Horseback riding tour Cusco: hidden Inca temples

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.00 (17 reviews)

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/6

Duration6h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Reach Inca ruins on horseback that most visitors never find

A full-day horseback riding tour from Cusco that takes you to four hidden archaeological sites — Kallachaka (an ancient temple linked to the stars), Inkilltambo (a restored Inca checkpoint), Laqo (the Temple of the Moon), and Rumiwasi (the Stone House) — with a professional guide, hotel pickup, lunch and all equipment included. The ranch sits 20 minutes from the city, and the ride combines Andean villages, mountain terrain and sites that see few regular tourists.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore hidden Inca temples by horseback

Travel to ranch near Cusco
Horseback ride to Kallachaka wetland
Visit Inkilltambo ceremonial site
Explore Laqo Temple of the Moon

The Experience

You start with hotel pickup and a short drive to the ranch, where the guide fits you with a helmet and pairs you with a horse suited to your experience level. The route heads into the Andean foothills northwest of Cusco, moving through wetland and mountain passes where the terrain itself tells the story of how the Inca engineered this landscape. The guide speaks English or Spanish and points out the carved rocks, platforms, fountains and narrow passageways that mark each site as you arrive.

Kallachaka comes early in the ride — a polygonal platform in the Wayllarcocha wetland where you can see the remains of Inca canalization work on the Inkilltambo river. The site sits in a setting few tourists reach, and the guide explains what the architecture reveals about the people who built it. Later you reach Inkilltambo, a ceremonial huaca from the time of Inca Wiracocha, restored only three years ago; the rectangular enclosures, staircases and carved rocks show the precision of Inca construction. Laqo (the Temple of the Moon) and Rumiwasi (the Stone House) round out the four stops, each one revealing details about the social hierarchy and engineering knowledge of the Inca period.

A box lunch and water come with you on the ride, so you eat somewhere in the route without breaking the day into separate segments. The whole experience runs six hours from pickup to return, which leaves the afternoon or morning free depending on your start time. Helmets, horses and all riding equipment are provided; the guide handles the pacing and the route, so you focus on the terrain and the sites themselves.

What’s included

Professional guide in English or Spanish.
private hotel transfer to and from the ranch.
helmet and all riding equipment.
well-cared horse matched to your experience.
box lunch and water during the ride.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Horseback Riding Cusco

Is this one for you?The six-hour commitment leaves your morning or afternoon free depending on when you start, which works if you're splitting the day between the ruins and the city. The private transfer means you don't coordinate transport to the ranch, and the guide's pace is set for the group, so you ride without building the route yourself.