Every Sacred Valley day trip from Cusco in one place: trace the Inca terraces of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, cross the white salt pans of Maras, and stand inside Moray's circular ruins. Compare the top-rated sacred valley tours and book with free cancellation.
Our Pick — Most Complete · 4.9★ Most Complete Route — Maras, Moray, Chinchero & Ollantaytambo
A small-group full-day loop through Chinchero, the Maras salt terraces, the circular Moray ruins and Ollantaytambo, with a local weaving demonstration and buffet lunch. Cusco hotel pickup included; capped at eight travelers for a slower, more personal pace.
Real-time dates and prices for one of the most-booked Sacred Valley group tours — Moray, the Maras salt mines, Pisac and Ollantaytambo with buffet lunch. Reserve now and pay nothing today, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
From the classic Pisac-and-Ollantaytambo circuit to small-group loops through Maras, Moray and the weaving village of Chinchero, these full-day trips cover the valley's headline sites from Cusco. Every one includes hotel pickup, a buffet lunch, and an Ollantaytambo drop-off for travelers continuing to Machu Picchu.
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from $26 | Tour | Duration | Price | Book | Highlights | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 hours | $139 | Chinchero · Maras · Moray · Ollantaytambo | Check | 4.9★ (689) | → | |
| 12–12.5 h | $25 | Moray · Maras salt mines · Pisac · Ollantaytambo | Check | 4.8★ (3,223) | → | |
| 9–12 h | $26 | Pisac · Ollantaytambo · Maras · Moray | Check | 4.7★ (1,826) | → | |
| 8–9.5 h | $26 | Chinchero · Moray · Salt mines + drop-off | Check | 4.8★ (1,315) | → | |
| 12 hours | $26 | Chinchero · Moray · Ollantaytambo · Pisac | Check | 4.8★ (896) | → |
Pisac sits about 33 km from Cusco, roughly an hour by road, and it opens most classic Sacred Valley circuits. The Inca site crowns a ridge above the modern town, with steep agricultural terraces fanning down the hillside and a temple complex, ceremonial baths, and one of the largest Inca cemeteries carved into the cliff opposite.
Below the ruins, the Pisac market is the valley's most famous. It runs daily now rather than only on the traditional Sunday, selling textiles, ceramics, and alpaca knitwear. Guided tours usually give you an hour here, enough to walk the stalls and see the bakery's giant clay ovens without feeling rushed.
Pisac ruins are covered by the Boleto Turístico (Cusco tourist ticket), which guided tours do not include in the price — you buy it separately and carry it for the day.
The Maras salt terraces are one of the valley's most photographed sights: thousands of shallow pans stepping down a ravine, fed by a naturally salty spring the same families have worked since Inca times. Because the salineras are community-run, they sit outside the Boleto Turístico and charge their own small entrance fee, usually around S/18.
A short drive away, Moray is a set of concentric circular terraces sunk into the ground like a green amphitheater. Temperatures between the top and bottom rings can differ by several degrees, which is why many archaeologists believe the Incas used it to test crops at different simulated altitudes. Moray is included in the Boleto Turístico.
These two stops define the small-group tour on this page and are the reason many travelers choose the longer 12-hour route over the classic Pisac circuit.
| Site | Altitude | From Cusco | On Boleto Turístico? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pisac ruins | ~3,300 m | 33 km / 1 h | Yes (Circuit 3) |
| Ollantaytambo | 2,792 m | 60 km / 1.5 h | Yes (Circuit 3) |
| Moray terraces | ~3,500 m | 50 km / 1.5 h | Yes (Circuit 3) |
| Chinchero | 3,762 m | 28 km / 45 min | Yes (Circuit 3) |
| Maras salt terraces | ~3,300 m | 50 km / 1.5 h | No — separate ~S/18 fee |
At the western end of the valley, Ollantaytambo is both a spectacular ruin and a working town where families still live along the original Inca street grid and water channels. The terraced fortress above town guards the Temple of the Sun, built from massive pink granite blocks hauled from a quarry across the valley.
Ollantaytambo is also the practical hinge of any Sacred Valley trip: its station is the main departure point for trains to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. Both tours on this page offer an Ollantaytambo drop-off, so you can tour the valley by day and continue to Machu Picchu the same evening rather than backtracking to Cusco.
Chinchero is the highest stop in the valley at about 3,762 m, a colonial town built on Inca foundations with an adobe church raised over an Inca palace. It is best known for its weaving cooperatives, where families demonstrate the full process from washing raw alpaca wool to dyeing it with cochineal, minerals, and plants, then weaving it on backstrap looms.
The small-group tour opens here in the morning, which puts the highest altitude first while you are freshest. If you feel the elevation, the rest of the day only drops lower into the valley.
The Sacred Valley has two clear seasons. The dry season runs May through October, with cool, bright days, cold nights, and the most reliable weather for photos and terrace walks. This is peak season, so book tours and Machu Picchu trains well ahead. The green (wet) season runs November through March, when the valley turns lush and prices soften, but afternoon rain is common and February is the wettest month.
April and November are the shoulder months: quieter, still fairly dry, and a good balance of price and weather. Whatever the season, tours leave early, so mornings are usually clear even when clouds build later.
| Season | Months | Weather | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (peak) | May–Oct | Bright days, cold nights, little rain | Busy — book ahead |
| Shoulder | Apr & Nov | Mostly dry, green landscape | Moderate ⭐ sweet spot |
| Green (wet) | Nov–Mar | Lush, warmer, afternoon showers | Quietest, lowest prices |
Cusco sits at 3,399 m, high enough that many travelers feel the altitude on arrival. The Sacred Valley floor is several hundred meters lower, around 2,800 to 2,900 m at Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, which is why a common piece of advice is to spend your first nights in the valley rather than in Cusco.
A day tour has the same benefit in miniature: apart from Chinchero and Moray, most of the day is spent lower than Cusco. Take the morning gently, drink water, and avoid a heavy lunch before the higher stops.
Almost every guided Sacred Valley tour is priced without site entrance tickets, so budget for the Boleto Turístico (Cusco tourist ticket) on top of the tour price. The full ticket costs S/130 for foreign visitors, is valid for ten days, and covers 16 sites across Cusco and the valley. If you are only doing the Sacred Valley, the partial Circuit 3 ticket costs S/70, is valid two days, and covers Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and Moray.
The Maras salt terraces are community-run and sit outside the Boleto, charging their own fee of around S/18. The ticket is sold in person only, most reliably at the COSITUC office on Avenida El Sol in Cusco, or at the site gates. Your guide will tell you exactly which ticket to buy for the route you choose.
Daytime highs sit near 20°C all year, so rainfall is what really shapes a Sacred Valley trip. The dry season (May to October) brings the clearest skies and firmest trails; the green season (November to April) is lush and quieter but wetter, peaking in February.
Average monthly rainfall and daytime high. June and July are the driest and clearest months; February is the wettest. April and October are quieter shoulder months with still-manageable rain.
Most of the Sacred Valley sits lower than Cusco, so touring it early in a trip eases you into the altitude before Machu Picchu. Here is where each stop falls against Cusco's 3,399 m — the two highest, Moray and Chinchero, are worth pacing yourself for.
Altitudes are approximate. If you feel the elevation at Chinchero or Moray, take it slow — the rest of the day only drops lower into the valley.
Doing this as a first full day out of Cusco was the right call. The valley sits lower, so we felt better by the afternoon, and our guide knew exactly when each site would be quietest. Maras and Moray were the highlight.
Great value for a long day. Pisac market, the ruins, and Ollantaytambo all in one trip, with a solid buffet lunch in Urubamba. They dropped us at the station for our evening train to Machu Picchu, which made the logistics painless.
The weaving demonstration in Chinchero was not a tourist trap at all, the family walked us through dyeing wool with cochineal and it was genuinely fascinating. Small group meant we could ask questions the whole day.
A guided day links Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Maras, and Moray into one smooth route that would take several separate trips to reach on your own from Cusco.
The valley floor sits lower than Cusco, so an early Sacred Valley day helps you adjust to the altitude before tackling Machu Picchu or the city's higher sites.
Both featured tours offer an Ollantaytambo drop-off at the train station, so you can continue to Aguas Calientes the same evening instead of returning to Cusco.
Cusco guides know which site to hit first, when the Pisac market is calmest, and the stories behind Moray's terraces that no signboard explains.
Hotel pickup, comfortable transport across the valley, and a buffet lunch in Urubamba are built in, so you spend the day at the ruins, not organizing them.
Every tour on this page offers a full refund up to 24 hours before departure, so you can lock in a dry-season date early and adjust later if plans shift.
A typical full-day sacred valley tour includes hotel pickup in Cusco, transport across the valley, a professional bilingual guide, and a buffet lunch, usually in Urubamba. The classic circuit covers Pisac ruins and market plus Ollantaytambo, while the longer small-group route adds the Maras salt terraces, Moray, and a Chinchero weaving demonstration. Site entrance tickets (the Boleto Turístico) are almost always bought separately.
It depends on what you want to see. The classic 10-hour tour focuses on Pisac's hilltop ruins and its famous market plus Ollantaytambo, and it is the best value at around $51. The 12-hour small-group tour skips the Pisac market in favor of the Maras salt terraces, the circular Moray ruins, and a Chinchero weaving village, with a group capped at eight. Choose Pisac for ruins and shopping, Maras and Moray for landscapes and cultural immersion.
Sacred Valley sites are covered by the Boleto Turístico (Cusco tourist ticket). The full ticket is S/130 for foreign visitors, valid ten days across 16 sites. The partial Circuit 3 ticket, covering Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and Moray, is S/70 and valid two days. The Maras salt terraces are community-run and charge a separate fee of around S/18. Guided tours generally do not include these tickets in the price.
Most of the Sacred Valley is lower than Cusco. Cusco sits at about 3,399 m, while the valley floor at Urubamba and Ollantaytambo is around 2,800 to 2,900 m. Because the lower elevation is easier on arrival, many travelers spend their first nights in the valley, and a Sacred Valley day tour early in a trip doubles as gentle altitude acclimatization. Chinchero (3,762 m) and Moray (about 3,500 m) are the highest stops.
Yes. Ollantaytambo, at the western end of the valley, is the main train station for Machu Picchu, and both tours on this page offer an Ollantaytambo drop-off. Many travelers tour the valley by day and take an evening train to Aguas Calientes, then visit Machu Picchu the next morning. Bring your Machu Picchu ticket, train ticket, and an overnight bag, and confirm the drop-off with the operator when you book.
The dry season from May to October offers the most reliable weather, with bright days and cold nights, and it is the most popular time to visit. The green season from November to March is lush and quieter with lower prices, though afternoon showers are common and February is the wettest month. April and November are excellent shoulder months that balance good weather with smaller crowds. Tours run year-round.
Full-day Sacred Valley tours run about 10 to 12 hours door to door. The classic Pisac and Ollantaytambo circuit is roughly 10 hours, while the small-group Maras, Moray, and Chinchero route runs closer to 12 hours because it covers more ground. Both start early, usually with pickups between 7 and 8 a.m., and return to Cusco in the early evening unless you opt for the Ollantaytambo drop-off.
Both featured tours include pickup from centrally located Cusco hotels and a buffet lunch, typically in Urubamba at the heart of the valley. Pickup times and exact hotel coverage vary, so confirm your address when booking. Entrance tickets and personal expenses such as drinks or market purchases are not included.
No. The Maras salt terraces (Salineras de Maras) are managed by the local community and are not part of the Boleto Turístico. They charge their own entrance fee of around S/18, paid at the gate. Moray, only a short drive away, is covered by the Boleto Turístico Circuit 3 ticket. Tours that visit Maras will tell you to carry a little cash for the salineras fee.
Yes. The Sacred Valley is one of the gentler day trips around Cusco because much of it is at a lower altitude, and the walking at each site is optional and self-paced. Families and older travelers manage it comfortably by taking the terraces slowly and resting during the drives. The small-group tour, capped at eight, tends to be the more relaxed choice, while the classic circuit involves more time at the busy Pisac market.