Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu & Rainbow Mountain – 5 Days
5 Days
Duration
Moderate
Difficulty
Cultural / Nature
Tour Type
2 or more
Group Size
Trip Overview
This five-day journey brings together the essential landscapes, civilizations, and spiritual geography of the Peruvian Andes—an immersive experience that connects travelers with the heart of Inca culture and the extraordinary natural worlds that surround it.
Your adventure begins in Cusco, the ancient capital of Tawantinsuyo, where colonial churches rise over perfectly carved Inca foundations. Walking through its streets reveals more than 3,000 years of continuous human history—pre-Inca, Inca, colonial and contemporary—layered into a living city where traditions, languages, and festivals endure. Iconic sites such as Sacsayhuamán, Koricancha, and the great temples of the city introduce you to the engineering and cosmology of the empire that once ruled the Andes.
From Cusco, the route descends into the fertile Sacred Valley, a cradle of agriculture and astronomy for Andean societies. This valley, nourished by the Urubamba River, was essential for developing crops that still define Peruvian cuisine—corn, potatoes, quinoa, and Andean tubers. Towns like Pisac and Ollantaytambo preserve their ancestral layout, terraced hills, and ceremonial complexes, bearing witness to the political, agricultural, and spiritual might of the Inca state. Today, vibrant markets and rural communities continue to uphold age-old traditions.
The journey reaches its pinnacle at Machu Picchu, the legendary Inca citadel hidden for centuries between soaring peaks and thick cloud forest. More than a breathtaking archeological wonder, Machu Picchu is a masterpiece of landscape integration—its temples aligned to the solstices, its architecture flowing seamlessly with the contours of the mountain. Here, you can sense the delicate balance the Incas maintained between nature, astronomy, and sacred geography.
Your final chapter takes you into the high plains south of Cusco, where the earth itself becomes a canvas. The ascent to Vinicunca, or Rainbow Mountain, leads through windswept valleys dotted with llamas and alpacas. At its summit, you face one of the Andes’ most surreal landscapes: slopes streaked with ocher, turquoise, gold, violet, and scarlet—colors born from mineral deposits shaped over millions of years. Beneath these vast skies, you stand before one of nature’s most extraordinary geological formations.
This 5-day experience blends archaeological discovery, cultural immersion, and striking natural beauty—an unforgettable encounter with the spirit of the Andes.
✔️Included
❌Not Included
Your Day-by-Day Adventure
Your experience begins the moment you land in Cusco. A representative welcomes you at the airport and takes you to your hotel so you can rest and start adjusting to the high altitude—something that has shaped daily life in the Andes for thousands of years.
In the afternoon, around 1:30 p.m., your first immersion into Cusco’s history begins.
Cusco Cathedral
You start at the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, a masterpiece of colonial art built over an Inca palace. Its carved wooden altars, silverwork, and canvases from the famed Cusco School of Painting blend European techniques with Andean symbolism, reflecting the cultural fusion that defines the region.
Qoricancha – Temple of the Sun
A short walk leads you to Qoricancha, once the most sacred temple of the Inca world. The finely sculpted stone walls—fitted with mathematical precision—honored deities such as the Sun, Moon, Stars, Rainbow, and Lightning. Despite earthquakes and centuries of transformation, these stones remain perfectly intact, showcasing the astonishing mastery of Inca engineers.
Sacsayhuamán
You continue by vehicle to Sacsayhuamán, an enormous ceremonial complex overlooking Cusco. Its zigzagging stone walls, some weighing more than 100 tons, form one of the greatest architectural achievements of ancient South America. This esplanade hosted large ceremonies such as Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, which is still reenacted every June.
Q’enqo, Puca Pucara & Tambomachay
Your route continues to Q’enqo, a ceremonial sanctuary carved into natural rock, associated with astronomy, ritual offerings, and rites of the dead.
Next is Puca Pucara, the “Red Fortress,” a watchpoint that controlled access to the imperial capital and served as a stopping place for travelers and messengers.
Finally, you visit Tambomachay, often called the “Inca Baths,” known for its elegant water channels and springs dedicated to ritual purification and the worship of life-giving water.
Your day ends near Cusco’s main square, where you can walk, dine, or enjoy the lively evening atmosphere.
Overnight in Cusco.
What’s included
Your Sacred Valley exploration begins around 7:00 a.m., following the route that descends from Cusco into one of the most fertile and culturally active valleys of the Andes.
Pisac Archaeological Site
Your first visit is the hillside complex of Pisac, where vast agricultural terraces and ceremonial temples overlook the valley. These terraces reflect ancient engineering designed to maximize food production in a region where altitude varies dramatically.
Pisac Market
Returning to town, you explore the Pisac handicraft market, famous for its traditional textiles, ceramics, and silverwork. Many of these pieces still use ancestral techniques passed down through generations.
Lunch in Urubamba
You continue to Urubamba for a buffet lunch, surrounded by snowcapped peaks and farmlands that once supplied maize and quinoa to Inca nobility.
Ollantaytambo Fortress & Living Inca Town
In the afternoon, you reach Ollantaytambo, often called a “living Inca town” because its layout, streets, water canals, and terraces have been continuously inhabited since the 15th century.
You explore its imposing stone structures, including terraces and giant monoliths carved with exceptional precision—many transported from quarries several kilometers away.
Recognized internationally for its preservation and cultural vitality, Ollantaytambo bridges past and present in a single landscape.
Train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo)
Later, you head to the train station and board your train to Aguas Calientes. The journey follows the Vilcanota River as the scenery shifts from open highland valleys to lush cloud forest.
Upon arrival, you check in to your hotel and have free time to walk through the town, shop locally, or enjoy dinner.
Overnight in Aguas Calientes.
What’s included
This is the highlight of your journey. After breakfast, you take the bus up to Machu Picchu—a 25-minute ascent along the mountain road used daily by travelers from around the world.
Guided Visit
Inside the sanctuary, you begin a guided visit of about two hours, following the circuit assigned on your entrance ticket (typically one including the classic viewpoint). During the tour, you’ll discover key areas of the citadel, which may include:
- The Guardian House viewpoint
- The Intihuatana ritual stone
- The Temple of the Sun
- The Sacred Plaza
- Agricultural and residential terraces, stairways, and water channels
Your guide explains the significance of plazas, temples, ritual platforms, aqueducts, and stairways—not just as buildings, but as part of a sacred landscape connected to astronomy, agriculture, and mountain worship.
The tour lasts roughly 2 hours, giving you a complete understanding of the history, architecture, and symbolism behind this masterpiece of Inca civilization.
After the visit, you take the bus back to Aguas Calientes and later board the train to Ollantaytambo, where transportation awaits to return you to your hotel in Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco.
What’s included
Today you head toward one of Peru’s most striking geological formations: Vinicunca, popularly known as Rainbow Mountain.
Early Departure & Breakfast
You are picked up around 4:00 a.m., traveling south toward the district of Cusipata, where you stop for breakfast before heading deeper into the Andean highlands.
Start of the Hike
From the control points of local communities, the landscape shifts dramatically into open puna grasslands—territory traditionally used for llama and alpaca herding. The hike to the viewpoint takes approximately 1.5 hours, ascending gradually along a ridge framed by red valleys and distant glaciers.
Rainbow Mountain Viewpoint
At 5,100 m, you reach the famous viewpoint, where minerals such as iron, copper, and sulfur naturally tint the mountainsides in bands of red, purple, green, yellow, and pink. Your guide explains how these colors formed over millions of years through tectonic uplift and mineral oxidation.
You have time to enjoy the scenery, take photos, and appreciate the immensity of the Andes before descending.
Return to Cusco
You hike back to the trailhead and then stop for lunch in Cusipata before returning to Cusco around 4:00 p.m.
Overnight in Cusco.
What’s included
After breakfast, you are transferred from your hotel to the Cusco airport at the appropriate time for your flight, marking the end of your five-day experience through Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Rainbow Mountain.
What’s included
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