Arrive in Lima (most international flights arrive late afternoon or in the evening). You will spend the night at the Ramada Costa del Sol hotel, situated opposite the airport arrival hall.

After breakfast, to Lima airport for the spectacular one-hour flight over the Andes arrives mid-morning in the ancient Inca capital of Cusco (altitude 3,338 m/10,952 ft.). From here it is a one-hour drive to your accommodation in the Sacred Valley.

You will be staying in comfortable accommodation in the heart of the Sacred Valley, between Cusco and Machu Picchu and only a short drive from the stables.

Once you have settled into your room you will be collected and transferred to the ranch. Have lunch at the ranch. In the afternoon, there will be a demonstration of classic Peruvian equitation, followed by an introductory Peruvian riding course. You will have an opportunity to become familiar with the beautiful Peruvian Paso horses and the traditional Peruvian riding gear.

You will then be taken back to your accommodation to freshen up and before dinner there will be an informal briefing about the ride, safety instructions and the horses.

Dinner at the ranch or at a local restaurant. Overnight in the Sacred Valley. (B,L,D).

Pick up at 09:30 am for a leisurely ride in the Valley of Urquillos and Huayllabamba.

Because of its exceptional climate and fertile soil, the valley of Urquillos is said to produce the best maize in the world, the "Gigantic White Maize”.

The many terraces and irrigation channels constructed by the Incas as well as the remains of Inca palaces and Colonial haciendas witness the rich history in this part of the Sacred valley.

Lunch at the Hacienda Huayoccari. The most noticeable aspect of the hacienda is its sensational setting, dominating the Urubamba valley in the midst of the highland crags and vegetation through which the river flows. The Hacienda Huayoccari is a typical Andean colonial hacienda that is owned by the Orihuela-Lambarri family who has lived here for over three centuries. After a tour of the property and a detailed explanation of the family’s impressive pre-Columbian and colonial art collection, guests will be treated to a typical Andean lunch, which is prepared with the hacienda’s own fresh produce.

Dinner at a local restaurant or at the ranch. Overnight at the Hotel Sonesta Posada del Inca in Yucay.

Your day starts early, as you catch the 06:00am train from Urubamba to the ruins of Machu Picchu. The experience of visiting Machu Picchu is not limited to the ruins themselves; the train journey is one of the most spectacular in the world. The Vistadome train brings you to Macchu Picchu an hour before the main tourist train arrives from Cusco. Since its discovery by Hiram Bingham in 1911, Machu Picchu has captivated the hearts and minds of the modern world.

In the afternoon take the train back to Urubamba, arriving around 19:00. Have dinner at one of Urubamba’s famous restaurants or at the ranch. Overnight at the comfortable hotel Sonesta Posada del Inca in the Sacred Valley.

The ride begins around 9:30am, after a leisurely breakfast. Set off in the direction of Ollantaytambo, crossing the Urubamba River and passing Pichingote, an old Andean village where the houses are partially built into the caves. Then onto Salinas; here you see salt pans from Inca times which are still being used by the locals to extract salt from the mountain spring water. The salt pans consist of a series of platforms where the salty water is channeled through an impressive irrigation system and left to evaporate in the sun.

You climb with the horses almost 1,000 m (3,281 ft.) to reach the Andean altiplano. This climb takes about two hours and will be at an easy pace because the change of altitude does not only affect the horses. Once at 3,700 m (12,140 ft.), you will be surrounded by stunning scenery and the snowcapped mountains of Chicon, Veronica and Pitusuray.

Continue your ride to Maras, a typical Andean village with a beautiful 400-year-old colonial church. Nearby the church we will meet the staff and enjoy a picnic lunch. The church at Maras was built just after the Conquest and is one of the ten oldest churches in South America.

From Maras we follow a trail to Tiobamba were we arrive around 15:30/16:00pm. We leave the horses here with our grooms for the night and before returning to your hotel we visit the agricultural terraces of Moray by private car.

Hundreds of years ago, people in this region took four huge natural depressions in the landscape and sculpted them into multilevel agricultural terraces that served as an experimental agricultural station for the development of different crops. This was possible due to a remarkable natural phenomenon: the climates of many different ecological zones were present at a single site. In the thirty or so meters of altitude between the bottom ad the top levels of Moray’s depression, scientist John Earls recorded a full 15 degrees C difference in temperature. This is equal to the difference between the mean annual temperatures of London and Bombay! It is possible that Moray played a key role in the original transformation of maize into a high-altitude crop. There are no great ruined structures in Moray to impress; it is more for the contemplative traveller.

Dinner at the ranch or at a local restaurant. Overnight at the Hotel Sonesta Posada del Inca in Yucay.

After a filling breakfast at your hotel, our van will pick you up to transfer you back to Tiobamba, where our horses and grooms are waiting. We follow primitive trails across the altiplano. The scenery is spectacular with snowcapped mountains, wildflowers and beautiful mountain lakes. We will meet smiling Quechua children with their herds of sheep or cattle and see campesinos plowing their fields in the traditional way, oxen hitched to a wooden plow. We will follow the trail to Chinchero where our staff is awaiting us with our picnic lunch. On a clear day the views from Chinchero are tremendous; to the west and northwest stretches a vista of rolling alti-plano, ringed in the distance by the dramatic snowcapped peaks of the Cordilleras Vilcabamba. After lunch we continue our ride and arrive around 4 PM at Lake Piuray where we will leave the horses. Our back-up van will bring you to Chinchero. The main square of this village is famous for its massive Inca wall, set with ten of the largest trapezoidal niches known among Inca structures. This was probably the base wall of a palace - perhaps that of Topa Inca - that once overlooked the square. At Chinchero we will also visit a textile workshop where we will see an impressive demonstration of ancient techniques of spinning, dying and weaving. The beautiful weavings are still made as in times of the Incas. After our visit to Chinchero we drive back to our hotel in the Sacred Valley. After some rest and a warm shower we’ll have dinner at one of Urubamba’s local restaurant.

Overnight at the hotel Sonesta Posada del Inca in Yucay.

Pick up at 09:00 am and transfer to Lake Piuray where our horses and groom will be waiting for us. From Lago Piuray we ride through the rough and sturdy Andean landscape, passing remote Quechua communities, herder's huts and small farms called chacras. Today is one of the most beautiful riding days. We will travel a cobblestone-paved section of the network of Inca roads called the Capac Ñan, and enjoy beautiful vistas as we climb to an altitude of 4000 m/13,125 ft. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, with impressive views of the many snowcapped mountains and the altiplano. We will pass many impressive Inca ruins, like an ancient Inca aqueduct and Inca irrigation channels. Today some technical riding is required as we will cross some difficult gorges along the trail. It is not a dangerous ride, but some uphill canters are necessary. Our hardy, sure-footed mounts will be well up to the task.

After a hard day's ride following old Inca trails, we arrive around 5:00 PM at the historic city of Cusco, the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America and the former capital of the great Inca Empire. The Incas called their empire Tahuantinsuyu, "The Four Quarters of the Earth." Cusco, meaning "the Navel of the World," was the center of Tahuantinsuyu; its main square, the Huacapata (today's Plaza de Armas), marked the heart of Cusco and of the Inca Empire.

Dinner in Cusco. You will stay at the comfortable Hotel Picoaga or at the Hotel Libertador, both located just a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas, the heart of Cusco's archaeological center. If you still have energy you can explore Cusco's legendary nightlife.

Relax; today is yours to spend as you wish. You can visit the numerous ruins, churches, cathedrals and museums of Cusco, do some shopping, or just relax in one of the many coffee shops, restaurants, or bars. Some may opt for a one-day rafting adventure on the Urubamba River. The evenings in Cusco are full of exciting nightlife.

According to Inca legend, Cusco was founded around 1200 AD by Manco Capac and Mama Occlo. Manco Capac selected the site when the golden staff given to him by his father, the Sun, sank into the earth and disappeared. Each Inca emperor built his own palace and compound during his reign. The Spanish initially tried to raze the Inca buildings to the ground, but soon realized that because of their quality construction, it was easier to reuse the Inca foundations for their own buildings. For this reason, you can still see many of the original Inca walls throughout Cusco.

Cusco today is a vibrant city of some three hundred thousand, the vast majority of whom are native Quechua Indians. Despite being a major tourist destination, both for its own treasures and as a staging point for the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, Cusco has managed to hold on to its own distinct flavor. It retains a natural charm that is irresistible. Lunch and dinner on your own.

Overnight at the comfortable Hotel Picoaga or the Hotel Libertador.

After breakfast we will continue our expedition, visiting more mysterious places along old Inca trails. Today's ride will take us through open country with spectacular views providing another memorable riding day in the Andes. The horses are waiting for us just outside of Cusco at Sacsayhuamán. We start by following a footpath leading north. After climbing gently for about 450 m (1,480 ft.) we see a stone-lined Inca irrigation channel which parallels the trail for about 800 m (2,625 ft.). Ascending a steep and narrow valley, we reach a pass at 4350 m (14,275 ft.), and enjoy the view of the small, shallow Lake Quellacocha. This is the highest point of our ride. A group of stone corrals lies beyond the lake and in clear weather the snowcapped peak of Sawasiray is visible. We descend the high trail around the north end and have lunch at Lake Quellacocha. After lunch we ride eastward towards Lake Qoricocha. Herds of llamas and alpacas can be see grazing around us. The scenery en route is absolutely spectacular and we will have plenty of breaks to soak up the atmosphere before the descent to the village of Umaspampa where we will leave our horses with our grooms. The horses will be trucked home.

Overnight at the Hotel Sonesta Posada del Inca in Yucay

Dinner at one of Urubamba’s local restaurant or at the ranch.

Early morning transfer to Cusco airport for your flight to Lima. The driving time is one hour, followed by a one-hour flight. The earliest possible departure time from Lima is 16:00pm.