The Ultimate Full Day Sacred Valley Tour
Description
Beat the Crowds: Experience the magic without the masses. We've meticulously planned our itinerary to ensure you arrive before the crowds at each destination. Deep Dive Exploration: Enjoy a leisurely 40-50 minutes at each site. While many touristic tours rush through in 20-30 minutes, we give you ample time to fully absorb the beauty, take photographs, and immerse in the history. 4 Wonders, One Day: Explore the weaving magic of Chinchero, the shimmering Maras Salt Mines, the agricultural marvel of Moray, and the majestic Ollantaytambo fortress. Personal Touch: Dive deeper into the wonders of the Andes with a more personalized touch. Our group is limited to just 8 travelers, ensuring everyone gets a front-row view of history. Seamless Comfort: Travel in style and comfort. We prioritize your ease with our top-notch transportation, ensuring every journey between sites is as remarkable as the destination itself.
Tour Options
Itinerary
6:45 am: Pickup from your hotel in Cusco and 1h ride to Chinchero
8:00 am: Meet Roxana who is part of the eldest family keeping the weaving traditions alive. Her alpacas and guinea pigs will welcome you and you can feed them their breakfast. Further, learn about their fascinating weaving techniques using natural ingredients to create impressive textiles by hand.
9:30 am: Imagine the impressive Inca terraces and the beautiful Andes in the background. This view is just stunning, the story behind even more. Your guide will teach you about the Inca's agricultural laboratory, and how they created different climatic zones in these terraces. We'll enjoy this place for about 45min - 1h.
11 am: Staying in front of thousands of salt ponds, still intact. Here you have the chance to take one of the most famous pictures in the Sacred Valley. Our guide will be happy to capture this moment for you. From here we continue our tour to have delicious lunch.
1 pm: Enjoy an outstanding lunch buffet (vegetarian and vegan options available) in one of the best restaurants in the Sacred Valley, the highly ranked Tunupa.
2:40 pm: Our last discovery for that day: The terraces and ruins of Ollantaytambo. This place was highly protected as it was the entrance to the path to Machu Picchu. Thus, much happened here during the Spanish invasion.
3:50 pm: You have the option to be dropped off at the train station in Ollantaytambo, or to return with us to Cusco.
5:35 pm: Arrival at your hotel in Cusco, filled with lots of magical moments. Note: All times are approximations.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick you up from your hotel/hostel/Airbnb in Cusco. IMPORTANT: You can decide whether to be dropped off at the train station in Ollantaytambo, at its main square or to head back to Cusco. We'll ask you about your preference after the reservation has been made (via the Viator/Tripadvisor chat).
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Bring adequate clothes according to the weather and a raincape just in case
- Use sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
- Bring bottled water, some snacks and some extra money
Reviews(699)
One of the best days of our trip. It was so organized from beginning to end and so many amazing moments. Our tour guide Vidal made it so special and memorable for us and our driver Germán got us around safely. This is the best tour you can take of the sacred valley highly recommend!
We had an amazing experience seeing the rich history of Peru though the Sacred Valley trip. Our tour guide, Vidal, was an amazing host & made the experience so much more special. He was extremely informative & answered every question we had. He shared the history of Moray, the Salt Mines & Ollantaytambo in a way that was interesting, funny & thoughtful. Having a comfortable car was great as you are on the road a lot, travelling from place to place. He also asked us about the rest of our trip in Peru & gave us advice on places to go & things to see. Lastly, it was great to go a bit earlier because we missed the huge crowds of tour buses & got lots of really lovely pictures at each place we went! Overall, it was a 10/10 experience & I would recommend this trip to everyone!!
We had an amazing day with our tour guide Jesus. It was just four of us (my husband and I and another couple) and I loved the small group. We picked this tour because of the stops it had and we were not disappointed in the views! All of our stops didn’t feel too busy - Ollantaytambo was the busiest yet we were still able to have lots of stops with Jesus sprinkling in cool facts throughout the walk. And the lunch buffet was absolutely amazing! The only downside was the bumpy drive due to bad roads and lots of traffic on the way home, which aren’t something they can control! Thankful they let us take a quick pitstop on the way back for a bathroom break! Overall it was a wonderful day and I would definitely recommend!
There are three shopping stops, it’s ok, not forced. But I feel rushed at attractions. Especially the last attraction, Ollantaytambo archaeological side. It’s steep and lots of stairs. We just kept going up, a few minutes on top then went down and left. Only a few minutes on the top for pictures. And the tour guide didn’t say how much time we have for pictures. It’s a beautiful attraction but we were really rushed. We weren’t rushed at the shopping stops. We ended up arriving at hotel 15mins early. I wonder why we are rushed? I hope they can allocate more time for Ollantantambo and communicate clearing how much time we have for photos. The rest of the tour is good, very nice lunch. But the last stop really left a bad taste in my mouth.
Maik (and the driver German) took great care of us. Fantastic attitude, great explanation, smooth driving, well executed itinerary and a super delicious lunch. We couldn't have asked for more.
Thank you for the kind words! Maik and German will be so pleased to hear this - a great attitude, smooth execution and a delicious lunch is exactly the combination we aim for every single day. We'll make sure they both see your review! Best wishes from the entire Exploor Peru team
We hope you get Cesar as your tour guide like we did! He was so interesting to listen to as he explained history of Inca life and many other things related to Peru. He didn’t just know history but also would stop to show us plants and animals. You can tell he is passionate about what he is talking about which made him so interesting to listen too.
Thank you for this lovely review! Cesar's passion for every aspect of Peru - from Inca history to the local plants and wildlife - is what makes a tour with him feel so rich and alive. That curiosity and enthusiasm are impossible to fake and our guests always pick. Best wishes from the entire Exploor Peru team
Well organised tour. Senor Ceasar was an excellent guide. Everything was well planned from the morning hotel pick up to return.
Hi Kevin, thank you for the kind words! César takes great pride in making every detail feel effortless from start to finish, and it's great to hear that came through from the very first hotel pickup. We'll make sure he hears about your review! Best wishes from the entire Exploor Peru team
Vidal our tour guide is excellent, I highly recommend him with 5 stars rating . My husband and I learned a lot of history of the Ollantaytambo National Archeological Park. We were able to climb up the Temple of the Sun because Vidal was patient with us and offered for us to stop and rest on a beautiful bench with a beautiful view of the mountains . We also enjoyed seeing the Maras Salt Mines and the Moray Archeological site as well. Vidal offered to take pictures of us and it will serve as a beautiful memory for me and my husband to look at time and time again. The tour is awesome and worth it . I highly recommend it for couples . We would also like to thank Juan Carlos our driver for keeping us safe throughout the trip with his good driving skills. From the bottom of our hearts, we both thank you 🙏 Victoria and Rowell S.
Dear Victoria and Rowell, thank you so much for this heartfelt review! Vidal's patience and attentiveness - finding that perfect bench with a mountain view to rest on, making sure you both felt comfortable climbing the Temple of the Sun - is exactly the kind of care that makes a tour truly special. And those photos will indeed be beautiful memories to treasure! Juan Carlos will also be so glad to hear your kind words - safe and attentive driving on those roads is something we never take for granted. We hope to welcome you both back to South America one day! Best wishes from the entire Exploor Peru team
This was an excellent tour. The guide and driver were kind and helpful. Marilu is very knowledgeable about all of the sites, and she took some wonderful pictures of us. We highly recommend this tour!
Hi Jeanette, thank you for the lovely review! Marilu's knowledge, warmth and eye for a great photo are qualities we're really proud of - we'll make sure she and your driver hear about your kind words. We hope to welcome you back to South America one day! Best wishes from the entire Exploor Peru team
A wonderful day out, experiencing different aspects of history and culture. The small group worked extremely well, everybody getting to know each other. Great guide, who had answers to all questions. Not streneous, if you opt out of running up the terraces in Ollantaytambo, as many do.
Hi Anders, thank you for the great review! The small group dynamic really does make all the difference - those shared moments of discovery have a way of bringing people together beautifully. And we love the honest tip about Ollantaytambo - those terraces are entirely optional but always rewarding for those who take them on! We hope to welcome you back to South America one day. Best wishes from the entire Exploor Peru team
