Sacred Valley tour Cusco: Pisac, Ollantaytambo, farm Pachamanca

Guinea pigs live in the kitchen, and you'll feed them before cooking lunch over hot stones underground.

A private guided tour from Cusco through Peru's Sacred Valley visits the Inca sites of Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chincheros over a full day, with stops at a working farm and a textile center. You harvest seasonal crops with a local family, learn to make Chicha (the traditional Andean drink), prepare and taste Pachamanca (an underground barbecue), and watch alpaca wool being washed and dyed by hand. Private transportation, site entry and lunch are included. The guide speaks English or Spanish and children from age 5 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Sacred Valley and local traditions

• Visit Inca citadel of Pisac
• Learn farming and harvest at Urquillos farm
• Feed guinea pigs in family kitchen
• Prepare Chicha, typical Andean drink
• Cook and taste Pachamanca barbecue
• Explore Ollantaytambo Inca town
• Learn alpaca wool washing in Chinchero

The experience

The day starts at Pisac, the fifteenth-century Inca citadel built under Emperor Pachacutec. The site sits high on the mountain slopes above the town, its stone structures still largely intact after centuries of Spanish invasion, looting and the Toledo reforms that reshaped the valley. Your guide walks you through the layout at your own pace, explaining how the Inca built here and what happened after.

From there you head to Urquillos, a small town in the valley where a local family works their land. This is where the tour shifts from looking at ruins to doing what the valley people do. You learn to use Andean hand tools to plant and harvest potatoes, corn, onions and cabbage, then cut alfalfa to feed the guinea pigs that live inside the family's kitchen: a detail that surprises most visitors. Next comes the preparation of Chicha, the organic beer of the Andes, made by hand the way it has been for centuries. Then, with vegetables you harvested yourself, you cook a Pachamanca: an underground barbecue where hot stones heat the food buried in a pit in the earth. The name means "pot of earth," and it is both a meal and an offering to Pachamama, the earth mother. You eat what you cooked, shared in the way the community does it.

The afternoon takes you to Ollantaytambo, the only Inca town still inhabited, where stone streets and temples blend Inca architecture with colonial squares. Pachacutec ordered its construction in the fifteenth century, and the people who live there now keep some of the traditions their Inca ancestors left behind. From there you visit Chincheros, a textile center where you watch the full process of alpaca wool work: washing with natural soap called Saqta (Inca Shampoo), dyeing with plants and cochineal beetles, and finally spinning and weaving on a loom. The tour runs about ten to eleven hours total, with private transportation between sites and lunch included.

What’s included

• Private transportation between all sites.
• entry tickets to Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chincheros.
• lunch including the Pachamanca you prepare.
• instruction in traditional Andean cooking and textile work.
• a private guide speaking English or Spanish.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (18 to 75 years) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (5 to 12 years) · Under 5: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 14 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by IncaGo Expeditions

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English or Spanish, so you follow the commentary comfortably throughout the day. Choose this tour if you want to understand the history and techniques as you go, rather than moving through the sites in silence or with a guide you cannot understand clearly.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (5 to 12 years). Children under 5 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is Pachamanca and how is it cooked?

Pachamanca is an Andean barbecue cooked underground with hot stones. You prepare it yourself on the farm using vegetables you harvested that morning, then eat it shared with the family. It is both a meal and a symbolic offering to Pachamama, the earth mother, and the preparation varies by regional custom.

Will I actually work on the farm, or just watch?

You work on the farm using Andean hand tools to plant, cultivate and harvest seasonal crops like potatoes, corn, onions and cabbage, then cut alfalfa to feed the guinea pigs that live in the family's kitchen.

What is Chicha and will I learn to make it?

Chicha is the traditional organic beer of the Andes, and yes. You learn the preparation process step by step with the local family during the tour.

How does Ollantaytambo differ from the other Inca sites we visit?

Ollantaytambo is the only Inca town still inhabited today. Its stone streets and temples preserve Inca architecture combined with colonial squares, and the people who live there maintain traditions inherited from their Inca ancestors, earning it the name "Living Inca City."

What happens at the textile center in Chincheros?

At Chincheros you watch and learn about the complete alpaca wool process: washing with natural soap called Saqta, dyeing with plants and cochineal beetles, spinning on a hand wheel, and finally weaving on a loom to create the finished fabric.