Cusco & Machu Picchu: 5-Day Sacred Valley & Moray Tour

Five Days in Cusco: From Sacsayhuaman to the Machu Picchu Train

You spend five days moving through Cusco's archaeological sites and the Sacred Valley with a private guide, staying in four-star hotels and traveling by private van and train. Day one covers the city's main ruins; day two is the Sacred Valley and the overnight train to Aguas Calientes; day three is Machu Picchu with a 2.5-hour guided tour; day four is Moray and the Maras salt mines; day five is a morning walk through Cusco's historic center before your airport transfer. Meals and all transport are included, so you're not arranging logistics or negotiating prices along the way.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Airport pickup and Cusco city tour

• Arrival airport pickup
• Transfer to hotel
• Rest and acclimatize in morning
• 2:00 PM hotel pickup for city tour
• Visit Koricancha temple
• Travel to Sacsayhuaman
• Guided tour of Sacsayhuaman
• Visit Qenqo ritual center
• Travel to PucaPucara red fort
• Visit PucaPucara
• Visit Tambomachay water cult site
• Return to Cusco hotel by 7:00 PM

Day 2 — Sacred Valley tour and Aguas Calientes

• 8:00 AM hotel pickup
• Travel to Pisaq ruins
• Guided tour of Pisaq
• Travel to Urubamba for buffet lunch
• Travel to Ollantaytambo archaeological site
• Guided tour of Ollantaytambo
• Travel to train station
• Train to Aguas Calientes
• Overnight in Aguas Calientes

Day 3 — Visit Machu Picchu and return

• Early bus to Machu Picchu
• Guided tour of Machu Picchu
• Free time in Aguas Calientes for lunch
• Train to Ollantaytambo
• Transfer from Ollantaytambo to Cusco hotel

Day 4 — Moray and Maras salt mines tour

• 8:00 AM hotel pickup
• Travel to Maras town
• Travel to Moray agricultural terraces
• Guided tour of Moray
• Travel to Maras salt mines
• Guided tour of salt mines
• Shopping at salt mines
• Return to Cusco by 3:00 PM

Day 5 — Free morning and airport transfer

• Free morning to relax or walk tour
• Visit Plaza de Armas and main cathedral
• Visit Nazarenas Square
• Visit San Blas neighborhood
• See twelve-angle stone
• Visit San Pedro local market
• Afternoon transfer to airport

The Experience

The guide doesn't show up at the hotel at 2 PM on day one — he's there at 1:45, which means you're either rushing or sitting in the lobby with coffee for fifteen minutes. That's the kind of detail that matters when you're landing at altitude and your body hasn't caught up yet. The first afternoon is a city tour of Cusco's historic center: Koricancha (the Temple of the Sun) gets a 45-minute walk-through, then you're back in the van heading uphill to Sacsayhuaman, those massive stone walls that sit above the city. The guide talks about the Quechua name — "place where the hawk is satiated" — and you're standing there trying to picture how they moved stones that size without machinery. After Sacsayhuaman comes Q'enqo, a ritual center carved into rock, then Puca Pucara, a red military fort, and finally Tambomachay, where the Incas performed water rituals. You're back at the hotel by 7 PM, tired and slightly dizzy from the altitude.

Day two is the Sacred Valley push. The van picks you up at 8 AM and drives ninety minutes to Pisac, where you get a guided tour of the ruins — agricultural terraces and temples stacked into the mountainside. Then lunch in Urubamba, a buffet of typical Andean food, before moving on to Ollantaytambo, another archaeological site with the Temple of the Sun and the Princess Baths. By late afternoon you're at the train station boarding a train to Aguas Calientes (the gateway town for Machu Picchu), where you'll spend the night. The guide passes by your hotel that evening to go over the next day's details — what time the bus leaves, what to bring, how early you need to be ready.

Day three is the reason you booked this. You're on a bus at dawn heading up to Machu Picchu, and the guide gives you a 2.5-hour tour of the site itself — the Temple of the Sun, the agricultural terraces, the Intihuatana stone. After that you have free time to wander or grab lunch in Aguas Calientes. The train back to Ollantaytambo leaves in the afternoon, and a Chullos Travel representative meets you with a sign when you arrive, then drives you back to Cusco and your hotel. Day four is Moray and Maras. You're picked up at 8 AM and driven to the salt mines — hundreds of small ponds carved into the mountainside where locals still harvest salt the way they have for centuries. Before that is Moray, the agricultural laboratory, a series of concentric terraces that some say was an Inca experimental farm. The guide does a 40-minute tour of Moray, then an hour at the salt mines, and you're back in Cusco by 3 PM. On the final morning you have time to walk around Plaza de Armas or the San Blas neighborhood if you want, then a transfer to the airport in the afternoon.

Machu Picchu tickets are subject to availability — the Ministry of Culture of Peru controls all sales, and if your preferred circuit sells out, you either take what's available or get a full refund. That's the one variable you can't control, so book early if you have specific dates in mind. Everything else — the hotels, the guide, the train, the meals — is locked in.

What’s included

Your five days include airport pickup and hotel dropoff in Cusco, four-star hotel nights in Cusco and Aguas Calientes, lunch in Urubamba on day two and lunch in Aguas Calientes on day three, private professional guides for the city tour, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Moray & Maras, all transport by private van, train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Voyager or Expedition class), bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, entry fees for Sacsayhuaman, Q'enqo, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray, and the Maras salt mines, and the guided tour of Machu Picchu itself.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for back problems

Operated by Chullos Travel Peru

Is this one for you?This tour is built for travelers who want the main Cusco and Machu Picchu highlights without arranging transport, tickets, guides, or meals separately — the five-day structure and private guide handle the logistics so you focus on the sites.

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Top questions

How much time do you spend at Machu Picchu?

You get a 2.5-hour guided tour with the guide, then free time to explore on your own before the afternoon train back.

What's included in the price?

Four-star hotels in Cusco and Aguas Calientes, lunch in Urubamba and Aguas Calientes, private guide for all tours, all transport (van, train, bus to Machu Picchu), airport pickup and dropoff, and entry fees for the city tour and archaeological sites.

Are Machu Picchu tickets guaranteed?

Tickets are subject to availability through the Ministry of Culture of Peru. If your preferred circuit is sold out, you can take an available alternative or receive a full refund of the tour package.

How long is the train ride to Aguas Calientes?

The reference doesn't specify the exact duration, but it's an overnight journey from Ollantaytambo, arriving the next morning.

Do you need to be very fit for this tour?

Moderate physical fitness is recommended. The tour involves walking at high altitude (Cusco is at 11,000 feet) and navigating archaeological sites with uneven terrain.

What time does the city tour start on day one?

Pickup from your hotel is at 2 PM for the afternoon city tour.

Is there free time in Aguas Calientes?

Yes, after the guided tour of Machu Picchu you have free time for lunch and exploring the town before the afternoon train back.

What happens on the final morning?

You have a free morning to rest or take a walking tour of Plaza de Armas, San Blas neighborhood, and the local market. Airport transfer is in the afternoon.