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This Celebrity Xpeditions experience is highlighted with a visit to the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu, rediscovered in 1911 when Professor Hiram Bingham led an expedition into the highlands of the Andes Mountains. The former fortress city proudly sits with her remaining ruins on a plateau above the Urubamba River, surrounded by lush vegetation and concealed by the ever-impressive Andes.
You begin this Xpedition into the past (but hardly forgotten) civilization with a one-hour flight to Cuzco, the city that was once the center of the former Inca Empire. Cuzco, which means "the belly of the world," is located at an altitude of 11,152 feet (it's literally breathtaking, so you'll want to walk slowly and not overexert yourself) and has a population of approximately 270,000. It represents a striking intermingling of three cultures: the native Quechua Indian, the conquering Spanish and the modern. Its impressive archaeological relics from the Inca era include the Fortress of Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Tampu Machay and Puca-Pucara, as well as the characteristic stone streets. Colonial architecture has been superimposed on Inca temples, creating an unforgettable blend of styles.
A city tour delivers you to the city's highlights and includes a visit to the Koricancha, or Temple of the Sun, which was the most important temple in all of the Inca territory. You'll also take in the Convent of Santo Domingo, the Cathedral on the main square and the ancient and streets of Cuzco with their beautiful stonewalls that seem to whisper Incan secrets. Beyond the city's center you'll see the famous Fortress of Sacsayhuaman, built with enormous blocks of granite, Qenko, a giant rock with ceremonial steps, Puca-Pucara and Tampu Machay, offering marvelous views of the surrounding area. Finish your first day with a buffet dinner, folkloric show, and stimulating conversations and questions of the mysteries of lost civilizations.
The next morning, you'll travel via the romance of railway on a 112-kilometer open-country journey to the "Lost City of the Incas." You'll agree there's nothing like encountering these nearly-perfectly preserved buildings to stimulate thoughts and questions about the disappearance of an entire people, its trades, and its way of life. Lacking only their original thatched roofs, these ruins offer a window into what once was.
Duration: 2.5 days
Prices begin at: $1820.00 (USD) per person double occupancy; $1975.00 (USD) single
If you would like to purchase this Celebrity Xpedition excursion to Cuzcu and Machu Picchu, click here.
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