Highlights
- Watching Machu Picchu emerge through morning mist from the Sun Gate — arriving on foot along the final stretch of Inca trail, so the citadel reveals itself the way it was meant to.
- A hands-in-the-earth afternoon in the Sacred Valley learning to work a traditional loom and read the stories woven into Andean textiles — with the women who still weave them.
- The salt terraces of Maras cascading white down a hillside, and the concentric agricultural rings of Moray, engineered as an Inca microclimate laboratory.
- A slow, altitude-friendly first day in Cusco — Baroque cathedrals built atop Inca foundations, the golden temple of Qorikancha, and San Pedro market's stalls of chirimoya and a hundred potatoes.
- Sunset over the Valley from a terrace, pisco sour in hand, the Vilcanota River carving silver below.
- A private ceremony with an Andean paqo (mountain priest) — a despacho offering to Pachamama that quietly reframes everything you'll see after.
A taste of the journey
Days 1–2 | Cusco — arrive & acclimatize. You land in the old Inca capital and do the wisest thing possible: almost nothing, gently. Cobbled lanes, coca tea, a soft introduction to the city's layered history so your body catches up to 3,400 metres before you ask anything of it.
Days 3–5 | The Sacred Valley — lower, greener, kinder. You descend into the Valley, where the air is thicker and the days unfold at farm pace — market towns, Inca terraces, a weaving village, salt pans and sun. Light adventure threads through: gentle hikes, a valley on horseback or bike if you like, and long lunches that go nowhere in particular.
Day 6 | Machu Picchu — the arrival. The scenic rail journey to the cloud forest, a night at the foot of the mountain, and then the citadel itself — timed and routed to sidestep the crowds and let the place land on you.
Days 7–9 | Back to Cusco — depth & farewell. Return to the capital with new eyes for a final immersion — the ruins above the city, a bit of unhurried wandering, one last extraordinary meal — before the long flight home.
Where you'd stay
- Comfortable — Warm, well-run boutique guesthouses in restored colonial buildings; character, courtyards, and honest Andean hospitality.
- Elevated — Design-forward hotels blending Inca stonework with modern calm, plus a Valley lodge set among gardens and mountains.
- Extraordinary — A former monastery in Cusco and a riverside sanctuary in the Valley, the kind of stays that become the story themselves.
When to go
May through September is the dry season — clear Andean skies, crisp mornings, and the best odds of an unclouded Machu Picchu. June and July are peak and gorgeous; May and September offer the same fine weather with a little more room to breathe.
From
From ~$5,200–8,500 CAD per person, flights from Edmonton included — a rough estimate that shifts with season, comfort tier, and how much of the Valley you want to linger in. We'll pin down your real number once we talk.
Let's make it real
The full custom plan is where this becomes yours: the exact day-by-day rhythm, hand-picked stays matched to your taste, insider timing for Machu Picchu entry and rail, altitude-smart pacing, and every booking handled end to end. Reach out to a Beyond YEG designer and let's build the version of the Andes that fits the two of you.