Day trips from Cusco: the city, the valley and the mountain

Cusco is at about 3,400 metres, with Inca walls inside its colonial churches and Inca sites on the hill above it. Beyond are the Sacred Valley, the salt pans of Maras and, three hours away, Rainbow Mountain at over 5,000 metres. Here is what each of our five involves, and the order to take them in.

First day, while you get used to the height: the five-hour city tour. Then the Sacred Valley. Leave Rainbow Mountain until you have spent a few days in Cusco.

The five, side by side

Trip	Length	Leaves	Price
Cusco: Private City Tour of Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán and the Inca Sites	5h	07:00	from €150
Cusco: Full-Day Private Tour of San Blas, Qorikancha, San Pedro Market and Sacsayhuamán	8h	07:00	from €200
Sacred Valley Private Day Trip from Cusco: Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero	10h	07:00	from €160
Maras Salt Mines and Moray Private Tour from Cusco, with Chinchero	6h	07:00	from €150
Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) Private Day Trip from Cusco	10h	07:00	from €110

Prices are starting prices and depend on the size of your group.

How to choose

It is your first day at altitude

The five-hour city tour, at 07:00 or 13:00: Qorikancha, the Inca temple of the Sun inside the convent of Santo Domingo, the Plaza de Armas, the zigzag terraces of Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay and the view from Cristo Blanco. The car takes you between the sites.

You want the city at an easy pace

The full day in Cusco. Eight hours from 07:00: San Blas while it is quiet, the twelve-angled stone on Hatun Rumiyoc, Qorikancha, San Pedro market and Sacsayhuamán, then lunch and the sites above the city in the afternoon. Short walks at each stop; the car does the climbing.

You want the Sacred Valley

Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero. Ten hours: the curving terraces and the market of Pisac, lunch in Urubamba, the Inca town and temple of Ollantaytambo, and the weavers of Chinchero on the way back. The train to Machu Picchu leaves from Ollantaytambo, and we can end the day at the station instead of in Cusco.

You want less driving

Maras, Moray and Chinchero. Six hours, at 07:00 or 13:00, on the plateau above the Sacred Valley: a weaving cooperative in Chinchero, the circular terraces of Moray, and hundreds of salt pools down a hillside at Maras. We can drop you in Urubamba or Ollantaytambo instead of Cusco.

You are fit and acclimatised

Rainbow Mountain. Ten hours: about three hours each way by car, the last hour on a dirt road, then around three hours on foot to the striped ridge at over 5,000 metres and back. This is transport only: your driver waits at the trailhead. It is not for people with heart or breathing problems, or for pregnant women.

Four things worth knowing before you book

The tourist ticket covers most of it

The price covers the private vehicle, the driver, fuel, tolls and parking. Entrances are paid on the day. The Cusco tourist ticket (Boleto Turístico) covers Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Moray; Qorikancha, the Maras salt pans and Vinicunca are paid on their own. Bring cash for the salt pans.

Take the height slowly

Cusco is at about 3,400 metres. Take the first day slowly, drink plenty of water, and spend a few days in the city before Rainbow Mountain. The sun is strong on the plateau: bring sun cream, a hat and a warm layer.

Private costs less than you think for a group

A coach seat is cheap for one person and stops being cheap at four. Our prices are by group size, not per seat: up to four of you share one car at one price, and the price only steps up when you need a van. And you are not waiting for forty strangers at every stop.

You can change your mind

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pick-up, refunded in full. If the date stops working, message us and we will do our best to move you to another day.