Machu Picchu Extension

Machu Picchu Extension moderate Cost: US$1795, Approx. C$2155 2005 Departure October 26 Audrey Nowicki - Quest Expedition Cruise sales Manager Audrey has been working for Quest's for five years, and is currently the Sales Team Leader. Her expertise has been developed as a participant in a number of our voyages of discovery. Her clients appreciate her attention to detail and her friendly, professional approach.          On this one-week trip, you’ll tour two of the most interesting cities in South America, Lima and Cusco, as well as the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Machu Picchu. As well, you will explore the most important Inca ruins in the Andes, such as Sacsayhuamán, Ollantaytambo, and the Lost City of Machu Picchu. While moving through the country, you will be able to visit craft shops, extraordinary museums and also have a wonderful opportunity to stroll through village markets where ancient traditions live on in the hearts of the Andean people. MACHU PICCHU EXTENSION Itinerary (B –Breakfast, L – Lunch, D – Dinner) Day 1 Wednesday Arrival in Lima, Peru On arrival in Lima, Peru from your departure point in North America, you will be met by our guide and taken to your hotel. o/n Hotel Faraona, Lima Day 2 Thursday Journey to Cusco You will be picked up at your hotel and driven to the airport for the flight to Cusco, the archaeological capital of South America. You will be met on arrival and taken to your hotel where you will be able to relax and acclimatize yourself to the high altitude of this Inca city (3400m / 11,200ft). o/n Emperador Plaza, Cusco (B, L, D) Day 3 Friday Cusco City Tour Andean history comes alive as you take a formal city tour to explore Cusco, the fascinating capital of the Inca Empire in the 15th and 16th Centuries. Quechua speaking descendants of the Incas fill the streets and markets, colonial churches sit atop bases of smooth stonework laid centuries before the Conquistadors, and campesinos (Peru's rural farmers) in colourful dress move busily back and forth across the plazas. You’ll also venture out of town to the nearby ruins of the fortress Sacsayhuaman and the ceremonial centres of Kenko and Tambomachay. o/n Emperador Plaza, Cusco (B, L, D) Day 4 Saturday Sacred Valley of the Incas Today, you’ll have a wonderful drive to Urubamba, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, to visit Pisac ruins. After a steep climb, you will see terraces, houses, a large group of temples, rock altars and the remnants of a solar calendar that was used by priests to determine seasons and organize the agricultural production of the adjacent valleys. Lunch will be en route. In the afternoon, we arrive in Ollantaytambo, a city located in the far-western part of the Urubamba Valley, just 97km from Cusco. This archaeological complex was a gigantic agricultural, administrative, social, religious and military centre in the era of the Tahuantinsuyo. The Spaniards called it the Fortress of Ollantaytambo. You will have a guided tour of the city and be able to observe the distinctly pre-Hispanic architectural style of its streets and squares, with enormous polyhedrons forming the walls and trapezoidal doors of temples and palaces. The urban distribution was set along rectilinear and narrow streets that have been inhabited constantly by natives since the Incas' time. o/n Casona Yucay, Ollantaytambo (B, L, D) ,b>Day 5 Sunday The Lost City of the Incas - Machu Picchu After breakfast, you will be taken to Ollanta train station. You will depart for Machu Picchu on the Vistadome train, this morning, for the two-hour ride to Puentes Ruinas, from where the buses leave for the Machu Picchu Citadel. You’ll tour the ruins with your guide and then have lunch at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. You’ll spend the night at the El Pueblo Machu Picchu Hotel, at Aguas Calientes, where you can enjoy the orchid garden and the nearby hot springs. o/n El Pueblo Machu Picchu Hotel, Machu Picchu (B, L, D) Day 6 Monday Machu Picchu & Return to Cusco After breakfast, you will have another chance to explore the ruins at your own pace. Lunch is included at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. This afternoon, you will return to Aguas Calientes to board the train for your return to Cusco. You will be met and taken to the same hotel as before. o/n Emperador Plaza, Cusco (B, L, D) Day 7 Tuesday Cusco to Lima This morning you will fly back to Lima where you will stay for one night. On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will have a guided city tour that will include visits to Huaca Huallamarca, a restored adobe temple and the Gold Museum. The Gold Museum has a magnificent collection of ancient Peruvian art treasures of gold, silver and ceramic; including necklaces, funerary masks, sceptres, ceremonial cups, tumis (sacrificial knives), nose rings, earrings and idols. o/n Hotel Faraona, Lima (B, L, D) Day 8 Wednesday Lima, Peru to Quito, Ecuador You will be transferred to the airport where you will board your flight to Quito, Ecuador. On arrival, you will be taken to the Grand Hotel Mercure, where you’ll join the rest of the Quest Galapagos group. Tour Itinerary Day 1 Arrive Lima Day 2 Journey to Cusco Day 3 Cusco city tour Day 4 Sacred Valley of the Incas Day 5 The Lost City of the Incas: Machu Picchu Day 6 Machu Picchu and return to Cusco Day 7 Cusco to Lima Day 8 Lima to Quito Tour Information Leader:   Length: 8 days Limit: 16 Departing: Lima Cost: US$1795, Approx. C$2155 Deposit: US$500, Approx. C$600 Note: We will send a Quest leader wuith 6 participants   2005 Departure October 26 2006 Departure February 8 October 25