About this trip
Six days based mainly in Cusco, built around two high-altitude hikes and a visit to Machu Picchu. You stay in the same Cusco hotel for five nights, with just one night away in Aguas Calientes for the Machu Picchu visit, so there's little packing and unpacking.
The two big walking days take you up to Rainbow Mountain at 5,020m, with views of the Ausangate glacier, and to Humantay Lake at 4,200m below Salkantay peak. Both come with a proper breakfast and buffet lunch included. You also spend a day at Moray's circular terraces and the Maras salt mines before catching the train to Aguas Calientes.
Transfers, guided visits, train tickets and the full-day excursions are all arranged in advance, so the days are structured around walking and taking in the landscapes rather than logistics.
What you'll do
- Trek Rainbow Mountain at 5,020m with views of the Ausangate glacier
- Walk to Humantay Lake at 4,200m beneath Salkantay peak
- Visit Machu Picchu for two hours after an overnight stay in Aguas Calientes
- Ride the scenic train through cloud forest to and from Aguas Calientes
- Explore Moray's circular terraces and the Maras salt mines and its thousands of ponds
- Two demanding high-altitude hikes at 5,020m and 4,200m, so this suits active travellers with some fitness
- You base in one Cusco hotel for five nights with only a single night away, which helps with acclimatisation
- Machu Picchu is visited on a same-day round trip from Aguas Calientes, returning to Cusco that evening
Worth it if you want expert guides and seamless logistics in Peru. Think twice if you need lie-ins—expect 3:30–4am starts for altitude acclimatization.
- Guides like Yeny consistently praised as knowledgeable, warm, and genuinely invested in your experience and comfort.
- Logistics run tight: punctual pickups, logical itinerary sequencing for acclimatization, and staff problem-solve fast when travel hiccups happen.
- Very early starts (3:30–4am) and heavy hiking at altitude; this is expedition-level physical demand, not a relaxed holiday.
- Cusco accommodation basic and no-frills; Machu Picchu hotel rated higher, but budget lodging elsewhere in the itinerary.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
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Getting there
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Where to stay
A night before your tour in Cusco · 20 Aug – 21 Aug
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