6-Day Cusco Tour: Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley & Rainbow Mountain

Five Inca sites in six days, from the city tour to the mountain of colors

A 6-day private guided tour from Cusco visiting Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Rainbow Mountain and the Inca bridge of Q'eswachaka, with airport pickup, professional guide in English or Spanish, private transport, train tickets and three-star hotel accommodation throughout. Machu Picchu tickets are subject to availability through Peru's Ministry of Culture. If none are available for your dates, you receive a full refund of the tour package.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Airport pickup and Cusco city tour

• Airport pickup and hotel transfer
• Rest and acclimatize in the morning
• 2:00pm pick up for city tour
• Visit Koricancha (Temple of the Sun)
• Visit Sacsayhuaman archaeological site
• Visit Qenqo ritual center
• Visit PucaPucara fortress
• Visit Tambomachay Inca Bath
• Return to Cusco hotel

Day 2: Sacred Valley and Aguas Calientes

• 8:00am hotel pickup
• Visit Pisaq archaeological site
• Buffet lunch in Urubamba
• Visit Ollantaytambo archaeological site
• Train to Aguas Calientes
• Overnight in Aguas Calientes
• Evening guide briefing for Machu Picchu visit

Day 3: Machu Picchu visit and return to Cusco

• Early bus to Machu Picchu
• 2-hour guided tour of Machu Picchu
• Lunch in Aguas Calientes
• Train to Ollantaytambo
• Bus transfer to Cusco hotel

Day 4: Rainbow Mountain trek

• 4:00am hotel pickup
• Breakfast in Cusipata district
• Travel to Wasipata area
• Hike to Rainbow Mountain (Winicunca)
• 40-minute visit at Rainbow Mountain
• Return hike to bus
• Buffet lunch in Cusipata
• Return to Cusco city

Day 5: Q'eswachaka Inca Bridge tour

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

Day 6: Departure and optional gastronomy tour

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

The experience

You arrive at Cusco airport and a representative meets you at arrivals for transfer to your hotel. The afternoon is free to rest and acclimatize. At 2 p.m. the guide picks you up for the city tour. You visit Koricancha (the Temple of the Sun) for a 45-minute guided walk, then drive to Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay: the four sites that ring the city. The guide explains the Inca construction and the purpose of each place as you move through them. You return to the hotel by 7 p.m.

Day two takes you into the Sacred Valley. The guide picks you up at 8 a.m. and you drive 90 minutes to Pisac, where you have a guided tour of the archaeological site. You continue along the Willkamayu (Sacred River) to Urubamba for a buffet lunch of typical Andean food, then spend an hour at Ollantaytambo exploring the Temple of the Sun, the Intihuatana and the Princess Baths. In the late afternoon you board the train to Aguas Calientes, where you stay overnight. The guide meets you that evening to brief you on the next day's visit to Machu Picchu.

Day three is the Machu Picchu day. You take the bus up the mountain very early, and the guide walks you through the site for two hours, explaining the layout and the history. After lunch back in Aguas Calientes, you board the train to Ollantaytambo and drive back to Cusco, arriving at the hotel in the evening.

Day four is Rainbow Mountain. The pickup is at 4 a.m. You drive to Cusipata for breakfast at 6:30 a.m., then continue to the trailhead. The trek to Winicunca (Mountain of Colors) takes about 90 minutes one way, with roughly 40 minutes to spend at the summit. The return walk is about 75 minutes. You have lunch back in Cusipata at 1 p.m. and arrive back in Cusco by 5:30 p.m. Day five covers the Inca bridge of Q'eswachaka. Pickup is at 7 a.m. You drive south through the high country, visit four lagoons and the Pabellones volcano, then reach the hanging bridge made of woven grass fiber on the Apurímac River. You cross it from both sides and see the colonial bridge at Checacupe on the way back, arriving in Cusco around 5 p.m. On day six, you have a free morning depending on your flight time, and the guide arranges your transfer to the airport or bus station.

What’s included

• Airport and hotel pickups throughout the tour.
• private professional guide in English or Spanish.
• private transportation between all sites.
• three-star hotel accommodation for six nights.
• entrance fees to Sacsayhuamán, Koricancha, Qenqo, Puca Pucara, Tambomachay, Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Rainbow Mountain.
• train tickets from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and return.
• bus transport to and from Machu Picchu.
• breakfast and lunch on days two through five.
• walking sticks for the mountain trek.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day7 departure times: the first at 00:00, the last at 13:30

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 35 pickup points.

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

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPets welcomeNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Chullos Travel Peru

Is this one for you?The 4 a.m. pickup for Rainbow Mountain and the 90-minute trek to the summit mean early mornings and sustained walking on high-altitude terrain. Book this if you're comfortable with those demands and want to see all five major sites in one trip rather than spreading them across separate tours.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What is Machu Picchu like when you get there?

Machu Picchu is an Inca city built high on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley. The guide walks you through the site for two hours, pointing out the Temple of the Sun, the agricultural terraces, the water channels and the residential areas. You see it on day three of the tour, after an early bus ride from Aguas Calientes.

How much walking is involved in Rainbow Mountain?

Rainbow Mountain (Winicunca) requires a trek of about 90 minutes uphill to reach the summit, where you spend roughly 40 minutes. The descent takes about 75 minutes. The altitude is high and the terrain is steep, so a moderate level of physical fitness is needed.

What is the Inca bridge of Q'eswachaka?

Q'eswachaka is a hanging bridge made of woven grass fiber (ichu) that spans the Apurímac River in the district of Quehue. It dates from the Inca period and is rebuilt once a year by local communities as part of a ceremony that includes an offering to Pachamama. On day five you cross it from both sides and see the colonial stone bridge at Checacupe nearby.

Does the tour include meals?

Breakfast and lunch are included on days two through five. Day two includes a buffet lunch in Urubamba with typical Andean food. Day four includes breakfast in Cusipata and lunch after the Rainbow Mountain trek. Day three includes lunch in Aguas Calientes after Machu Picchu. Day five includes lunch after visiting the Inca bridge. Meals on days one and six are not included.

What happens if Machu Picchu tickets are not available?

Machu Picchu tickets are sold only by Peru's Ministry of Culture and are subject to availability. Tickets are purchased according to available circuits (circuits 1 and 2 are standard, other circuits may be offered with an additional charge). If no tickets are available for your travel dates, you receive a full refund of your entire tour package.

Is the guide included for all five sites?

Yes. A private professional guide in English or Spanish is included for the city tour in Cusco, the Sacred Valley (Pisac and Ollantaytambo), Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain and the Inca bridge of Q'eswachaka. The guide also provides all entrance fees for the sites and explains the history and layout of each place as you visit.