Cusco

Cusco is the old Inca capital and the starting point for almost everything in southern Peru: Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, the rainbow mountains and the glacier lakes of the high Andes. There are ten tours on this page, from a 33-dollar day trip to a five-day package with Machu Picchu. More Machu Picchu trips are on our Machu Picchu tours page, and the other rainbow mountains are on our Rainbow Mountain tours page.

The Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley day takes in Chinchero, the Maras salt ponds, the circular terraces of Moray, a buffet lunch in Urubamba, the fortress at Ollantaytambo and the market and ruins at Pisac. 45 dollars, 7:00 to about 6:30. Coming back from Machu Picchu by train? If you reach Ollantaytambo before 11, the private Ollantaytambo to Cusco tour uses the afternoon for Moray, Maras and Chinchero, or for Pisac, with lunch. 130 dollars. Our guide to Moray and Maras explains what you'll see.

Machu Picchu. The two-day Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour spends the first day in the valley, takes the train to Aguas Calientes for the night and is at Machu Picchu early the next morning. Ticket, buses, trains, hotel and guide are in. 442 dollars. The five-day package adds a Cusco city tour and Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake, with three nights in Cusco and one in Aguas Calientes. 702 dollars. The one-day trip and the six-day trip with Lake Titicaca are on the Machu Picchu page.

Day hikes above 4,000 metres. These leave Cusco between 4:00 and 4:30 in the morning and are back in the evening.

• Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca): a 90-minute climb to 5,036 metres, breakfast and lunch included. 35 dollars.
• Humantay Lake: one and a half to two hours up to a turquoise lake at about 4,200 metres, under the glaciers of the Salkantay range. 35 dollars.
• Ausangate 7 Lakes: three hours on foot between glacial lakes below Ausangate, at 6,384 metres the highest peak around Cusco, with hot springs at the end. 46 dollars.
• Quelccaya: a long day to the edge of one of the largest tropical ice caps in the world, at about 5,100 metres. 50 dollars.
• Qeswachaka: the last Inca rope bridge, over the Apurímac River, with four lakes on the way. The communities rebuild it by hand every June, a tradition UNESCO lists as intangible heritage. 38 dollars.
• Waqrapukara: an Inca site built between two horns of rock at about 4,300 metres, with no entry fee and few visitors. 33 dollars. More on our Waqrapukara page.

Which to do first. The Sacred Valley is lower than Cusco, so it makes a good first or second day while you get used to the altitude. Leave the high hikes until you have had two or three nights in Cusco. Torn between the two most popular? Read Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake.

How long to stay. Four or five days is comfortable: a slow first day in the city, a day in the Sacred Valley, two days for Machu Picchu, and one high hike. With three days, choose between Machu Picchu and the hikes.

Altitude and weather. Cusco sits at about 3,400 metres. May to September is dry, with sunny days and cold nights. From December to March it rains most afternoons and the mountain trails can be muddy. Our Machu Picchu weather guide goes month by month.

On to Lake Titicaca. Puno is a day away by road. Our night bus is 45 dollars, the Route of the Sun day bus with five stops is 55, and the two-day Lake Titicaca tour from Cusco is 180 with the hotel night in Puno. All the options are on our Lake Titicaca tours page.

How many days do you need in Cusco? Four or five, including two for Machu Picchu. Three is possible if you skip the high hikes.

Can you visit Machu Picchu in a day from Cusco? Yes, but it is about 15 hours door to door. Two days, with a night in Aguas Calientes, is easier and lets you reach the site early. See is Aguas Calientes worth a night?

What is the altitude of Cusco? About 3,400 metres. The Sacred Valley is lower, which is why many people sleep there on their first nights.