After breakfast, you’ll be escorted to the airport for your included flight into the Andes. On arrival in Cuzco, we’ll take you into the Sacred Valley where you’ll check in to our luxury lodge, the exceptional Explora Valle Sagrado. Designed and sustainably built to harmonize with its sublime setting, this is one of the finest eco-resorts in all of South America. Throughout your stay, you’ll enjoy elegant dining, complimentary house wines and cocktails, and a variety of included excursions led by the finest guides and naturalists.
Settle in to your spacious guestroom with its glorious views of the surrounding fields and mountains, and then join the afternoon tour of your choice. Arranged and offered by the onsite experts at the Explora Lodge, this afternoon’s tour choices may include the following:
The Terraces of Moray: Covering a total distance of about 2 miles, this half-day hike takes you through highland farms to visit ancient terraces which scholars believe were used by the Inca as a laboratory to study the effect of wind, sun and elevation on their crops.
Ollantaytambo: This guided 3-hour walking tour takes you to an ancient community that offers a living illustration of Inca urban planning; laid out in a simple grid with cobblestone streets, perfectly constructed stone walls and canals, many of the buildings and residences you’ll see date back 600 years or more. High above the town, you’ll also explore the storied Inca fortress of the same name.
Salineras: Covering about 4 miles, this moderate 3-hour hike begins in the Colonial town of Maras and continues through the surrounding agricultural fields to visit the community’s remarkable salt mines; worked for generations, these amazing terraced pools cascade down the mountainside and across the valley, offering a look into a timeless way of life that still endures in this remote region.
Biking the Urubamba River: Exploring along the southern banks of the picturesque Urubamba River, this 3-hour, 20-mile guided cycling adventure reveals a captivating land of terraced fields, ancient villages and Colonial-era haciendas.
Back at the Explora Lodge, sit down to an elegant evening meal accompanied by complimentary house wines. Meals B+L+D