Sacred Valley Day Trip from Cusco: Ollantaytambo & Pisac Ruins

What happens when you spend a day walking through Inca villages that are still lived in?

You're picked up at your Cusco hotel and driven through the Sacred Valley to see Pisac's mountain terraces and artisan market, then Ollantaytambo's living archaeological complex, with a stop in Chinchero and lunch in Urubamba in between. The day runs from early morning to 7:00 p.m., includes a professional guide, all transport, and a buffet meal, so you're not managing logistics or timing yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Sacred Valley and Inca sites

• Hotel pick-up in Cusco
• Stop at Sacred Valley Lookout
• Visit Pisac archaeological complex
• Explore Pisac artisan market
• Lunch in Urubamba
• Tour Ollantaytambo ruins and village
• Visit Chinchero village and Inca walls
• Return to Cusco near Plaza de Armas

The experience

Hotel pickup in Cusco happens between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., and then you're climbing into the Sacred Valley itself. The first stop is the Sacred Valley Lookout, where the whole landscape opens up: terraced slopes, the river below, and the weight of how much engineering went into keeping people fed on a mountainside. Your guide walks you through what you're looking at: why the Incas built where they built, how water moved, what each terrace was for. It's not a quick photo moment. It's the kind of stop where you start to understand the place instead of just seeing it.

Pisac comes next, and it's split into two parts that matter differently. The archaeological complex sits high on the mountain: terraces and stone structures scattered across the slopes and at the top, and you walk through them, not around them. Then there's the artisan market in the village below, where local weavers and craftspeople sell textiles, ceramics, and things that have been made the same way for generations. You can move between them at your own pace, which means you're not rushed through either one. Lunch happens in Urubamba after that (buffet with typical Peruvian dishes, ceviche, soups, salads, the full spread), and it's built into the day, so you're not hunting for food or negotiating prices at a tourist trap.

Ollantaytambo is the afternoon's main event. It's a living village, not a ruin you walk past: people still live in the streets below the temple complex, and the Inca walls are still standing in the main plaza. Your guide explains how this place worked as a military, religious, and cultural center, and because you're walking through it rather than viewing it from a distance, you start to see the logic of the layout. The stonework is precise enough that you can run your hand along the joints and feel how tight they still are after five centuries. After that, Chinchero rounds out the day: another village with Inca walls, this one built on the site of Túpac Inca Yupanqui's royal estate, and then you're heading back to Cusco, arriving around 7:00 p.m. near the Plaza de Armas.

The whole Sacred Valley day trip from Cusco takes about eleven hours door to door, and because it's a small group with a professional guide in your language, you're not waiting for stragglers or listening to a script. The guide knows the history and can answer questions as you go, which changes how much you actually retain. Transportation is included, lunch is included, and the only thing you're arranging is showing up at your hotel on time.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup in Cusco between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., round-trip tourist transportation through the Sacred Valley, a stop at the Sacred Valley Lookout, entry to the Pisac archaeological complex and artisan market, a buffet lunch with typical Peruvian cuisine in Urubamba, entry to Ollantaytambo ruins, a visit to Chinchero village, and a professional tour guide in your choice of English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Drop-off is near the Plaza de Armas in Cusco around 7:00 p.m.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:00

AgesAdult (5 to 80 years) · Under 5: can't be included in the booking

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

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

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Peru Grand Travel

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the main Inca sites in the Sacred Valley without arranging your own transport, entry fees, or timing: the fixed schedule and included guide let you move through four archaeological sites and two villages in a single day without managing logistics yourself.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

What time does the Sacred Valley tour from Cusco start?

Hotel pickup is between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. You return to Cusco around 7:00 p.m.

What's included in the Sacred Valley day trip?

Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cusco, round-trip transportation, entry to Pisac and Ollantaytambo archaeological sites, buffet lunch in Urubamba, and a professional guide in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

Do I need to be fit for this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. You walk through the archaeological sites at your own pace, and there are rest stops built into the itinerary.

Is the Sacred Valley tour a small group?

Yes, it's a small group tour, which means shorter wait times and more personalized attention from the guide.

Does lunch cost extra?

No, buffet lunch in Urubamba is included in the tour price.

Can I buy things at Pisac Market?

Yes, the artisan market in Pisac village is part of the tour, and you have time to browse and purchase local crafts.

How long is the Sacred Valley tour?

The full day is approximately 11 hours, including hotel pickup and drop-off in Cusco.