Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

Four days is the sensible minimum to see the region without rushing. The itinerary starts in Cusco at 3,400 metres — Qoricancha, Sacsayhuamán, Tambomachay — which doubles as acclimatisation before going higher. Day two drops into the Sacred Valley, which at 2,800 metres is where you sleep best in the whole area; the Incas used it for exactly that reason. Chinchero, the Maras salt pans and the circular terraces of Moray, an agricultural laboratory of stepped microclimates, all fall here. The last two days are for Machu Picchu, with a night in Aguas Calientes and early entry to the citadel.