Inti Raymi and Machu Picchu

The Inti Raymi Festival begins with a pick up from your hotel in Cusco. Our representative will take you to the Coricancha esplanade where you will witness the awakening of the sun.

If you have reserved the additional Coricancha ticket, our guide will show you to your designated seat. If you don't have a ticket, you can still watch the ritual standing. During this ceremony you will witness the Incas greeting the Sun God in a traditional ritual.

The tour then continues with a short walk to the main plaza where the Inca meets the current representative of Cusco (the mayor). This symbolic moment is called "The Meeting of the Two Worlds". During the ceremony, the Inca speaks in Quechua. After the ceremony, the event continues at Sacsayhuamán.

The festival in honor of the Sun God is celebrated in three historical scenes.

• Corikancha (Golden Temple), it was the principal temple dedicated to the Sun in the Incan era.
• Plaza de Armas (called by the Incas "Auqaypata", the Warrior Square), which was a huge square during the Inca times where this ceremony was held on a ceremonial platform (“ushnu” in Quechua). From there, the Inca was carried on a golden throne leading a procession through the ancient city of Cusco up to Sacsaywaman in the hills above city.
• Saqsaywaman ("saqsay" and "waman" in Quechua mean "satiate hawk"), which is an impressive archaeological centre situated at 3,555 m.a.s.l., just a kilometre far away from the Inca neighbourhood of Qolqanpata.

 Program of the Sacsaywaman´s scene:

• Ceremonial arrival
• Announcement of the 4 “Suyus” (or the four cardinal points): Qollasuyu, Kuntisuyu, Antisuyu and Chinchaysuyu
• Chicha Ritual
• Sacred Fire Ritual
• Lama (Andean cameloid) sacrifice and a sign reading (But no worries, there is not any lama killed in fact nowadays!
• Sankhu (sacred bread) Reading
• Q'ochurikuy (burst of popular exaltation)

Early in the morning, we will pick you up at your hotel and transfer you for a 1 hour and 40 minute ride to the train station in Ollantaytambo, where you will board the train to Machu Picchu. During the 1 hour and 45 minute train ride, you will experience spectacular and ever-changing scenery, passing through lush fields and colorful villages in the foothills of the Andes. The highlights of the journey are the stunning mountain views and the magnificent Urubamba River that winds through the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, our guide will be waiting outside the train station to escort you to the shuttle bus that will take you up a zigzag road to the archaeological complex of Machu Picchu - approximately a 25 minute ride.

Once at Machu Picchu, you will check in at the entrance control and enter the citadel through the designated circuit according to your reservation. There are 3 official Machu Picchu circuits designed by the Ministry of Culture, the most popular being Circuit 2. If you have booked this tour, your guide will take you to the main attractions of this remarkable Inca site, such as the Main Plaza, the Temple of the Sun, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows, and the Sacred Rock. The tour lasts approximately 2.5 hours.

Afterwards, if you have booked an additional ticket, you can hike to the top of Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain for a breathtaking panoramic view of the citadel from above.

At the end of your guided tour or hike, you will leave Machu Picchu and take the shuttle bus back to Aguas Calientes, where you can enjoy lunch at one of the many local restaurants (not included in the package). In the afternoon you'll take the train back to Ollantaytambo, where our driver will be waiting outside the train station to take you back to Cusco.

Transfer to the Cusco´s airport for your international flight.

End of service!

Tierras Vivas Porters

Tierras Vivas DOES NOT permit this exploitation!! We guarantee that our porters carry only an amount given by the Peruvian law!! There is still a long way to go when it comes to a reserve of adequate meals, backpacks and warm dry sleeping accommodation. click here

Each Year Tierras Vivas hots a Christmas party in Patacancha. Family porters.

• Welcome by our Representative at arrival;
• All airport transfers at arrival and departure;
• Accommodation: 3* hotel (3 nights);
• Professional bilingual Tour Guide as per the itinerary;
• Entrance fee to Inti Raymi festival;
• Entrance fee to Machu Picchu;
• Meals: 3x breakfast. 1x Box lunch on the Inti Raymi;
• Transport by a private van during the tours and local transfers;
• A tourist train round trip to Machu Picchu;
• A shuttle bus round trip Machu Picchu.

• Pre & post tour accommodation,
• International and Local flights nor airport departure taxes,
• Coricancha seating ticket,
• Entrance fee to Huayna Picchu ($80)
• Meals not mentioned,
• Travel insurance
• Tips and baggage portage (Please note: It is a custom to give tips in Peru; however, it is not obligatory.),
• Other extras not mentioned.

Meals budget: Please allow USD 20 - 50 for meals not included.
Solo Traveller: Please note that if you have booked the "Solo traveler" option for the Inti Raymi tour, you receive your own single room for all overnights.
Local flights: There are two local flights are not included in the cost of the tour. 

All Inti Raymi and Machu Picchu group tours are accompanied by a Tierras Vivas Tour Guide, a Representative or an expedition team. The aim of our Tour Guides is to take a hassle out of our customers’ trips and to help them to have the best trip possible. The Tour Guides provide information on places visited, offer suggestions of what to see and to do, recommend a good place to eat and introduce to his/her colleagues. The Guides have a broad general knowledge of each country visited during a tour, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local Tour Guides where we think that more specific knowledge could add more enjoyment to visited places.

Travel with Confidence – Tierras Vivas Support Every Step of the Way

Our Tierras Vivas representative is dedicated to making sure your trip is seamless and enjoyable. They’ll maintain contact with our local team to ensure every service is delivered as promised. For better communication, we may ask for your WhatsApp contact and also provide ours. This allows us to check in with you during your stay and assist with any additional tours or activities you might want to enjoy during your time in Cusco and beyond.

Accommodation during the tour to Inti Raymi

These following hotels are used to accommodate you during your tour:

Accommodation in Cusco:

Hotel Illa

Address: Carmen Alto 166, San Blas - Cusco

Tel: +51 920 005 100

During the tour, we request our hotels to get ready your rooms for time of your arrival, especially, if you arrive prior to standard check-in time. Nevertheless, this is not always possible. In this case, you just store your luggage in that hotel storage room and you can explore around your new destination in between.

Please note! If you have purchased pre or post trip accommodation, you might be asked to change your room during your trip.

• Passport Original and copies
• Travel insurance(+ copies for a case of lost),
• Flight tickets,
• Cash in USD or credit cards,
• Our service voucher (sent by us to you),
• Entry visa and a proof of vaccination (if applicable),
• Day pack (to carry your personal items during daily travels),
• Rain gear (a rain-jacket and a waterproof trousers or a rain poncho - this can be purchased in Cusco),
• Resistible footwear, waterproof trekking shoes are recommended,
• Sandals (for a higher comfort while at a campsite),
• Warm clothes such as a jacket, a fleece (thermal clothing is also recommended for cold nights during camping),
• Hat or a cap (to protect you against the Sun, rain as well as cold),
• Sun cream or sun block,
• After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body,
• Insect repellent– recommended minimum is 20% DEET (please note that no malaria has been reported during this trip!),
• Camera and its charger/batteries (please note that batteries are consumed quickly under cold conditions),
• Flashlight/headlamp + batteries,
• Handkerchiefs and toilet paper,
• Small towel and toiletries,
• Sufficient reserve of underwear,
• Swimsuit (to visit the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes),
• Snacks (biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.)
  Please note: we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. The recommendation of taken own snack applies only for customers who like a specific snack that might not be in our menu.
• Bottled water for the first morning and a water bottle.
  Important: plastic bottles are not allowed on the Classic Inca Trail! Please bring a metallic (alternatively Nalgene) bottles!
• Optional: walking sticks (please note: rubber covers are required for the Inca Trail!!); you can also rent it from us,
• Please note: we provide with filtered boiled water during entire Inca Trail, but if you like to use water from streams along the trail, you need to take some water-purifying tablets with you.

The Sun was moving away during the winter solstice, the cold increased, in the dawns the water was frosty, therefore, it was necessary to ask the Sun to return, that the morning sun would not continue advancing towards the north. Finally, it was necessary to witness to the god Inti, the eternity and total surrender of his children, with submission and respect.

The Inka Pachakuteq ordered the construction of the Qorikancha, a magnificent temple dedicated to reverence the Sun, a god in whose honor the festival of INTI RAYMI was consecrated, which reaches outlines of solemnity and splendor, as described by the most important chroniclers.

More than six centuries ago, the Inka Pachakuteq instituted the Feast to the Sun God and nowadays the cusquenian people continue to represent it with the same fervor with which their ancestors performed it. Inti Raymi 2025