Pisac, terraces above the valley
Ollantaytambo, still lived in
The Ollantaytambo terracesSacred Valley · One or two days · English-speaking Indigenous Quechua guides
The valley thatfed an empire.
Pisac, where the terraces follow the mountain instead of fighting it. Ollantaytambo, the only Inca town still lived in on its original plan. A whole day in the valley the Inca chose before anywhere else, with an English-speaking Indigenous Quechua guide who can tell you why. Transport from Cusco, lunch and your guide are included.
See dates and pricesWhy travel with us
What makes the difference.
An English-speaking Quechua guide.
Not a voice reading from a script. Someone raised in this language and these mountains, who can tell you what the stones were for and why they still matter to the families who live beneath them.
A valley, not a drive-by.
This day stays in the valley rather than passing through it. There is time to understand what you are standing in, and to meet a living place on its own terms.
Small by design.
Your own party, from one guest to twelve. One guide walks with up to eight, and a second joins beyond that, so no one is ever left at the back of the group.
The day
Two Inca towns, one living valley.
Lower, warmer and greener than Cusco, the Sacred Valley has been farmed for a thousand years and is farmed still.
Down into the valley.
Collection from your hotel and the road down out of Cusco. The valley opens below you, warmer and greener than the city, and the altitude drops as you go.
Terraces that follow the mountain.
Pisac’s terraces curve with the slope instead of cutting across it, and your guide will show you why. Below them, the town still holds its market.
The valley between the two.
Time in the valley itself, with a guide who can tell you why the Inca chose this ground and what still grows in it. Lunch is included.
A town still lived in.
The only Inca town still inhabited on its original street plan. People walk home through doorways cut five hundred years ago, beneath a temple that was never finished.
Return, or keep going.
On the one-day journey, the drive brings you back to Cusco. On the two-day journey, you board the evening train here instead and sleep at Hotel Ferré Machu Picchu or Hotel Santuario Machupicchu, ready for Machu Picchu in the morning with your guide.
Exact times are set against your date, and we confirm the shape of your journey after you book.
Where day two can take you
“People walk home through doorways cut five hundred years ago.”The valley is still lived in
Gerson Barrios Zea, co-founder, at Vinicunca in the high country above Cusco.
Who you go with
A guide who speaks Quechua.
The valley is still home to Quechua families. An English-speaking Indigenous Quechua guide turns a drive through it into a welcome.
Gerson Barrios Zea
Co-founder · Peru expert guide · Quechua liaison
Born and raised in Peru and formally trained in tourism, Gerson has guided the Inca Trail, the Sacred Valley and the country’s sacred sites for years.
His deepest gift is fluency in Quechua, the ancestral language still spoken in these mountains. It lets him speak directly with the Quechua families and communities you meet along the way.
No vague promises
Everything the day needs.
Included
- ✓ Ground transport from Cusco
- ✓ English-speaking Indigenous Quechua guide
- ✓ Pisac and Ollantaytambo
- ✓ Lunch in the valley
- ✓ Two-day journey: Expedition-class rail to Aguas Calientes and back, one night at Hotel Ferré Machu Picchu or Hotel Santuario Machupicchu with breakfast, the bus up and down, Machu Picchu admission, and your guide with you on both days
Not included
- – Hotels on the one-day journey
- – Tips
- – Travel insurance
Request your date
Tell us your day. We’ll do the rest.
We check permits, tickets and your guide for the date you want, then write to you by email to confirm, usually within a day. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Before you go
Good questions.
Can I add Machu Picchu?
Yes. The two-day journey ends the valley day in Ollantaytambo, where the train leaves from, so you sleep at Hotel Ferré Machu Picchu or Hotel Santuario Machupicchu and spend the next morning at Machu Picchu with your guide. We aim for Circuit 3, our favourite, or Circuit 2. Circuits are never guaranteed and tickets are capped daily. For the two-day journey, we recommend booking 30 days or more ahead, because hotels and citadel tickets fill early, and we need at least 15 days. Travelling sooner? Write to us at [email protected]. Places sometimes come free, and we’ll tell you honestly what is possible for your dates.
Is the hotel included?
On the two-day journey, yes, with a buffet breakfast, based on two guests sharing. A private room is $50. On the one-day journey you return to Cusco the same evening.
Can I come on my own?
Of course. Your guide is just as present for one guest as for twelve. On the two-day journey, add a private room for $50.
Does the same guide stay with me on both days?
Yes. On the two-day journey your guide travels with you through the valley, follows you to Aguas Calientes, and meets you in the morning for the citadel. One person, one story, from Pisac to Machu Picchu.
How much walking is there?
Moderate. The terraces at Pisac and Ollantaytambo involve stone steps and some climbing at altitude, taken at your own pace.
What should I bring?
Layers, sunscreen, a hat and comfortable shoes for the stone steps at Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Bring some cash in soles if you would like to buy from the weavers and growers at the Pisac market. On the two-day journey, bring your original passport for the train and Machu Picchu, and keep to one small bag of up to about 8 kilograms.
How far ahead should I book?
For the one-day valley, 48 hours is enough. Nothing has to be bought ahead, so if your plans are open, so is the valley. For the two-day journey with Machu Picchu, we recommend booking 30 days or more ahead, because hotels and citadel tickets fill early, and we need at least 15 days. Travelling sooner? Write to us at [email protected]. Places sometimes come free, and we’ll tell you honestly what is possible for your dates.
What if my plans change?
For the one-day valley: tell us 48 hours or more before pickup for a full refund, 24 to 48 hours for half, and less than 24 hours or a missed departure is not refunded. For the two-day journey, Machu Picchu tickets are issued in your name and cannot be refunded, so: 30 days or more before, a full refund less any tickets already issued; 15 to 29 days, 75%; 8 to 14 days, 50%; 3 to 7 days, 25%; less than 72 hours, no refund. Cancel within 48 hours of booking, with your date at least 30 days away, and you receive a full refund either way. If we cancel, or weather, a rail suspension, a strike or a closure does, you choose a full refund or a new date. Write to us at [email protected].
Can I stay in Ollantaytambo afterwards?
Yes, and if you are walking the Inca Trail next we strongly suggest it. The trail train leaves from Ollantaytambo at first light.