Essential Cusco Trip: 7-Day Tour Package to Machu Picchu & Inca Sites

Cusco, known as the navel of the world, stands as a remarkable example of Inca architecture and is filled with fascinating history and mysteries about the culture and customs of the Inca Empire.

During this one-week tour package to Cusco, you will explore the most iconic archaeological landmarks, including Sacsayhuamán, Koricancha, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, and the stunning Sistine Chapel of America located in Andahuaylillas.

Visit the most notable attractions and uncover the wonders of the Lost City of the Incas.

Tour Description

Arrival in Cusco

DAY 1. Upon arrival in Cusco, you will be transferred from the airport or bus terminal to your hotel in the city center. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure. Overnight at your hotel.

City Tour Cusco and 4 Nearby Ruins

DAY 2. We will pick you up at your hotel and begin the tour with a visit to the Temple of the Sun, known as Koricancha. This iconic site showcases the blend of Incan and Spanish cultures, as the foundations were used to build the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo.

Next, we’ll head to the Cathedral in the Main Square, where you can admire beautiful religious paintings from the Cusco School. The Cusco City Tour continues with Sacsayhuaman, an impressive archaeological site featuring massive carved stones perfectly fitted together. It is said that over 20,000 men built this structure, taking more than 70 years to complete.

Our tour continues to Qenqo, a religious temple where the Incas worshipped deities such as the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Explore its underground passages and marvel at the semicircular amphitheater. Next, visit the military fortress of Puca Pucara, which means “Red Fortress” due to its reddish stones.

The final stop is Tambomachay, a water sanctuary with aqueducts and waterfalls fed by nearby springs. At the end of the tour, you’ll be dropped off at El Regocijo Square, just a block from the Plaza de Armas.

Chinchero, Maras Salt Mines, and Moray Ruins

DAY 3. Early in the morning, we will pick you up from your hotel for an exciting journey to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our first destination is Chinchero, located 17 miles from Cusco, where we will visit a local workshop to observe traditional textile-making techniques.

Next, we’ll explore the Maras salt mines, situated on a hillside in the Urubamba Valley. Here, you’ll witness the fascinating salt extraction process developed by the Incas, where a subterranean stream brings salty water to the surface and fills hundreds of ancient terraced pools. As the water evaporates, salt is left behind.

After the salt mines, we’ll visit Moray, an archaeological site with three large circular depressions believed to be an open-air agricultural laboratory for the Incas. The largest depression is about 30 meters (98 feet) deep, and the concentric terraces evoke the appearance of an ancient amphitheater.

The Sacred Valley boasts fertile lands ideal for farming and remarkable archaeological sites, offering insight into Inca life and their advanced engineering. After the tour, you’ll return to El Regocijo Square, just one block from the Plaza de Armas.

Pisac Market, Ollantaytambo Ruins, and Expedition Train to Machu Picchu

DAY 4. Breakfast at the hotel. We’ll pick you up from your hotel in Cusco for a 30 km journey to Pisac. Here, you’ll visit the vibrant market and the impressive stone temples, featuring panoramic views of the valley and the renowned Inca terraces.

Continue to Urubamba for a delicious buffet lunch, then proceed to Ollantaytambo. This site served as the Inca army’s headquarters and was also a religious and agricultural center, featuring more than a hundred terraces and advanced irrigation channels.

Later, you’ll be transferred to the Ollantaytambo train station to board the Expedition Train to Aguas Calientes. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel and receive a short briefing from your guide about the next day’s adventure to Machu Picchu. Overnight stay.

Machu Picchu

DAY 5. Breakfast at the hotel. In the early morning, board the bus for the scenic drive up to Machu Picchu, overlooking the stunning Urubamba River and its canyon. Explore the legendary Lost City of the Incas, admiring its terraces, ceremonial shrines, stairways, and urban areas.

Feel the powerful energy of this mystical site. After your guided tour, you’ll have free time to further explore or return by bus to Aguas Calientes for lunch (optional).

At the scheduled time, return to Cusco via tourist bus from Ollantaytambo train station. Transfer to your hotel in Cusco for your overnight stay.

South Valley: Tipón, Pikillaqta and Andahuaylillas

DAY 6. Breakfast at the hotel. After picking you up, we’ll head to Cusco’s South Valley, beginning with Tipón, a vast area with 12 impressive terraces and an advanced irrigation system still in use today.

The next stop is Pikillaqta, a significant pre-Inca urban center essential to the Huari Empire. We’ll then continue to Andahuaylillas, a traditional Andean town renowned for its spectacular chapel, known as “The Sistine Chapel of America.” After the visit, return to El Regocijo Square, just a block from the Plaza de Armas.

Departure from Cusco

DAY 7. Breakfast at the hotel. At the arranged time, you will be picked up and transferred to the bus terminal or airport in Cusco.

** END OF SERVICES **

What’s included?

What’s included:

* Private arrival and departure transfers with only driver * Hotels with breakfast included * Lunch on the tour to the Sacred Valley of Pisac and Ollantaytambo * Group service with tour guide in Spanish / English * Ticket entrances * Train Expedition to Machu Picchu

What’s NOT included:

* Local and international flights, can be quoted additionally * Food and drinks * Tips * Entrance to Huayna Picchu * Second entry to Machu Picchu * Assistance during arrival and departure transfers

Essential Cusco Trip

Tour Description

What’s included?

Questions

Essential Cusco Trip

Essential Cusco Trip