Moonstone trek to Machu Picchu trip is walking on the Andes of Peru and visiting sacred Inca lands, is the best option for loosing stress and making real your dream, this hike is intended for tourists who would like to know more deeply the ancestral believes, traditions stories, isolated communities, Andean life’s, Andean flora and fauna, the enigmatic Inca constructions like the temple of the moon (Killarumiyuc) Watta, Inca quarry, Ollantaytambo, Inca quarry, sacred valley and the majestic Machupicchu.
MOONSTONE TREK TO MACHU PICCHU OVERVIEW
The expedition begins at 5:00 a.m. picking you up from your hotel in Cusco, after 1 hour and 25 minutes of drive to the village of Huarocondo (3331m / 10.928ft), the starting point of the trek.
DAY 1: CUSCO – KILLARUMIYOC – ZURITE TERRACES – CHILLIPAWA
DAY 2: CHILLIPAWA – CHANCACHUCO
DAY 3: CHANCACHUCO – CACHICCATA INCA QUARRY
DAY 4: CACHICCATA INCA QUARRY – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES
DAY 5: AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO
HIGHLIGHTS:
Briefing/ smoothllamaperu Cusco office.
It will be in our office which is located at Street Lizandro Montero Ñ – 4
All travelers are required to visit the Cuzco office for a mandatory briefing on your trek one day prior to departure at 6:00 pm. At this meeting you will receive detailed information on the route, a list of what to bring, confirm your pick-up for the morning of the trek and be able to ask questions. However, if you wish to receive all the information in your hotel, let us know and our guide will kindly approach your hotel for the informative meeting.
The expedition begins at 5:00 a.m. picking you up from your hotel in Cusco, after 1 hour of drive we will stop at the sacred Inca Killarumiyuc (Moonstone sanctuary). It was an ancient temple dedicated to the deity of femininity with caves and waterfall for moon cult. We will continue by car to the Zurite terraces the biggest terraces from the Incas constructions, each one with more than one km. after enjoy the wonderful view we will continue to the village of Huarocondo (3331m / 10.928ft)Then we continue up the valley for 25 minutes, until the starting point of the trek.
Here we start our trek; we will ascend by a broad path, the trek is ascending for about 2 hours, we will reach to Watta, an important pre-Inca fortress (3855m / 12.647ft), after see valleys, mountains, archaeological sites, we continue with the ascent until we reach our camp Chillipawa (3750m / 12.303ft), We have afternoon tea or coffee at our campsite, Here is our camp to spend the night.
Inclusions: Cuzco Accommodation Pick-Up, Bus Cuzco – huarocondo village (starting point of trek), 1 Night Camping
Meals: 1 Lunch / 1 Dinner, (Plus afternoon tea time)
Trekking: 10 kilometers / 6 – 8 hours
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Moderate
Our second day of adventure is ascending on steep mountainsides; along the valley we will see native forest of Chachacomo, on the way we will find local people that still keep the Incas ancient traditions regarding agriculture, religion, music, language and more, Then we will continue on our way up to the Accoccasa Pass (4625m / 15.170ft), from here the spectacular view of snowcapped mountains is unique and wonderful landscape around, then an easy descent to reach our camp in chancachuco (4350m / 14.128ft), Once we reach to the camp we enjoy our afternoon tea time, coffee, or hot chocolate. In front of the glaciers of the Wayanay Mountain Range.
Inclusions: 1 Night Camping
Meals: 1 Breakfast / 1 Lunch / 1 Dinner, (Plus snacks and afternoon tea time)
Trekking: 9 kilometers / 7 hours
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Advanced.
After breakfast, we will continue our trek. Descending gradually into the upper valley of silque, along the way we will see an Incan aqueduct, which carried water for irrigation of growing areas, later on we will reach our final pass (3940m / 12.926ft) and visit the Incan sanctuary of Wayrac Punku (Door of the Wind), known as the gateway to the Andes.
After that, we will go down into the valley, afterwards we will reach the Intiwatana construction; this temple is located at the highest point in the area. This area was important for the Incas to make the astronomical observations and for planning the agricultural seasons, then we will continue with the hike to our campsite Cachiccata (3525m / 11.564ft), here is our camp to spend the night.
Inclusions: 1 Night Camping
Meals: 1 Breakfast / 1 Lunch / 1 Dinner, (Plus snacks and afternoon tea time)
Trekking: 11 kilometers / 8 hours
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Moderate
The last section of adventure is from the quarries of Cachiccata to the city of Ollantaytambo (2800m / 9.196ft), along the way we will down crossing the Vilcanota River and finally arriving at Ollantaytambo town. We will have time to explore the local village, then after lunch in the afternoon from Ollantaytambo we board our train service that will take us for one hour and 30 minutes to the town of Aguas Calientes (2000m / 6.561ft.). Once there we will get our hotel and have time to enjoy the town.
Inclusions: 1 Night hotel
Meals: 1 Breakfast / 1 Lunch (in the restaurant) / 1 Dinner (in the restaurant), (Plus snacks)
Trekking: 9 kilometers / 6 hours
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Easy
We will get up early in the morning, eat breakfast, and take the bus towards Machu Picchu. There we will have a guided tour that will take approximately 2 hours , and spent there exploring this ancient Inca citadel , you will return to Aguas Calientes Town, later in the afternoon we will take the train back to Ollantaytambo afterwards the bus to Cusco.
Inclusions:
Meals: 1 Breakfast
Trekking: 1.5 kilometers / 2 hours
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Easy
WHAT IS INCLUDED
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Tips for the staff (smoothllamaperu staff receives a fair and decent payment immediately after they end their trip.), Please remember that tipping is 100% optional and depends entirely on the service you received. It is customary to give tips in Latin America, however it is NOT mandatory. If you do wish to give a tip, these are our recommended guidelines.
EXTRAS:
PRICE: US$850 per person
*** This price includes the extra porter who will carry your belongings up (including the sleeping bag: 2kgs), we will provide you a duffle bag to put your belongings in.
***We provide large Eureka 4 man tents for each 2 trekkers.
DISCOUNTS:
EXTRAS:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
“Please read carefully the following information; it will help you answer all of your questions about our services and the trek to Machu Picchu”.
ABOUT THE BRIEFING:
All travelers are required to visit the Cuzco office for a mandatory briefing on your trek one day prior to departure at 6:00 pm. At this meeting you will receive detailed information on the route, a list of what to bring, confirm your pick-up for the morning of the trek and be able to ask questions. However, if you wish to receive all the information in your hotel, let us know and our guide will kindly approach your hotel for the informative meeting.
It will be in our office which is located at Street Lizandro Montero Ñ – 4
WHERE CAN I LEAVE MY LUGGAGE SAFETY?
Of course! During the “Moonstone trek to Machu Picchu” your large luggage can be store at our office or at your hotel, both are for free. Please do not pack anything you will need for your hike.
HOW TO BOOK THE MOONSTONE TREK TO MACHU PICCHU?
FIRST, to book your “Moonstone trek to Machu Picchu”, we need you to fill out our booking form by clicking on BOOK NOW on our homepage or click here the link BOOK NOW.
To book your “Moonstone trek to Machu Picchu”, we need the following information (FROM EACH PARTICIPANT in your group). We cannot purchase an Inca Trail permit without the following information:
SECOND, we require a deposit of US$300.00 per person in order to purchase a permit for the Moonstone trek to Machu Picchu. You can make you deposit by clicking on the VISA or PAYPAL symbols on the top of our home page, or you can click on the VISA or PAYPAL symbols on our booking page or click here on the payment of your choice, either VISA or PAYPAL.
WHAT ABOUT THE PAYMENT BALANCE?
It would be greatly appreciated if you pay in cash at our office (US dollars or Peruvian soles) here in Cusco. We have many cash machines in the historical center to withdraw money. You can also pay by VISA or PAYPAL online but you will have to pay a 6% service charge, charged by VISA and PAYPAL. To pay your balance through PAYPAL, you need to log into your PAYPAL account using our email address of smoothllamaperu@gmail.com
WHO QUALIFY FOR THE STUDENT DISCOUNT?
Those passengers who booked their trip using the discounted price for ISIC Student Holders must bring their original and valid CIIU card (not a copy and not expired). This document must be shown at the Inca Trail Control Gate. Unfortunately, if you do not bring your card, you will be denied entry to the Inca Trail as the permits won’t be valid without your card.
SCHOOL STUDENT
With the passport or national ID – original ones, from 8 to 17 years old
UNIVERSITY STUDENT ABOVE 18 YEARS OLD
With the original student ID gives from the university in PVC material and it must have the next requirements: university information, personal student information, student picture, and expiration date valid only for one year, it year must coincide with the year that student visit Machu Picchu, the discount until 25 years old.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO CHANGE THE DEPARTURE DATE?
Unfortunately the answer is “No”. Once the tickets have been bought for the moonstone trek the government does not allow any changes, Due to the strict regulations of the Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu, once your reservation is made, you cannot cancel the reserved space that you have.
*** If you cancel your moonstone Trek, the deposit is not refundable at all!
IS IT NECESRY MY ORIGINAL PASSPORT ON THE MOONSTONE TREK TO MACHU PICCHU?
Yes for sure! You have to bring your original passport and it is very important that it is the same passport number you sent to us to book Moonstone trek to Machu Picchu permit. The rangers will check when you enter Machu Picchu. The train company will also check your passport before allowing you to board the train. In case you are renewing your passport, go ahead and send us your old number to secure your permit, and we can change it when you get your new passport number…if so, please send the new passport number as soon as possible.
HOW CAN I AVOID THE ALTITUDE SICKNESS?
For those trekkers that come to Cusco directly from places at sea level; we recommend arriving 2-3 days before your trek. Two of the most common health issues among tourists in Cusco are: The Altitude Sickness (Soroche) and stomach pain provoked by slow digestion.
In general if you have regular exercise and spend a couple of days in Cusco, or in the Sacred Valley for acclimatization to the altitude, you may be fine.
The recommended medicine for altitude sickness is WATER, COCA TEA and OXYGEN IF NEEDED; our guides are trained to treat you for Altitude Sickness.
We offer the Cusco City Tour or Sacred Valley Tour that you can book while you are acclimatizing. Check out our Day Tours on our Home Page.
WHAT ABOUT THE DUFFEL BAG AND DAILY BACK PACK?
The evening before you start your trek, you will be given a SMALL DUFFLE BAG to pack your clothes for the next five days. Your weight allowance is up to 7kg/15lbs. Your team of porters or mules will carry your duffle bag for you, together with the food and camping gear. It’s important to be aware that you will not have access to your items in the duffle bag until the end of each day, as the porters or mules will always be ahead of the group. During the trek, you need a day backpack big enough to carry your personal belongings such as a warm jacket, a rain jacket, your camera, sunscreen, snacks, water, etc. Usually a 30 to 50 liters back pack is sufficient.
HOW DIFFICULT IS THE MOONSTONE TREK TO MACHU PICCHU?
The Moonstone trek to Machu Picchu is a moderate trek and you should be well prepared and healthy prior to starting it. You have to be moderately fit and take regular exercise. In preparation: try walking 15kms in a day or go to the fitness club in the months leading up to the trek. It is also important to be well acclimatized to the altitude. Try to spend at least 2 or 3 days in Cusco (3350m/11,047ft) prior to starting the trek.
WHAT HAPPENS IF SOME ONE IS UNABLE TO FINISH THE TRAIL?
In the scenario that you are unable to finish the trek due to a health
reasons, smoothllamaperu will assist you to the nearest town for help with transportation. We
always carry oxygen on the trek for any respiratory problems. There are no
refunds in the unlikely situation that you are unable to finish the trek.
Generally those who have to be assisted off the trail are taken to
Ollantaytambo and if they recover quickly they continue the journey to Aguas
Calientes (cost incurred by trekker) and visit Machu Picchu according to the
original plan.
WILL THE CAR IS GOING TO DROPP OFF US AT THE HOTEL?
Absolutely! Included in our packages is dropping you off at your hotel on the return from your trek or tour. If you have booked your hotel in the Sacred Valley like Ollantaytambo or Urubamba, we will drop you there too!
WHAT ABOUT TIPPING?
Tips for the staff (smoothllamaperu staff receives a fair and decent payment immediately after they end their trip.
**** (Please remember that tipping is 100% optional and depends entirely on the service you received. It is customary to give tips in Latin America, however it is NOT mandatory. If you do wish to give a tip, these are our recommended guidelines.)
ARE YOU PART OF THE SUSTAINABLE WORK? Yes, we are a local sustainable & responsible tourism operator in that we incorporate the universal principles of tourism, protect the environment and benefit the local communities respecting their culture and religion. With this in mind, we have trained all our staff to know, understand and respect the local places and its people.
THINGS YOU MUST BRING WITH YOU
TOILETRIES
