5-Day Cusco, Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu Tour

Four Inca sites in five days, without building the itinerary yourself

A 5-day guided tour from Cusco covering the city's main temples, the Sacred Valley archaeological sites of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, and the Inca bridge of Q'eswachaka. The tour includes all accommodation, meals, transportation between sites, train tickets, entrance fees and professional guides in English or Spanish. You travel by vehicle, train and bus while the operator handles the sequence and timing.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Airport pickup and Cusco city tour

• Arrival airport pickup
• Transfer to hotel and rest
• 2:00pm city tour start
• Visit Koricancha temple
• Visit Sacsayhuaman fortress
• Visit Qenqo ritual center
• Visit PucaPucara fortress
• Visit Tambomachay Inca Bath
• Return to Cusco hotel

Day 2: Sacred Valley tour and Aguas Calientes

• 8:00am hotel pickup
• Travel to Pisaq archaeological site
• Guided tour of Pisaq
• Travel to Urubamba for buffet lunch
• Visit Ollantaytambo archaeological site
• Guided tour of Ollantaytambo
• Train to Aguas Calientes
• Overnight in Aguas Calientes
• Evening guide briefing for Machu Picchu

Day 3: Machu Picchu visit and return to Cusco

• 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: Q'eswachaka Inca bridge tour

• 7:00am hotel pickup
• Travel south of Cusco to four lagoons
• Visit Pabellones volcano
• Visit and cross Q'eswachaka Inca bridge
• Visit Inca colonial bridge of Checacupe
• Return to Cusco city

Day 5: Departure or optional gastronomy tour

• Free morning to relax
• Optional Peruvian gastronomy and pisco sour class
• Transfer to airport or bus station

The experience

The tour starts with airport pickup and a city tour the same afternoon: Koricancha (Temple of the Sun), then Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo and Tambomachay on the heights above Cusco, arriving back at your hotel by 7pm. The next morning you leave at 8am for the Sacred Valley, spending roughly an hour and a half each at the terraced ruins of Pisac and the temple complex at Ollantaytambo, with a buffet lunch of typical Andean food in Urubamba between them. That evening you board a train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu.

Day three is the Machu Picchu visit itself. You take a bus up to the site early in the morning for a guided tour lasting two and a half hours, then have free time in Aguas Calientes for lunch before the train and bus carry you back to Cusco. Day four is devoted to Q'eswachaka, the Inca bridge made of woven grass fiber that spans the Apurímac River. The tour picks you up at 7am, passes four lagoons and a small volcano on the way south, then crosses the bridge from both sides and stops at the colonial stone bridge of Checacupe for comparison before returning to the city around 5pm. On the final morning you have time to rest before your departure transfer to the airport or bus station.

Machu Picchu tickets are subject to availability through Peru's Ministry of Culture. The operator will book circuit 1 or 2 depending on what is open. If no tickets are available for any circuit, you receive a full refund of the entire package. The guide will brief you the night before your visit with details about the site and what to expect.

What’s included

• Airport pickup and final transfer to the airport or bus station.
• four nights in 3-star hotels (Cusco, Aguas Calientes, Cusco).
• professional guides in English or Spanish for the city tour, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Q'eswachaka.
• entrance tickets to Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Q'eswachaka.
• train tickets from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and return.
• bus tickets to and from Machu Picchu.
• breakfast and lunch on days two, three and four.
• all ground transportation by vehicle and bus between sites.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day8 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 13:00

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Chullos Travel Peru

Is this one for you?The tour runs on a fixed schedule across five days with early starts (7am and 8am pickups on days two and four, very early on day three for Machu Picchu), so it suits travelers comfortable with a set pace and willing to move between sites each day. If you prefer a slower rhythm or want to spend more time at one location, a longer tour or a custom itinerary would work better.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What's included in the 5-day tour from Cusco?

The tour includes airport pickup, all four nights in 3-star hotels (one in Cusco, one in Aguas Calientes, two more in Cusco), entrance tickets to Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Q'eswachaka, both train journeys between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, the bus to Machu Picchu, all meals listed in the itinerary, professional guides in English or Spanish, and the final transfer to the airport or bus station.

Do I need to book Machu Picchu tickets separately?

No, the operator purchases your Machu Picchu ticket as part of the package, booking either circuit 1 or 2 depending on availability through Peru's Ministry of Culture. If no circuits are available, you receive a full refund of the entire tour.

How much walking is involved each day?

Day one includes walking around the four Cusco temples and ruins on the heights above the city. Day two involves walking the terraces at Pisac and the temple complex at Ollantaytambo, roughly an hour at each site. Day three is the longest walk: a guided tour of Machu Picchu lasting two and a half hours on steep terrain at high altitude. Day four includes walking to and across the Q'eswachaka bridge and around the lagoons. Most travel between sites is by vehicle or train.

What time does each day start?

Day one: pickup at 2pm from your hotel for the city tour. Day two: 8am pickup for the Sacred Valley. Day three: very early morning pickup for the bus to Machu Picchu (exact time provided the night before). Day four: 7am pickup for Q'eswachaka. Day five: free morning depending on your flight time.

What is the Inca bridge of Q'eswachaka actually like?

Q'eswachaka is a hanging bridge woven from ichu grass fiber that spans the Apurímac River in the district of Quehue, dating from the Inca period. Local communities rebuild and maintain it once a year in a ceremony that begins with an offering to Pachamama. On the tour you cross it from both sides and see the nearby colonial stone bridge of Checacupe to compare the two construction methods.

What happens if I arrive late or need to leave early?

Airport pickup is included on day one regardless of arrival time. On the final morning you have a free schedule before your departure, so you can arrange a transfer whenever your flight or bus departs.