The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour is one of the favorite tours of travelers in Cusco. You can visit of Pisaq, the handicraft market and the beautiful village of Ollantaytambo. From Ollantaytambo, you will take the train to Aguas Calientes and spend the night in a 3-star hotel. The second day is visiting the World Heritage site, citadel of Machu Picchu, visiting the Intipunku or Inca Bridge, terraces, palaces, temples. Later, you will take the Panoramic Vistadome train back to Cusco.
Highlights of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
- Book with confidence and flexibility
- Highly trained professional native tour guides
- Explore the best and most important places in the Sacred Valley
- Negotiate traditional handicrafts and souvenirs at the Pisac market
- Visit Maras, Moray, Salineras and Ollantaytambo in one day
- Visit the local market, hot springs and streets of Aguas Calientes.
- Watch the sunrise in Machu Picchu.
- Enjoy the Vistadome train ride back to Cusco.
Price per person
To book the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Tour, you must make a down payment of 140 USD per person, the remaining balance can be paid online, in installments or in Cusco with any credit card without any reservation fee.
Student Discount:
All travelers under the age of 17 will have $35. If you are 25 or younger at the time of travel, you can get the $35 discount with your student ID. Please notify by email to give you a code for the discount.
Itinerary of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Tour
DAY 1: CUSCO – SACRED VALLEY – AGUAS CALIENTES
Choose your hotel anywhere in the city of Cusco at 8 am and drive for 30 minutes with your exclusive transport and tour guide to Awanacancha, where you will see llamas and alpacas, vicuñas and guanacos. Your guide will explain the main difference between these famous South American animals, visit the textile center to learn the weaving process, how the locals get the natural colors and you can also buy. It is then another 30 minutes to the Mirador del Valle Sagrado to have a spectacular view of the Andes, the Urubamba River and the agricultural lands of the Sacred Valley in the Incas. Then you will visit the archaeological site of Pisaq, located on top of the mountains with impressive stone walls, agricultural terraces, irrigation systems and the largest cemetery of the Inca Empire. After exploring with incredible views, you will drive to visit the local Pisaq handicraft market, where artisans offer their ceramics, textiles, jewelry, Andean instruments, alpaca products and souvenirs. Then, go for 1 hour to Urubamba for lunch at a local restaurant with various local Peruvian dishes, using fresh produce from the area.
The second part of the tour is driving to Ollantaytambo, the citadel of the Last Living Inca, so called because the current city is built on top of ancient Inca buildings. The locals here used the same foundations, the same doors of the Inca buildings. They just made the second floor; even water channels have worked with water since Inca times. Ollantaytambo also has an impressive archaeological site with temples, terraces, warehouses, and we can find the heaviest Inca monolithic transported from another mountain located 5 km away. After exploring the city, you will take the train to Aguas Calientes and spend the night in a hotel (Intipunku or similar).
- Tickets: Included
- Transportation: Private van and train
- Tour Guide: Professional Guide
- Meals: Lunch and Dinner.
- Hotel: 3 star hotel in Aguas Calientes
DAY 2: MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO
Get up early at your hotel, have breakfast and take the first buses to Machu Picchu. Upon arrival, you must show an original passport at the checkpoint to enter the citadel. Your tour guide will take you on a short hike first to the Intipunku (Sun Gate) or the Inca Bridge before taking you to explore the fortress. It will be a guided tour of approximately 3 hours, visiting the terraces, warehouses, temples, most notable palaces and giving some free time to explore on your own or take additional hikes to Huayna Picchu or the Machu Picchu mountain (Mountain). These additional hikes are optional and are not included in the tour.
After exploring Machu Picchu, you will take the bus to Aguas Calientes, have lunch (not included) and take the panoramic Vistadome train back to Ollantaytambo and then our modern van back to Cusco. Arrival time is around 19:30 hours back to your hotel.
- Tickets: Included
- Transportation: Panoramic train and private van.
- Tour Guide: Professional Guide
- Meals: Not included
- Hotel: Not Included (must book in Cusco)
PLACES WE VISIT:
Awanakancha (farm of llamas and alpacas). It is located 30 minutes outside of Cusco, where you will see the traditional Inca animals: llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and guanacos. Your tour guide will explain the difference between them, the weaving process and the techniques.
Inca site of Pisaq (The largest cemetery of the Incas). Located on top of the mountains at 2975 m, this is one of the most beautiful archaeological sites after Machu Picchu in the Sacred Valley, surrounded by impressive walls, agricultural terraces, tunnels, bridges, warehouses and the cemetery, considered as one of the pre-Columbian cemeteries of the Inca empire.
Pisaq Market (Salineras). Pisaq has one of the most famous markets in the Cusco region. Locals bring to sell their handcrafted ceramics, textiles, jewelry, Andean instruments, alpaca products and souvenirs, attracting hundreds of visitors every day. A large part of the market is oriented to tourism today. However, it is still possible to see, especially on Sundays, when local communities come to Pisaq to participate in colorful dresses.
Ollantaytambo (Last Living Inca Citadel). Ollantaytambo is located 94 km from Cusco, the entrance to Machu Picchu, as the central train station is located on the outskirts of the city. The modern city is located above the old buildings with narrow adobe streets, water channels, a city that has been continuously inhabited since the fourteenth century. That is why the village is called the last living Inca citadel. In the Spanish conquest, it was used as a fortress during the Battle of Ollantaytambo.
Machu Picchu (Lost Inca City) The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is located high on the slopes of the Andes, a unique testimony of the great Inca civilization, a masterpiece of art, architecture and urban engineering. Accidentally discovered in 1911 by American explorer Hiram Bingham III, he was looking for Vilcabamba, the last capital of the Incas, from 1536 to 1572. Today it is a World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders.
Included in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Tour
- Pick up and drop off at your hotel.
- All transportation included from hotel to hotel.
- Entrance to all the places we visited Sacred Valley.
- Entrance to Machu Picchu.
- One night in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes (Intipunku or similar)
- Round trip bus to Machu Picchu
- Professional guide for two days.
- Buffet lunch on day 1 during the Sacred Valley tour
- Vistadome train back to Cusco
- The tour starts and ends at your hotel.
Not included in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Tour
- Huayna Picchu or Mountain (extra hikes)
- Meals not mentioned
- Gratuities (optional)
What to take on this trip
- Original passport
- Small carry-on luggage or backpack with clothes for two days.
- Toiletries, sandals
- Rain equipment (ponchos or umbrellas)
- Sun protection (sunscreen, hats, long sleeves)
- Extra money for souvenirs and meals not included (300 soles)
- Personal medication.
Important to know
- This is a door-to-door service. We start at your hotel and take you back to your hotel.
- Vegetarian meals are available during lunch on day 1.
- By booking this tour, you support social projects that help education in rural villages.
Optional hikes after Machu Picchu Tour:
Huayna Picchu Mountain – The cost of this ticket is $75 per person. You can climb after the Machu Picchu tour, and it takes 2 hours round trip; you need to book well in advance.
Machu Picchu Mountain – Also called Machu Picchu Mountain, it is the highest mountain and climbing takes almost 3 hours, the cost is $75 per person.
Covid-19 measures to keep you safe during travel
- Temperature checks for all travelers are mandatory.
- Face masks required for travelers and staff in public areas
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff at all times
- High-traffic locations and equipment are regularly disinfected between uses.
- Maximum eight people per group to reduce crowds.
- Transport capacity and tourist sites will be reduced to 50%
- Printed material such as maps or vouchers will be avoided.
- 100% online payments with no booking fees at all
Flexible bookings during the COVID–19 outbreak
Why book with Sacred Expeditions Peru
- Sacred Expeditions Peru is a 100% Peruvian Local Tour Operator based in Cusco.
- Personal porter included up to 7 kilos of your personal staff
- Panoramic trains included in the latest (Visatdome or 360°)
- Small group tours for personalized service, maximum 8 people during this pandemic, 16 people at normal times
- Fair treatment of porters with adequate wages, including men and women
- You help us support social projects in Cusco, we provide computers with internet to the children of the town.
- Portable toilets and hot showers are available on all our tours.
- No booking fees! no credit card fee
