Day Trips from Cusco
Back in Cusco the Same Day Every trip starts with a hotel pickup and ends back in town, so you keep your room and carry only a daypack.
Ahead of the Crowds Early pickups, 300 am for Vinicunca and 315 am for Humantay, get you to the lake or the ridge before most groups arrive.
Small Group or Private Small-group departures are capped at 8 travelers, or book a private guide and set your own pace.
What Our Travelers Say About Us
Exploor was the best choice we made for our Peru trip. They planned every part of the trip exceptionally well right from the planning to scheduling and sharing of information.
They had a great team who were prompt, friendly and thorough. A big shoutout to Rosmy from the planning team and Maik and Grimaldo who were our guides. They went over and above for each leg of the trip. Great vehicles, good restaurant selection for meals, well-explained tours made the whole experience very memorable and comfortable. An added bonus was the great photo taking which our guides were experts in 🙂 10/10 recommended!
Exploor made it possible to be completely hands off and thoroughly enjoy the is trip. I am beyond pleased with their services and would highly recommend! They were also very accommodating to flight delays and such.
The admin team: Walter, Karen, Rosmy held down the plans! The tour guides: Kari and Andrea …10/10! I feel like I completed a college course on the history of Peru! The drivers made us feel 100% safe and were also very accommodating. Well done team!!
No two travelers are the same, and your Cusco day trip shouldn’t be either. With our tailor-made tours, you can adjust every detail to match your style, pace and interests.
- 100% tailor-made itinerary
- Handpicked hotels & restaurants
- 24/7 support
Moray and OllantaytamboOn the Sacred Valley day tour you walk the circular terraces of Moray and climb the terraces of the Ollantaytambo fortress, in the town where the train to Machu Picchu leaves.
Weavers and Alpaca CountryThe Sacred Valley tour stops at a community textile center, and on the road to Palccoyo we pull over for the alpacas, with one walking alongside you if the community allows it.
Humantay Lake and Rainbow MountainEarly starts put you at the turquoise lake or on the Vinicunca ridge before most groups, with trekking poles, oxygen and a first-aid kit carried on every hike.
Andean Food on the RoadMeals are part of the day: breakfast on the drive to the high hikes, a buffet lunch at a colonial-style hacienda in the Sacred Valley, and vegetarian or vegan options on request.
Easiest: Sacred Valley, from USD 139. A long day, 6:30 am to about 6:00 pm, with short walks at the sites and no real hike. Good for your first full day, for families and for anyone who wants Inca ruins rather than a summit. If you are heading on to Machu Picchu, ask to be dropped at Ollantaytambo station for the 4:30 pm train to Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes).
Easy hike, big colors: Palccoyo, from USD 149. 45 to 60 minutes each way on a gentle trail, with 3 rainbow ridges instead of 1. The altitude is still over 16,000 ft (4,900 m), so walk slowly, but it suits travelers over 50 and anyone who wants the view without the climb.
Moderate to hard: Humantay Lake, from USD 139. A steep climb of 1.5 to 2 hours to the lake, after a 3:15 am start. Horses can be arranged at the trailhead if the ascent gets too much.
Hardest: Vinicunca, from USD 139. The highest point of any day trip, with 1.5 to 2 hours of hiking each way and a 3:00 am pickup. Your guide carries oxygen and a first-aid kit, and horses can be hired from the local community. Not sure which mountain suits you? Read our comparison of Vinicunca and Palccoyo.
Machu Picchu in a day: from USD 429. It works, but it is a long day of road, train and bus. All sales on this tour are final, so fix your dates before booking. If you can spare a night, sleeping in Machu Picchu Pueblo makes the visit far less rushed.
The Maras salt pans are more than 5,000 small pools fed by a salty spring in the hillside, and each one is worked by a local family under a community system that locals say dates back to Inca times. Since 2019 visitors can no longer walk between the pools, so you see them from the viewpoint above, and the entry fee is paid at the gate because Maras is not part of the Cusco Tourist Ticket.