Real travellers · real day
People who actually went.
What you actually get
Included. And not included.
Being aggressive about exclusions reads as confidence. Most negative Cusco tour reviews trace to an unlisted extra. The list below is what you actually pay for — and what you don't.
Included
- 01Video-call briefing after you book, so you know exactly what to expect and can ask anything before the tour
- 02Professional bilingual guide
- 03Hotel pickup between 6:30am and 7:00am
- 045 archaeological sites and 2 community workshops along the route (Chinchero and Pisac)
- 05First-aid kit and oxygen on hand throughout the tour
- 06Round-trip transportation, Cusco ↔ Sacred Valley
- 07Buffet lunch, with vegan options
Not included
- 01Boleto Turístico (Circuito 3) covering Chinchero, Moray, Pisac and Ollantaytambo — about US$22 (S/70), valid 2 days, bought directly from Peru's Ministry of Culture / COSITUC. We can't purchase this for you — arrange it yourself before the tour.
- 02Salinas de Maras entrance fee — about US$8 (S/30), cash, paid directly to the local community at the gate. Same as the Vinicunca and Humantay entrance fees — not collected or intermediated by us.
Hour by hour
The day, in twenty-four timestamps.
- ~06:30–07:00
Hotel pickup in Cusco, between 6:30 and 7:00am.
- En route
Depart Cusco for the Sacred Valley.
- Chinchero
Stop in Chinchero, the colonial town on the way in: a community craft workshop, the archaeological centre, and the main plaza — about 30 minutes at each.
- Maras, Moray & Salinas
Maras, Moray, and the Salinas salt pans — about 20 minutes at each. Moray's giant natural circular depressions were used by the Inca as an agricultural laboratory; the Salinas de Maras salt pans are still worked today, the same way they were in Inca times.
- Midday
Buffet lunch in the Urubamba Valley, with vegan options — about 40 minutes.
- Ollantaytambo
Ollantaytambo fortress and its Temple of the Sun — a defensive structure from the Inca civil war, with 12-foot (3.5 m) stone walls. About 40 minutes to an hour.
- Pisac
Pisac, one of the region's major Inca archaeological centres: temples, palaces, and terraces built right at the edge of the cliffs — for stability as much as cultivation — with the original aqueducts still intact. Includes a stop at a community workshop in Pisac.
- ~19:00
Return to Cusco.
Altitude & fitness
Who should not do this tour.
The most credibility-building paragraph on a Cusco tour page is the one that tells a buyer to walk away. This is that paragraph for the sacred valley.
- If you have not spent at least two nights in Cusco before the tour, this day is not for you.
- If you have a heart, lung, or blood-pressure condition, the altitude is a medical decision, not a travel one — talk to your doctor first.
- If you are pregnant, the operator will not run the day. We will not pretend they will.
- If the only thing you want is the photograph and not the day, hire a photo operator in Cusco plaza for a tenth of the price. We are not it.
What to bring
The list, with reasons.
- A small day-bag
- Sun hat
- Sunscreen
- Windbreaker jacket
- Rain coat
- Snacks, water, and your camera
- Sunglasses
- Original passport
- Cash — for the Salinas de Maras entrance fee (about US$8) and any extras. Arrange your Boleto Turístico (about US$22) in advance, before the tour.
- This is an easy day — no demanding hiking, so it's accessible for just about everyone, including older travellers and children. You'll be on your feet at each stop, never on a real climb.
- Daily departures. Cusco's dry season runs roughly May–November; some light rain days are possible December–April. It's a full-day tour through a dry zone, usually sunny — check the day-of forecast at https://www.accuweather.com/en/pe/cusco/257812/weather-forecast/257812
Booking cutoff
Next-day
The minimum lead time on this tour.
Pickup from your Cusco hotel. The day runs through the markets, terraces, and salt pools of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Maras.
- Payment is in full, by payment link or bank transfer.
- No processor on this site. We send a payment link by hand from WhatsApp.
WhatsApp about this tour
Sacred Valley.
Same-day reply, Cusco time. We will tell you whether your date is open before you pay.
