleep for the last time in your tent tonight.

Day 11 : Machu Picchu

The final day of the Inca trail. After an (extremely) early morning wake-up call, you climb to the Sun Gate and hike along a trail of flat paving before arriving at Machu Picchu. You then tour the ruins with the group and your guide. You have entrance tickets included for tomorrow, too, so you may wish to spend the afternoon relaxing in your hotel after the trek.

Day 12 : Cuzco

Today you have a free morning to further explore Machu Picchu at your own pace. Included are entrance tickets to hike Huayna Picchu, the mountain shaped like a witch's hat that overlooks the citadel. Alternatively, you could take a short walk to visit the Inca Bridge. This afternoon, take the train back to Cuzco where you're met by your private guide and driver and transferred to your hotel.

Day 13 : International return flight

From your hotel, take a private transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima, in time for your onward international connection.

Day 14 : International return flight

Arrive home today to complete your journey.