4-Day Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Tour (WWF)

This private tour starts in the morning and you will visit the highlights of the Sacred Valley. An English-speaking guide and transportation from the hotel are included.

The first stop (after possibly a few photo stops) is the Pisac market, where you can get all kinds of souvenirs like pottery, hats, alpaca textiles, musical instruments, paintings, antiques and jewellery. (If the altitude doesn’t affect you, you can also ascend to the archaeological site of Pisac, where you will observe terraces, aqueducts, water channels and enjoy beautiful views).

Your next stop will be at the Inkariy Museum, where you will have the opportunity to learn all about the pre-Columbian cultures of Peru. The tour will last around one hour, visiting eight rooms (for each of the eight great civilizations that Peru has known, in chronological order, with the Inca as last). You will first get a short explanation of each civilization and key points. Then in a large hall, you will enjoy some iconic scenes with stationary characters (puppets) and sound: a very beautiful, fun and original way to get to know the impressive history of Peru.

Along the way, you will have lunch (included). Afterwards, you will visit the beautiful Inca village of Ollantaytambo and its ruins. After the visit, your guide will show you how to get to your hotel in Ollantaytambo.

For the Standard option, we’ve chosen the Apu Lodge for you to stay in: a small hotel with a very nice garden and a view of the ruins all around. It is very quiet here, due to its location at the end of the historic center. You have to walk for a few minutes over bumpy cobblestone streets: cars are not allowed here. It has a small restaurant where you can also go in the evening if you do not want to go out anymore.

For the Superior Option, we hope to get you a Superior Room in El Albergue, which is at the very train station and has some beautiful gardens where thhey organically grow a lot of the food used in their excellent restaurant. It’s a short walk from the village center, if you want to go to another restaurant at night. 

From Ollantaytambo, you will take an early train to Aguas Calientes, the village below Machu Picchu. Together with your guide, you will then take the bus to the entrance of Machu Picchu.

Often referred to as “The Lost City of the Incas”, Machu Picchu is one of the most famous and spectacular sets of ruins in the world. It is located at 2,430 meters above the Urubamba river. The Incas started building it around AD 1430 as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti, strategically located between deep canyons and impressive mountains called Apus (Gods for the Incas), so it was a well hidden and well-protected fortress.

You will have a guided tour of Machu Picchu (duration: 2-2,5 hours). The same afternoon, after your visit, you will take the train back to the Sacred Valley and another night in Ollantaytambo.

Awamaki is a local organization of foreign artists who work with weaving villages in the mountains surrounding Ollantaytambo. They have a very nice shop in Ollantaytambo, where their handmade products can be found. These products are a great combination of local weaving skills, combined with the professional point of view of foreign artists who bring in new creativity and ideas. There’s also a ChocoMuseo in Ollantaytambo where you learn more about the process of chocolate making, and if you want, you can join a class!

Please note: Make sure you only take what you need in a small backpack for today (a maximum of 6 kilos is allowed on the train). The rest remains in your room in Ollantaytambo.

Today you will be picked up at 10:00 am by one of our trusted drivers who will drive you to Maras and Moray, on the way back to Cusco.

Below the village of Maras, you will visit the Salineras (salt ponds) of Maras, in use since pre-Inca times, a photogenic place. You pay a separate entrance here. Afterwards, you will enjoy a delicious local lunch at a family house located in Maras.

On the other side, behind Maras, you will visit Moray: an impressive Inca site with rounded terraces built downwards into the hills. Most likely a place where the Incas adjusted crops to the temperatures of the different altitudes. You can walk around, take pictures, or even hire a site guide at the entrance (though their English isn’t always very good).

In Cusco, where you will be arriving before lunch, the driver will take you to your hotel. Have a nice afternoon (or a safe flight back to Lima).

This 4-Day experience is destined exclusively for the members of WWF and all the tours included are private for you and your colleagues. Depending on the amount of reservations, we will also mingle those that chose Standard hotels, with those that chose Superior hotels, and even join the groups of the 3-day and 4-day excursion together. Groups will never be larger than 15 people per guide. 

If you prefer a private tour for yourself, you can choose that in the booking form by opting for the 100% private Solo traveller option.

Not really, this tour includes many transfers and no hiking experiences. You should not underestimate the altitude and the weather in and around Cusco though (see the next FAQ).

If you want to be well prepared, please read our article on How to stay safe and healthy when traveling in Peru.

Cusco sits at 3.400m of altitude, which is why the sun gets very strong here. During the day it gets hot and you should protect yourself by wearing a hat, using sunglasses and applying sun cream. As soon as the sun sets, however, the temperatures drop significantly, so come prepared for the cold, as well. 

In the Sacred Valley, it gets a little less cold because it sits at a lower altitude. Even though it does not tend to rain during the summer months, it is always good to take a poncho with you, just in case. 

In the standard version of this tour, we will use our favorite standard accommodations. They are equivalent to a two to three-star accommodation and always have the bathroom ensuite. They all offer good breakfast options. 

• In Cusco:  Niños Hotel or Pensión Alemana (or similar small-scale, cosy hotels with casual service)
• In Ollantaytambo: Apu Lodge or Hostal Iskay

In the Superior version of this tour, we will use boutique-style hotels where possible, equivalent to three or four-star accommodations. Where possible, we have included the second room level the hotel offers. 

• In Cusco: Antigua Casona San Blas (Colonial Room) or Quinta San Blas (Junior Suite)
• In Ollantaytambo: El Albergue (Superior Room) or similar

Of course, hotels and rooms cannot be confirmed until you have booked. We will always try to find an equivalent room and hotel in case our first options aren’t available.

Since we don’t know yet how many of you will be participating, for now we have the booking system open for group booking; meaning you can see what the price is with each amount of participants. You can book the package you desire (standard, Superior or All Private) and after leaving your personal data, you can choose whether you wish to stay in a single room or share (based on double occupancy unless we have an uneven amount of both men and women: in that case there will be one triple and one single room). Please do make sure to push the “Book Now and Pay Later” button at the end to confirm your booking. 

Once we know how many of the WWF meeting will be participating in each tour, we’ll apply the group price to each of your bookings and enable the payment gateway for you. This way, you can all pay the best price for your own trip, get your personal invoice, and so on. 

For any questions please contact us through the enquiry form above and we’ll get in touch with you. 

We have calculated this trip based on double occupancy, meaning that if you don’t opt in for the Single Supplement, you’ll share a twin room with another participant of the same sex. If there’s an uneven number of participants, we have calculated in for one single room. If, however, there is an even number of participants but an uneven number male/female, we’ll put three people of one sex in one triple room, and have a single room for the other “forced single” of the other sex. Of course, we can also ask someone to pay for the single supplement or share that cost. We’re sure we’ll find a solution together.