We will meet you at your hotel at 8:00 am, and from there we will walk through narrow cobble-stone streets up to the Plaza San Blas, located in an important artisan neighborhood in Cusco. From there, we will hike for about 45 minutes to our first site, and will continue climbing up the mountain, passing by local houses, and then will begin to follow a route that used to be an Inca Trail that ultimately led to the Amazon. As we ascend, we will be provided a stunning view of the city below, and will be able to see important plazas, churches, and other points of interest. We will then leave the city and continue hiking through a wooded path until we reach our first site called C’usilluchayoc, which is also known as the Monkey Temple. Here we will see many different Inca carvings of altars, animals including monkeys, as well as an astronomical water mirror. We will walk for about 10 more minutes until we reach the Temple of the Moon, which features a cave that we can enter to see carved altars. Two times every year during the equinox, the moon passes over this cave and lights up the main altar through a small hole in the cave roof, which is why it is called the Temple of the Moon. After touring this temple, we will then take a moment to stop by a small stream to have some snacks before hiking for about 1 hour to our next destination called Inkilltambo, or Inca Carcel which means Inca Jail. On the way we will ascend for a little while before following a relatively flat route, and then hiking down through eucalyptus trees until we reach the ruins. Surrounding these ruins are farming terraces, and the site used to be a religious center and has important connections to astronomy. These ruins feature narrow cave-like crevasses that you can enter, and part of the site used to be two levels high. You will have time to explore this site on your own before we continue to our last archaeological site of the hike. We will walk for about 1 hour, and on the way we will be able to see Inca graves in small circular caves on the the other side of the valley. We will ascend for about 10 minutes before reaching Ushnu de Machu Choquequirao, and at the top of these ruins we will have an incredible view of southern Cusco and great photo opportunities. Machu Choquequirao is an Inca site with circular terraces that start small at the top and get bigger at the bottom like a round pyramid. Our guide will teach us about this sacred altar and the valley below while we rest for a bit, and then we will start our gradual hike down to the bottom of the valley, passing by terraces and colonial kilns used to make roof tiles. We will cross a bridge and head up a gentle trail on the other side of the valley for about 15 minutes before arriving to the city again. From there, we will take a local taxi with our guide back to your hotel where we will drop you off.