Day 1: Cusco  Huaran  Cancha Cancha (B) (L) (D)
After pickup at 6am, you will travel by private bus to Pumahuanca (2,840 m) located in the Sacred Valley between Pisac and Urubamba. Huaran is the start of the trail. Meet the horsemen and start trekking towards the north, on an uphill trail that is parallel to the small Cancha Cancha River. After a 4-hour trek, you will reach the small village of Cancha Cancha (3,800 m) where you will spend the night. Total walking time on this day is 6 hours.
Day 2: Cancha Cancha  Quishuarani (B) (L) (D)
You will leave Cancha Cancha and head east up the valley, hiking for about 3 hours when the path flattens. Then, you will start climbing up for 2 hours to reach the highest pass called Pachacutec Pass (4,758 m). From here, you can admire amazing views of Pachacutec Lake and the snowy peaks of Pitusiray. Continue hiking for one more hour to reach a narrow ridge and then head down into a secluded corrie filled with glacial lakes. You will stop for lunch here and head to the next valley passing waterfalls to the village of Quisuarani (3,700m). You will camp by the lake for the night. Total walking time on this day is 7 hours, reaching an altitude of 4,550m/15,017 feet.
Day 3: Quishuarani  Cuscani  Lares (Hot Springs)  Ollantaytambo  Aguas Calientes (B) (L) (D)
On this day, you will hike up for about one hour and then follow the river valley downhill for about 3.5 hours. Before arriving to the town of Lares, you will have the chance to enjoy a soak in the open air thermal springs (bring a swimsuit). Then, you will reach the town of Lares (3,100 m) and have lunch at 1pm. Then, you will take the bus to head to Ollantaytambo. There, you will have time to rest and see the town. You'll have dinner and then go to Aguas Calientes by train where you will spend the night at a hotel.
Day 4: Machu Picchu - Cusco
After an early breakfast, you will take the bus to Machu Picchu. Once there, you will enjoy a guided tour of the ruins and have plenty of time after this to explore the site on your own. You can take photos and climb Huayna Picchu Mountain (must be booked in advance), or head up to the Sun Gate. Then, you'll head up to Aguas Calientes and take the train back to Ollantaytambo in the afternoon. From there, you will take a private bus to Cusco.
Note: Meals are prepared by the cook accompanying the group. You can expect omelettes or pancakes for breakfast, snack packs of fruit or chocolate to eat mid morning, a two course lunch of soup and meat with pasta or rice, afternoon tea on arrival at camp with biscuits and popcorn and a three course dinner.