Places you Should Visit in Cusco

From S/ 0.00

This program is designed for travelers who want to know the pre-Inca, Inca and Colonial cultural and archaeological legacy in Cusco area.

Level of difficulty: Medium- low
Style: Private tour
Duration: 7 days/ 6 nights
Starts in: Cusco

Personalize your trip according to your interests.

Supplements may apply over holidays, festivals and special events. Subject to availability.

    Travel Style
    Andean, Archaeological sites, Culture, Family, History, Travel with kids

    Activity Level Easy
    2/4

Tour Summary

Day 1.  Arrive Cusco, Peru/ Transfer to Sacred Valley/ Visit Awanacancha ranch and Pisac Market

Day 2. Sacred Valley of the Incas: Ollantaytambo/ Maras/ Moray

Day 3. Machu Picchu: Stunning lost city

Day 4. Return to Cusco in the afternoon

Day 5. Cusco City Tour: Massive walls of Saqsaywaman/ Q´enqo/ Cathedral/ Coricancha

Day 6. South Valley Tour: Tipon- Andahuaylillas

Day 7. Depart Cusco

What does this tour include?
What is included in this tour?Items that are included in the cost of tour price.
  • Accommodation in hotel for 2 nights with breakfast (double basis) in the Sacred Valley
  • Accommodation in hotel for 1 night with breakfast (double basis) in Machu Picchu
  • Accommodation in hotel for 3 nights with breakfast (double basis) in Cusco
  • Lunch at Machu Picchu Tour
  • Lunch in Sacred Valley Tour
  • Train and Bus to Machu Picchu
  • Entrance tickets to all mentioned places
  • Private guide
  • Private transportation
  • Bottled mineral water
  • Taxes
What is not included in this tour?Items that are not included in the cost of tour price.
  • Air tickets and air taxes
  • Tours not mentioned
  • Meals not specified
  • Unforeseen expenses
  • Insurance
  • Tips
  1. Day 1 Arrival to Cusco, transfer to the Sacred Valley

    Reception at Cusco Airport. Immediately we will head to the Sacred Valley of the Incas for an adequate and recommended acclimatization to the altitude. This valley was chosen by the Incas for its climate and beauty, here the best corn is produced. En route we will visit Awanacancha ranch, a ”living museum” where you will be in contact and will be able to feed South American camelids. Meet natives who will show you the practices used for dyeing and weaving alpaca fibers. You will also have the opportunity to visit the shopping area within this ranch, where you will find a select and varied range of high quality products made by the hand of these expert indigenous weavers who come from different Andean communities.

    We will continue with the visit of Pisac Market. This craft market was born more than 30 years ago and today is carried out daily. In those times the first visiting tourists toured the archaeological site of Pisaq, and walking from the top of the mountain to the main square of the town of Pisaq, they came across the surprise ”only on Sundays” of a colourful indigenous market with a wide variety of edible products. Tourists were happy to see that the indigenous tradition was alive with its barter trade that continues to this day.

    Night in Sacred Valley.

  2. Day 2 Sacred Valley Tour: Ollantaytambo- Maras- Moray

    Today we will visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Beginning with the town and fortress of Ollantaytambo. You will have the opportunity to visit an ancient Inca city and appreciate the aqueduct system in its streets. Then, meet an original Inca house, where a current family lives in, preserving the intact walls of those times with the decoration of niches in the four walls that make it up. You will also see dozens of rodents running inside the house commonly called ”cuyes” or guinea pigs. Peru is a destination known worldwide for its cuisine and one of the typical dishes in the area of the Andes is prepared with this ”cuy”. Your guide will teach you how this family lives in this place with all its traditions and ancient sacred objects that have come to mix with the Catholic religion.

    We will continue the visit with the monumental prehispanic architectural work called ”The Fortress”, here your guide will show you important places like the Temple of the Condor, he will tell you the legend of the origin of the Incas and how is that this temple is related to it. You will also climb an ancient staircase to the most important architectural complex: ”The Temple of the Sun”, a cyclopean work made of pink granite brought from the summits of a chain of mountains located on the other side of Urubamba river. We will tell you the legend of ”Tunupa”, the prehispanic semi-god that is sculpted in a great mountain located next to the current town of Ollantaytambo.

    Lunch included.

    After lunch, visit Maras saltpans and the farming terraces of Moray. The ancient tradition of extracting salt continues to this day, with more than five thousand pools of salt in use today. Here you will learn the process of extracting salt at three thousand meters high. Continue your visit with the circles or circular terraces of Moray, agricultural-genetic laboratory where experiments took place for the acclimatization of Andean seeds, a sample of the great knowledge of the Incas in the variety of plants and grains of the Andes.

    Night in Sacred Valley.

  3. Day 3 Machu Picchu Tour

    In the morning we will pick you up from the hotel for your transfer to Ollantaytambo train station, where we will take the train to Machu Picchu (Machu Picchu Town, commonly called ”Aguas Calientes”). A unique trip by train surrounded by mountains and accompanied by one of the tributaries of the Amazon River: river ”Urubamba”.

    The landscape changes constantly in a journey of one hour and thirty minutes where your guide will show you and teach you about the flora and fauna of the place between the mountain range and the high jungle. He will also show you the Inca roads that lead to the citadel of Machu Picchu and another ten cities that are located along these pedestrian trails called ”Qapaq Ñan” or Royal Road. Through one of the windows of the train we will show you an Inca citadel that seems suspended between the mountains: ”Wiñaywayna”.

    Upon arrival, we will board the bus that will leave us at the citadel of Machu Picchu. In only 25 minutes we will ascend more than 400 meters of height by a zig-zag route surrounded by trees and vegetation typical of the high jungle.

    Lunch included in the only luxury hotel located at the entrance to the citadel of Machu Picchu.

    In the afternoon, tour of the citadel of Machu Picchu. Your expert guide will take you to visit the most important temples and palaces in a three-hour tour. You will go up to the Guardian´s House, the perfect place for a panoramic view of the citadel, recognizing the two great areas of Machu Picchu: the agricultural zone and the urban zone. You will visit the Temple of the Sun, the Sacred Plaza with its three temples, the Intiwatana or solar clock, the Royal Palace, the Sacred Rock, the Mortars and the Temple of the Condor among many other places of interest in this sacred city.

    Night in Machu Picchu.

  4. Day 4 Transfer to Cusco

    Morning at leisure, you may opt between returning to Machu Picchu, hike Wayna Picchu mountain, hike to the Sungate or to the Inca bridge. Otherwise, take a walk in the picturesque town of Aguas Calientes.

    In the afternoon we will take the return train to the city of Cusco. During the return trip, you can enjoy the scenery and relax, or maybe ask yourself and try to explain how people without tools of iron and other precision for engineering works, could build such a gigantic metropolis on the heights of the andes defying gravity to the present …

    Our mobility will be waiting for us at Ollantaytambo train station to take us to the city of Cusco.

    Night in Cusco.

  5. Day 5 Cusco City Tour

    In the morning we will pick you up for the tour of the city of Cusco. A must visit where you will get to know the polygonal cyclopean construction of Sacsaywaman, place where the Festival of the Sun is celebrated every year or in the language of the Incas the “Inti Raymi”. Then your guide will take you to visit the underground chamber of Q’enqo, a place possibly used by the Incas to perform ceremonies and sacrifices. Continue with the visit to the Cathedral, built over the ancient palace of

    King Inca Wiracocha. You will also walk through the ancient streets of Cusco until you reach the famous ”Stone of 12 angles”. Finally, visit the Qoricancha or Temple of the Sun, the Spanish chronicles remind us that from this magnificent temple came a great part of the treasure for the rescue of the Inca Atahualpa.

    Night in Cusco.

  6. Day 6 South Valley Tour: Tipon and Andahuaylillas

    In the morning we will head to the South Valley, where we will first visit Tipon, a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering that still works today. Its twelve large agricultural terraces give way to microclimates and were strategically built in the middle of the mountains. Then visit a Hispanic church located in a small village typical of the sixteenth century: ”Andahuaylillas” whose beautiful main square is surrounded by Pisonay trees (Erythrina falcata). Decorated with fresco painting that can be seen even in the ceiling of the enclosure, the church is also known as the ”Sistine Chapel of America”. Your guide will indicate where to read a phrase used in the ceremonies of Christian baptisms in five languages. Here is also a masterpiece by the Spanish artist Esteban de Murillo.

    Night in Cusco.

  7. Day 7 Cusco- Transfer to the Airport

    At proper time, transfer to Cusco Airport to take your flight to the next destination.

    End of our services.

Hotels

These are some of the hotels we work with, although it is true there is a great list, we choose serious, responsible hotels that are always renewing quality in all their services. You can find very beautiful standard hotels or superior to luxury hotels strategically located in unique places for your visits and adventure. We are committed to offering hospitality and placing you, our guests, at the center of the stage in Peru.

VALLE SAGRADO:

Tambo del Inka.- This luxury establishment located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, is the only hotel in Urubamba that has a private train station with connections to Machu Picchu. The establishment has a swimming pool and spa. The rooms are elegant and feature regional fabrics and a typical local design. All have a private balcony with views of the natural environment, LCD TV, exclusive marble bathroom. A buffet breakfast is offered daily.


Tierra Viva Valle.- This establishment is part of Tierra Viva hotels chain and is located in Urubamba, in the heart of the Sacred Valley, 60 km from the center of Cuzco and only 11 km from Ollantaytambo, the starting point to reach Machu Picchu and the last train station before reaching the citadel. There is parking. The architecture of Tierra Viva Sacred Valley Urubamba follows the typical design of the rural areas of Cuzco. The rooms are designed with a mixture of wood that gives them a warm and cozy atmosphere. They have heating and private balcony or terrace overlooking the valley. It has a total of 36 superior double and double rooms. All rooms have private bathroom, large or extra large orthopedic mattress, LCD cable TV, telephone with national and international call service and free Wi-Fi.


MACHU PICCHU:

Inkaterra Machupicchu Pueblo hotel.- It offers spacious rooms with tiled floors and a seating area, as well as massage sessions. The price of accommodation includes buffet breakfast and dinner à la carte. Inkaterra’s rooms are elegantly decorated with Andean tapestries and include cotton bedding, alpaca blankets and four-poster beds. Some rooms also have Wi-Fi connection, fireplace, marble sink or private pool. The restaurant overlooks Vilcanota River and serves Andean cuisine. The staff of Inkaterra Machu Picchu organizes walking tours in the surroundings. The hotel facilities include a lounge with a library and a gift shop.


Tierra Viva MachuPicchu.- The hotel features stunning views of the surrounding hills. It is a 5-minute walk from the bus station and has comfortable and quiet rooms with air conditioning. It offers a panoramic solarium and free Wi-Fi access throughout. The rooms are very quiet and equipped with private cable TV, minibar and private bathroom with shower. Some offer views of the hills. Cusco train station is a 10-minute walk away.


Sumaq MachuPicchu.- This luxury hotel offers a privileged location along the Urubamba River and only 20 minutes by bus from the archaeological zone of Machu Picchu. It offers comfort, elegance and tranquility, in addition to an Andean design. There is free WiFi. It offers spacious and luxurious rooms with seating areas. All have cable TV and heating. Some rooms have a private balcony with views of the mountains and the Urubamba River. The Qunuq à la carte restaurant serves Peruvian cuisine. Guests can also enjoy a drink at the Suquy Cafe & Bar. Guests can enjoy total relaxation at the Aqlla Spa.


CUSCO:

Monasterio Hotel.- This former monastery of the year 1592 offers luxury colonial-style accommodation around a patio. It is located in the historic center of the city of Cusco, 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas. The walls of Belmond Monasterio Hotel are decorated with works of religious art. The rooms are equipped with TV and Wi-Fi. Oxygen-enriched rooms are also available. It is located 5 km from Velasco Astete airport and 20 minutes by car from Poroy train station.


Xima Hotel.- Xima Cusco Hotel is right in front of the largest craft market in the city. It offers modern rooms with buffet breakfast included. All rooms are equipped with a flat-screen LCD cable TV. Some have a balcony. There is also free wired internet connection in all facilities. In addition, it has a spa where special treatments and relaxing massages are offered in a unique environment, using special elements and techniques of the Inca culture that revitalize the body, mind and spirit. The spa also has a sauna, hot tub and special oxygen room.


Casa Don Ignacio.- This hotel is located in Cusco and offers elegant decoration, Wi-Fi connection and daily buffet breakfast. The rooms have a flat-screen TV with cable channels. In addition, the private bathroom includes a shower, free toiletries and towels. Some rooms have a balcony with city views. Don Ignacio is an 8-minute walk from Cusco’s main square. The accommodation features luggage storage and is 6 km from Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport.

Of the thousands of stones that make up the “fortress of Saqsaywaman”, none resemble the other, all are different in what appears to be a gigantic puzzle. The heaviest stone has about 200 tons. Its zig-zag-shaped walls have an average height of 4 meters, although they were almost completely destroyed and used as a quarry by the Spaniards, it is still an impressive and worth visiting archeological site. Today many wonder how, who and with what technology those walls were built.