Peru, Machu Picchu trek itinerary

Day 1 and 2: Fly from UK to Cusco via Madrid and Lima. After lunch, the afternoon is best spent at leisure and acclimatising to the rarefied air of the High Andes.

Day 3: Day at leisure to explore the fascinating city of Cusco and the nearby Inca fortress of Sacsuayhuaman.

Day 4: Chilipahua 5-6 hours. Short transfer to Papichu Bridge where we will begin our trek. The trail climbs via a small ‘pampa' at Amparaki to the Watuq'asa pass (3900m) where there is an Inca wall and fortress surrounding the pass. We descend from the pass to a small valley and then head to our campsite at the small settlement of Chilipahua.

Day 5: Chiliapahua - Irway 8-10 hours. The longest day of trek. We cross the Chiliapahua pass (4650m) to the Silque river valley, then reascend to our campsite overlooking the stunning Ankascocha glacial lake.

Day 6: Irway - Kamicancha 6-8 hours. The morning trek takes us down to a small settlement, where we visit a small school. We continue down the Silque Valley with the glacial Mt Veronica looming ever larger in front of us. We descend over 1000m past stunning cascades and lots of interesting flora, there is also a chance we will see condor.

Day 7: Kamicancha - KM82 3 - 4 hours. This morning we trek across farmland to reach our campsite next the Urumbamba River by lunch time. We have an afternoon to relax and prepare for our trek to Machu Picchu tomorrow.

Day 8: KM82- Machu Picchu 6 hours. Early morning departure by train along the Urubamba Valley to KM104 where we begin our trek We climb up to the famous Inca ruins at Winay Wayna. Here we join the standard Inca Trail which cuts across the ridge to Intipunku - the ‘door of the sun' and the first exhilarating view of Machu Picchu. From Intipunku, we head through Machu Picchu to the town of Aguas Calientes where we celebrate in style with our Gala Dinner and a bit a Salsa!

Day 9:Machu Picchu - Cusco. There will be time to explore Machu Picchu before catching the train back through the Urubamba Valley to KM82 after lunch and then transferring back to Cus-co.

Day 10 and 11: Overnight flight back to the UK.