Sacred Valley: Ollantaytambo, Chinchero & Yucay Museum

Three Inca sites in one day, without figuring out transport yourself

You visit Chinchero's colonial church built on Inca foundations, watch textile and ceramic artisans at the Living Museum of Yucay working in ancient techniques, eat lunch in the Sacred Valley, and explore Ollantaytambo's terraced fortress: all with hotel pickup, a bilingual guide, and entry to Chinchero Church included. The only thing you arrange separately is your Cusco Tourist Ticket for Ollantaytambo.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Chinchero, Yucay Museum, Ollantaytambo

• Travel from Urubamba to Chinchero
• Explore Chinchero terraces and church
• Stop at Sacred Valley lookout point
• Visit Living Museum of Yucay
• Enjoy typical lunch in Sacred Valley
• Visit Ollantaytambo Fortress and terraces
• Return to hotel in Urubamba

The experience

What if you could see Ollantaytambo's terraced fortress, watch weavers work in the same way their ancestors did, and stand inside a 17th-century church built on Inca walls? All before lunch? That's the shape of this Sacred Valley tour from Urubamba. Your guide picks you up from your hotel and heads first to Chinchero, 28 kilometers away, where the main square sits at 3,780 meters above sea level and holds the kind of architecture that stops you mid-step: colonial buildings rising straight from Inca stone foundations, a church with a gold-leaf Baroque altar built directly on top of what used to be an Inca palace. It's one of Peru's earliest Catholic structures, and you can see the join lines where the two worlds met.

After Chinchero, you stop at a lookout point (the kind where the valley opens up below you and you understand why the Incas chose this place), and then move on to the Living Museum of Yucay. This is where the tour shifts from looking at ruins to watching people work. You'll see textile makers, potters, and silversmiths using techniques that haven't changed since pre-Columbian times. They're not performing for tourists, they're just making things the way it's always been done. Lunch happens in the Sacred Valley itself, typical food, nothing fancy but the kind that tastes different when you're at altitude and surrounded by mountains. Then comes Ollantaytambo, the fortress that isn't quite a fortress. It was actually a tambo, a rest stop for travelers on long Inca roads, but the agricultural terraces cascading down the mountainside make it look like something built for war.

The whole day runs full, and your guide speaks both Spanish and English, which means you're not guessing at what you're looking at. One thing to know: to enter Ollantaytambo you'll need a Cusco Tourist Ticket (the BTC), which you can buy separately. Your guide can point you to where, or you can arrange it before you go. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, so you don't spend the morning figuring out how to get from Urubamba to three different sites at altitude. By the time you're back at your hotel, you've moved through four centuries of architecture and watched living craft traditions that most tourists never get close to.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from your Urubamba hotel.
• admission to Chinchero Church.
• access to the Living Museum of Yucay to watch textile, adobe, pottery and silverware creation.
• typical lunch in the Sacred Valley.
• professional bilingual guide in Spanish and English.
• stops at Ollantaytambo Fortress (Cusco Tourist Ticket purchased separately).

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (3 to 10 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 22 pickup points.

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 today

Good to know

Low physical effortInfants must sit on laps

Operated by LimaTours

Is this one for you?Book this if you're staying in the Sacred Valley and want to see the main Inca and colonial sites without arranging separate transport, guides, or timing: the fixed itinerary and included pickup mean you show up at your hotel and the day unfolds from there.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 10 years). Children under 3 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.

Do I need the Cusco Tourist Ticket to visit these sites?

You need it for Ollantaytambo Fortress. Chinchero Church entry is included in the tour. Your guide can advise where to purchase the BTC, or you can buy it in advance.

What's the altitude like on this tour?

Chinchero sits at 3,780 meters (12,400 feet) above sea level. The tour is suitable for all fitness levels, but altitude affects people differently. Arrive a day or two early in Cusco or the Sacred Valley to acclimatize if you're sensitive to it.

Is lunch included?

Yes, a typical Sacred Valley lunch is included in the tour price.

How long is the full day tour?

It's a full-day tour with pickup and drop-off from your Urubamba hotel. Exact duration depends on your hotel location and traffic, but plan for most of the day.

Do I need to tell the operator where I'm staying?

Yes, you'll need to provide your hotel name in Urubamba so they can coordinate your pickup.