We pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 5:30 AM and drive through the Sacred Valley to Urubamba (2,870 m / 9,416 ft) for breakfast and last supplies. From there, we continue to the Yanahuara-Pucara community (3,300 m / 10,827 ft), the starting point of our trek. We ascend through the Mantanay Valley with magnificent mountain views, native polylepis trees and streams fed by lakes and waterfalls, often passing llamas and alpacas grazing along the trail. After lunch, we continue to the first lake, Yuraq Cocha, and on to Auroray Cocha (4,480 m / 14,698 ft), where we camp for the night. Today you cover 10 km (6.2 miles) in 6–7 hours of hiking.

After a hearty breakfast, we gradually ascend to the Huayruruyoc pass (4,600 m / 15,092 ft), with awe-inspiring views of the shimmering lake and the surrounding mountains. On the way down, we pass lakes teeming with birdlife before arriving at the community of Patacancha (3,750 m / 12,303 ft) for lunch. Patacancha is deeply rooted in Quechua culture: local families farm and tend their alpacas and llamas just as their ancestors did. In the afternoon, you learn about their daily life and their weaving techniques, passed down through generations. We spend the night here. Today you cover 7 km (4.3 miles) in 3–4 hours of hiking.

After an early breakfast, our private transport takes us to the train station in Ollantaytambo, where we board the train to Km 104 (2,050 m / 6,726 ft), the starting point of today's hike, around 7:00 AM. We ascend gradually for about 4 hours to the Inca site of Wiñay Wayna, "Forever Young" (2,650 m / 8,694 ft), with its agricultural terraces and urban and religious sectors, enjoying views of the Urubamba Valley along the way. We continue to the Sun Gate, Inti Punku (2,720 m / 8,924 ft), for our first panoramic view of Machu Picchu at sunset. Afterwards, we descend to Machu Picchu and take the bus down to Aguas Calientes (2,040 m / 6,693 ft) for dinner and the night. Today you cover 14 km (8.7 miles) in 6–7 hours of hiking.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we take one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu (2,400 m / 7,874 ft) to experience the citadel in the calm of the early morning and watch the sunrise over the ruins. Your guide then leads you on a comprehensive tour of the most significant structures and temples; the tour ends around 9:30 AM within the entrance time slot between 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM. Afterwards, we take the bus down to Aguas Calientes for lunch and then the train to Ollantaytambo, where our private transport brings you back to your hotel in Cusco.