Village homestay tinerary:

Day 1. – Cusco – Chinchero – Tauca

At 8:00 am you will be picked up from your hotel in Cusco. We will travel to Chinchero and then follow the dirt route until to reach the village of Tauca. At your arrival the families will welcome you to the community.

Afterwards you will be introduced to your host family, who will lead you to the place where you will spend the night. Coordinating with your host-family you can start with activities they prepared for you. The following activities are just referential to be done with the villagers :

•  Demonstration of the traditional weaving process
• Farming activities
• Preparation of traditional dishes
• Music and dancing activities
• Walking to Piuray Lake
• Building a house with adobe breaks
• Practicing Spanish with the children

In the after noon, before to continue with the planned activities in the village. You will have your first lunch with the family and this is the opportunity to try some of the local food prepared by the locals. They offer options for meals or you can request something special as the roasted Guinea Pig.

Locals always want to show you all their customs and traditions. So at night they will tell you interesting stories and offer you a nice typical dinner.

Day 2.- Tauca – Chinchero – Cusco

After you overnight in the home of the local family. You will have breakfast with the family and then help them to feed the animals with grass. There will be plenty of time to do some more activities in the village. After a great and typical lunch, you will say good bye to the local families. The transfer will come to pick you up and then he will take you back to Cusco. At your arrival in the city you will be dropped in the hotel.

What does the village homestay includes?

• A very active itinerary with the villagers
• Private transportation round trip
• Expert local tour guide
• Local interpreter
• All the meals are included
• First Aid kit
• oxygen tank.
• Local taxes

What does not include in the village homestay?

• Phone calls
• Laundry service.
• Bed you will pay to the host-family
• Personal expenses.
• Donations.
• Tips.
• Student or youth card are not accepted

What do you need to bring?

• Bottle water
• Warm clothing
• Sun- screen
• Woolly hat and gloves
• Cash in Soles or dollars
• Flash light
• Personal medications
• Little gifts for the kids

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 1.- Inca Museum – Hatun Rumiyoc – Main Square – Qoricancha – San Pedro.

At 9:00 am you will be picked up by our guide from your hotel and then you will start visiting the Main Square, where the guide will introduce you about Cusco as the capital city of the Inca Empire. Inca Museum is the perfect place to understand about the lifestyle in the Peruvian Andes in the pre-Columbian time and how Incas managed the difficult geography and joined too many pre-Inca cultures in South America.

Walking through some of the Inca streets will be amazed by the finest architecture remaining from the Inca places or temples. Qoricancha will be the place to introduce you about the religion of our ancestors, where you visit some of the most beautiful temples left, which survived to the attach of the conquistadores. Qoricancha is also called the Inca Sun temple, now days has the Santo Domingo church on the top.

In the final part of our Cusco walking tour you will visit the interesting local market of San Pedro, where you will see how the locals make their shopping of supplies for the weekend. You will also find lots of different kind of products as fruits, souvenirs, medical plants, food, coca leaves etc. depending on your time availability you can add more places to go, just talk to the guide.

What’s included in Cusco walking tour

• Expert licensed tour guide
• Entrance fee to Inca Museum and Qoricancha

What’s not included in Cusco walking tour

• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Gratuities (optional)
• ISIC card not accepted

Recommended thing top bring

•  Cash in Soles
• Sun screen
• Sun hat and Sun-glasses
• A warm jacket

Itinerary for Huchuy Qosqo homestay tour

Day 1. – Cusco – Patabamba – Huchuy Qosqo

In the morning of Huchuy Qosqo homestay tour departure, travelers will be picked up from their hotels in a private transport and drive to the interesting village of Pata bamba, where we start trekking, following a picturesque footpath of the locals until we reach the top of the mountain and have spectacular views over the Sacred Valley. To continue with  Huchuy Qosqo Tour we will pass Siwa a beautiful village, with many pretty farming fields around, then Huchuy Qosqo trail goes on the hills where llamas and sheep graze; enjoying all the beautiful mountain scenery. We will follow an Inca trail downward to a village of stone huts, with thatched straw roofs.

Next to Pucamarka village there is an interesting Inca site, which functioned as the military post for the Incas;  while after this beautiful ruins is our lunch place. In the afternoon as part of Huchuy Qosqo tour, we will hike through a beautiful small canyon; walking another 40 minutes on a beautiful trail we will arrive to the spectacular Inca site of Huchuy Qosqo.

• Overnight in Camping.
• Meals: Lunch and dinner.

Day 2. – Huchuy Qosqo – Tauca Village

After breakfast our guide will show us the most beautiful structures of Huchuy Qosqo and all the history of the Incas, then we continue with Huchuy Qosqo tour, trekking uphill for 3 hours to the mountain top, taking in some breathtaking views of this area; we will head down to Tauca village for lunch.

In the afternoon you will be lead to the house of you host family, who will welcome you to their house and will teach you some of the traditional activities they do in the daily life. There will be some time to interact with the family and they will serve you dinner and breakfast.

• Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Homestay with the local family

Day 3. – Chinchero – Moray – Salt mine – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes

Chinchero full of potatoes fields & cereals (optional to stop here to see the locals weaving centers), enjoying the scenic view of the area we will continue our drive to the town of Maras, which has nice colonial doors with its out-standing Spanish door arches unique around Cusco, 20 minutes later we will arrive to the Inca ruins of Moray called “the Inca laboratory”. The guide will explain us all the history of this wonderful place, we will explore around (walking).

We leave Moray and then start our gentle hike towards Maras town, passing by many farming fields the trail lead us to the salt pans of Salineras, where  visitors can observe the fascinating salt mine own by the locals, with more than 3000 pools still in production, since pre-Incan times. Finally we will walk down to Urubamba for lunch. In the afternoon our Transfer will take us to Ollantaytambo. We then have the train connection to Aguas Calientes town.

Day 4. – Machu Picchu – Ollanta – Cusco

In the morning after breakfast we take a bus up to the ruins of Machu Picchu. So that we can observe this famous sunrise at this magical center of the Incas and enjoy this astonishing place before the crowds arrive. You will then have a 2 hours guided tour of Machu Picchu, after the tour you can explore the ruins by yourself or climb up Huayna Picchu for the mind blowing views. Please note that new regulations for Huayna Picchu determinate two entry times to the mountain – at 7am and 10am,  each time has a limit of 200 spaces. We highly recommend you to make you are booking in advance.

If your Huayna Picchu booking did not work you still have another options to go depending on your interest and fitness level:

What is included in the Huchuy Qosqo homestay Tour?

• Briefing with your guide before the Huchuy Qosqo homestay tour
• Pick up from your hotel in the morning of the Huchuy Qosqo trekking departure.
• Transport from Cusco to the trail-head of Huchuy Qosqo tour in a private car
• Entrance fee for Huchuy Qosqo site and Machu Picchu.
• English/Quechua/Spanish speaking professional guide.
• Tents – 2 people in a 4 person tent which allows for greater comfort, and also storage of backpacks.
• Therma-rest mattress For a greater comfort during the trek
• Cook and Cooking equipment (Assistants are provided for larger groups)
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary (optional vegetarian food).
• Horses (for equipment and personal items) including horsemen. They carry camping equipment, food and kitchen utensils. We provide duffel bags at your briefing for your personal items and sleeping bag (up to 7 kg/15lbs per person).
• Dining tent with camp tables and chairs & Kitchen tent for the cook to prepare meals
• First aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle
• Private transport from Taucca to Ollantaytambo.
• Expedition class train tickets round trip.
• Hotel night in Aguas Calientes
• Bus up and down to Machu Picchu.
• Homestay with the local family in Tauca village
• Tour to Chinchero, Moray, Salt mine and Ollantaytambo
• Guided tour to Machu Picchu.
• Transfer from Ollantaytambo to Cusco hotel.

What is Not Included in the Huchuy Qosqo homestay Tour?

• Breakfast on the first morning and last day lunch.
• Dinner on the last night.
• Sleeping bags – If you haven’t got a sleeping bag you can hire it here.
• Tips for the guide, cook and porters
• Additional horses for passengers’ luggage.
• Youth card is not accepted

You should bring to Huchuy Qosqo homestay Tour & Machu Picchu:

• A light day pack with a change of clothes for the whole period of the trek – prepare for a vast range of changes in temperature.
• Rain gear (jacket and pants if available) or rain poncho. Plastic ponchos can be bought for about $2 in Cusco.
• Strong footwear, waterproof trekking boots are recommended specially for the wet season.
• Sandals or plastic slip on thongs are also good to give your feet a chance to breathe once we arrive to the camp.
• Warm clothes, including jacket, fleeces, gloves, scarf. Thermal clothing is also recommended, especially for sleeping.
• Sleeping bag (you can hire these from us)
• Headlamp or Flash light.
• Hat or cap to protect you from the sun, rain and cold
• Sun block and Insect repellent – minimum recommended 20% DEET.
• After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body
• Toilet paper, pack in & pack out
• Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.
• Non-disposable canteen (Nalgene type) and water for the first morning.
• We advise you to bring water sterilizing tablets in case you collect water from streams.
• We recommend you getting your own medical kit with any special medications that you might require.
• Bathers/swimsuit (if you intend on swimming in hot springs )
• Cash – sufficient for tips and souvenirs, or any drinks or snacks you might want to buy along the way.
• Original passport & ISIC (International Student Identity Card) if you have one.
• Walking sticks or poles (Please note: poles with metal tips cannot be carried into Machu Picchu and should be left at your hotel on the final day)