Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Peru: Lima, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu by Train
9 days from Lima to Cusco: a food day in Lima, three nights low in the Sacred Valley, the train to Aguas Calientes, a 6 am entry to Machu Picchu and two nights in Cusco.
9 days · Lima to Cusco · up to 12 guests
The terraces of Ollantaytambo, at the lower end of the Sacred Valley Photo: Tydence Davis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruins_at_Ollantaytambo.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Lima to Cusco
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 2 h on day 3No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
Mostly 2 to 4 hours on foot on touring days, on uneven Inca stone paths and steps without handrails, at heights from sea level in Lima to about 3,500 metres at Moray. Machu Picchu is the longest day, about 4 hours on foot at about 2,430 metres. Every steep stretch has an easier option, and you can sit out any walk.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 715 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Walk into Machu Picchu at 6 am, and go back in later that morning on a second circuit where the ticket rules allow it
- Three nights in one Sacred Valley hotel, about 500 metres below Cusco, to settle into the altitude
- Pisac and Ollantaytambo in the morning, ahead of the day-tour buses from Cusco
- A Lima food morning in the Surquillo market and a ceviche lunch in Barranco
- The panoramic-window train down the Urubamba gorge into the cloud forest
- Moray's circular terraces and the Maras salt pans in one unhurried morning
- Sacsayhuamán, the Cathedral and Qorikancha in Cusco, with a free afternoon to follow
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 715 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 2 h, on day 3.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Lima
Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) to your hotel in Miraflores
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Lima
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) at any time. A driver meets you in arrivals for the drive to Miraflores, about 20 km and usually under an hour, longer at rush hour. Miraflores sits on cliffs above the Pacific, and we stay here rather than in the old centre because it is easy to walk after dark and within walking distance of cafés, cevicherías and restaurants. If you land early, follow the Malecón, the clifftop path of parks and gardens, to the Parque del Amor and watch the paragliders ride the sea breeze. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the week: the flight to Cusco, how we handle the altitude and what to pack for Machu Picchu.
Evening
Then we walk to a welcome dinner for a first taste of Peruvian cooking, such as causa, lomo saltado and a pisco sour for those who want one. To join the briefing, plan to land by about 3 pm; later arrivals are briefed at breakfast.
Included
- Pick-up at Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the 6 pm briefing
Lima: a market, the old centre and ceviche
Miraflores to the Surquillo market, the historic centre and Barranco
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lima
- Drive about 1.5 h
Today is about food and the old city. At 9 am we walk to the Surquillo market, where Lima's cooks shop, and taste our way through it with your guide: fruits rarely seen at home, such as lúcuma, chirimoya and granadilla, and the ají peppers, potatoes and corn that run through Peruvian cooking. Then we drive about 40 minutes into the historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. We walk around the Plaza Mayor, past the Cathedral and the Government Palace, to the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, with its cloisters, its old library and the catacombs where the city buried its dead until the early 1800s.
Afternoon
Lunch is ceviche, eaten the way Limeños eat it, at midday, in a cevichería in Barranco, the seaside district of old mansions and murals. The afternoon is free: cross the Puente de los Suspiros, rest at the hotel or visit the Larco Museum.
Evening
We keep the evening short, because tomorrow's flight leaves in the morning.
Included
- Surquillo market walk and tastings with your guide
- The historic centre of Lima: the Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral and the Government Palace (outside)
- The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco and its catacombs
- Ceviche lunch in Barranco
Optional experiences
- Larco Museum and its pre-Columbian collection, in the free afternoon
- The lit fountains of the Magic Water Circuit in the Parque de la Reserva, in the evening
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot on flat city streets; the catacombs have low ceilings and narrow stairs.
Fly to Cusco, then down into the Sacred Valley
Lima to Cusco by air, then Pisac and Urubamba
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sacred Valley (Urubamba)
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
After an early breakfast we fly to Cusco, about 1 hour 20 minutes; this and the Machu Picchu morning are the only early starts of the trip. Cusco sits at about 3,400 metres, so we do not stay. Our vehicle meets us at the airport and we drive over the hill and down into the Sacred Valley, where the hotel is about 500 metres lower: the simplest way to ease into the altitude. The road climbs out of Cusco, then winds down towards Pisac, with a stop at a viewpoint over the Urubamba River and its terraced fields.
Afternoon
In Pisac, at about 2,970 metres, we take a slow sit-down lunch and walk the market square, busiest on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Then it is about 45 minutes down the valley to our hotel near Urubamba, home for the next three nights. The rest of the day is for doing very little: drink plenty of water, try a cup of coca tea and sleep early.
Included
- Flight from Lima to Cusco
- Viewpoint stop above the Sacred Valley
- Sit-down lunch in Pisac and time at the market square
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free at the hotel
Activity: Your first day at altitude: walk slowly, drink water and skip alcohol tonight.
Pisac ruins in the morning, a hosted lunch
Urubamba to the Pisac ruins and a valley village, then back to Urubamba
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sacred Valley (Urubamba)
- Drive about 2 h
Evening
After a slow first evening we leave at about 7:30 am and drive an hour back up the valley to the Pisac archaeological site, ahead of most day-tour buses from Cusco, which tend to arrive later in the morning. The ruins sit high above the town. Your guide walks you through the Intihuatana sector, where temples of fitted stone blocks, laid without mortar, surround a carved ritual rock, with curved terraces dropping steeply to the river and old burial niches in the cliff across the gorge. If you stay in the upper sector the walking is gentle. From there we drive to a village in the valley for a home-cooked lunch with a local family, cooked in an earth oven (pachamanca) when the season allows. They show us how they farm their fields and weave, and there is no shop at the end of the visit. We are back at the hotel by mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day is free to rest, read in the garden or walk by the river.
Included
- Pisac archaeological site with your guide, entry included
- Home-cooked lunch with a family in a Sacred Valley village
Easier option: Stay in the upper sector of the ruins with the guide, then ride the van down to town.
More active option: Walk down from the ruins to Pisac town on the old Inca path, about 1.5 hours on steep stone steps, with the van waiting below. This adds about an hour to the day's walking.
Free time: Afternoon free at the hotel
Activity: About 2 hours on foot on uneven stone paths and steps, or about 3 hours with the walk down. The ruins sit at about 3,400 metres, above Pisac town at about 2,970 metres.
Moray, the Maras salt pans and a free afternoon
Urubamba up to Moray, across to the Maras salt pans and back down to the valley
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sacred Valley (Urubamba)
- Drive about 2 h
We leave at 9 am for the high plateau above the valley, about 50 minutes up a road of switchbacks to around 3,500 metres. Moray is a set of circular Inca terraces set into natural hollows in the ground, the deepest about 30 metres from rim to floor. The temperature changes from level to level, and many archaeologists believe the Incas used the terraces to test crops. From there a country road crosses farmland to the Maras salt pans: thousands of small pools stepped down a hillside, fed by a salty spring and worked by local families since before the Incas. Visitors now watch from a path above the pools rather than walking among them, and the white and ochre patchwork is best seen from there anyway.
Afternoon
We come back down to the valley floor for a late sit-down lunch in Urubamba, and the afternoon is yours. Saints' day processions fill the town's streets several times a year; your guide tells you if one falls during your stay.
Included
- Moray terraces with your guide, entry included
- The Maras salt pans, community entry fee included
- Sit-down lunch in Urubamba
Easier option: Watch from the rim at Moray instead of walking down to the lower terraces.
More active option: Walk down from the salt pans to the valley floor on a footpath, about an hour, with the van waiting at the bottom.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The highest point of the trip, about 3,500 metres at Moray; walk slowly on the climbs.
Ollantaytambo, then the train to Aguas Calientes
Urubamba to Ollantaytambo, then the train down the Urubamba gorge to Aguas Calientes
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Aguas Calientes
- Drive about 30 min
After three nights in the same room we pack once and drive about 30 minutes down the valley to Ollantaytambo, reaching the ruins at about 8:30 am, before most of the day tours from Cusco. Terraces climb steeply to the Temple Hill and its wall of six huge pink stone blocks, hauled from a quarry across the river. In 1537 Manco Inca held off a Spanish force here, one of the few times the Incas beat them in open battle.
Afternoon
Below the ruins, families still live on the Inca street grid, with water channels running beside the lanes, and we walk it before lunch in town. In the early afternoon we board the train for about an hour and a half down the Urubamba gorge, from dry hills into cloud forest, with roof windows on the panoramic carriages. Aguas Calientes is a small town wedged in the gorge below Machu Picchu.
Evening
The late afternoon is free for the hot springs or the site museum, then we have dinner together in town.
Included
- Ollantaytambo archaeological site with your guide, entry included
- Walk through Ollantaytambo's Inca town
- Lunch in Ollantaytambo
- Panoramic-window train to Aguas Calientes
- Dinner in Aguas Calientes
Optional experiences
- Aguas Calientes hot springs
- Manuel Chávez Ballón Site Museum, at the foot of the Machu Picchu road
Easier option: Stay on the lower terraces and in the old town while the group climbs to the Temple Hill.
More active option: Climb the steep path to the Pinkuylluna storehouses on the hill opposite the ruins, about an hour up and back.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Aguas Calientes
Activity: Your main bag goes on to Cusco in our vehicle; bring a small overnight bag for the train.
Machu Picchu at 6 am
Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, then the train to Ollantaytambo and the road to Cusco
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Cusco
- Drive about 2 h
This is the early start the trip is built around, and the reason we sleep in Aguas Calientes.
Morning
We take one of the first buses up the zigzag road and walk in at 6 am, when the site is at its quietest and, in the dry season, the morning cloud lifts off the peaks. A licensed Machu Picchu guide, required by the site's rules, leads the visit on a circuit that passes the upper viewpoint for the classic view over the citadel and Huayna Picchu, then down through temples, plazas and terraces. Tickets are sold by circuit and time, so where the rules allow a second entry on the same day, we book one on a different circuit later in the morning and confirm it with your booking.
Afternoon
We ride down for lunch in Aguas Calientes, take the mid-afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo, and drive about an hour and three quarters over the Chinchero plateau to Cusco. If the train runs late, our driver waits at Ollantaytambo station, and your Cusco room and main bag are already there.
Included
- Machu Picchu entry at 6 am with a licensed site guide
- A second entry on a different circuit later that morning, where the ticket rules allow it, confirmed with your booking
- Every bus ride between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu
- Lunch in Aguas Calientes
- Panoramic-window train to Ollantaytambo, then our vehicle to Cusco
Optional experiences
- Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain climb, a separate ticket with small daily numbers
Easier option: Skip the second entry, or leave after the first circuit, and take an earlier bus down to rest in Aguas Calientes before lunch.
More active option: Swap the second entry for a Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain ticket, if you ask when you book.
Activity: About 4 hours on foot with both entries, on stone steps without handrails at about 2,430 metres. A long day that ends in Cusco at about 3,400 metres, usually early in the evening.
Cusco: Sacsayhuamán, the Cathedral and Qorikancha
Sacsayhuamán, San Blas, the Plaza de Armas and Qorikancha
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Cusco
- Drive about 15 min
A slow start after yesterday. At about 9:30 am we drive ten minutes up to Sacsayhuamán, the Inca complex above the city, where zigzag walls of fitted stone blocks, the largest estimated at more than 100 tonnes, face a wide grassy esplanade. From there we walk down steps and lanes into San Blas, the artisans' quarter, and past the twelve-angled stone on Hatun Rumiyoc street to the Plaza de Armas. Inside the Cathedral, built over an Inca palace, look for the colonial painting of the Last Supper with a roast guinea pig on the table.
Afternoon
Lunch is your choice: your guide points out the counters of the San Pedro market or a quiet café. After lunch we visit Qorikancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun, where Dominican friars built their monastery on top of the curved Inca walls. Cusco's old centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
Evening
The rest of the afternoon is free, and in the evening we meet for a farewell dinner.
Included
- Sacsayhuamán with your guide, entry included
- Walk through San Blas and past the twelve-angled stone
- Cusco Cathedral, entry included
- Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun, entry included
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Ride the van down from Sacsayhuamán to the Plaza de Armas instead of walking.
Free time: Lunch on your own and the afternoon free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot, mostly downhill on steps and cobbles at about 3,400 metres.
Cusco, then home
Cusco to Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The last morning is free. Walk to the San Pedro market for a fresh juice at one of the long counters, visit the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in a colonial mansion on the Plaza de las Nazarenas, or sit in the Plaza de Armas and watch the city start its day. Your hotel holds your bags until the transfer. Cusco's airport is about 5 km from the centre, around 20 minutes by road, and our driver takes you there in time for your flight, with your guide checking your connection before saying goodbye. Most international flights leave from Lima, so you fly from Cusco to Lima first, about 1 hour 20 minutes, and connect there. Book a Cusco departure after about 11 am, and allow at least four hours between landing in Lima and your international flight. We can book the Cusco to Lima flight with your trip if you ask, and add extra nights in Cusco or Lima if you want to stay longer.
Included
- Drop-off at Cusco airport (CUZ)
Optional experiences
- Museum of Pre-Columbian Art
Free time: Morning free
Activity: Book a Cusco flight leaving after about 11 am, with at least four hours to connect in Lima.
- Lima2 nights
- Sacred Valley (Urubamba)3 nights
- Aguas Calientes1 night
- Cusco2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: The dry season, roughly May to September, brings clear days, cold nights in the Andes and the most visitors at Machu Picchu; Cusco is busiest around Inti Raymi on 24 June. The rains run from about November to March, heaviest in January and February, with afternoon showers, cloud over the ruins and occasional train disruption. Lima is grey and cool from about June to October and sunny from December to April.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors to Peru who want Machu Picchu without camping or a multi-day trek
- Travellers who want time to adjust to the altitude rather than a rush up to Cusco
- Food lovers who want more of Lima than an airport hotel
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a single price shown up front
Not for you if you want
- Trekkers: our Inca Trail trip walks to Machu Picchu instead
- Step-free access: Inca sites mean uneven stone steps without handrails
- Travellers who want the Amazon or Lake Titicaca, which are not on this route
- Anyone advised by a doctor not to travel above 3,000 metres
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Lima2 nights
- Sacred Valley (Urubamba)3 nights
- Aguas Calientes1 night
- Cusco2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 2 in Lima (Miraflores), 3 in one Sacred Valley hotel near Urubamba, 1 in Aguas Calientes, 2 in central Cusco
- Central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Lima airport (LIM) and drop-off at Cusco airport (CUZ)
- The flight from Lima to Cusco
- Your own vehicle and driver in Lima, the Sacred Valley and Cusco
- Panoramic-window train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and back
- Every bus ride between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip
- A licensed Machu Picchu guide inside the site, as the rules require, and local guides where other sites require them
Activities
- Lima: Surquillo market walk with tastings, the historic centre, and the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco with its catacombs
- Sacred Valley: the Cusco tourist ticket, covering Pisac, Moray and Ollantaytambo, plus the Maras salt pans
- Machu Picchu: a 6 am entry with a licensed site guide, and a second entry on a different circuit where the ticket rules allow it
- Cusco: Sacsayhuamán, the Cathedral and Qorikancha
- A hosted lunch with a family in a Sacred Valley village
Meals
- 8 breakfasts
- 6 lunches: ceviche in Lima, Pisac, a hosted village lunch, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes
- 3 dinners: welcome in Lima, Aguas Calientes and farewell in Cusco
Not included
- International flights to Lima and home, including the Cusco to Lima flight on day 9
- Visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance, with medical evacuation cover for altitude
- Meals not listed: 5 dinners, and lunches on days 1, 8 and 9
- Drinks
- Tips for your guides and driver
- Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets
- Optional activities, such as the Larco Museum and the Aguas Calientes hot springs
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 715 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 3,040 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 3,290. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 3,575.
What does the price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, the Lima to Cusco flight, the train to Machu Picchu and back, a 6 am Machu Picchu entry with every bus ride (and a second entry where the ticket rules allow), the Cusco tourist ticket and every other entry in the day plan, 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 3 dinners, airport transfers, your own vehicle and driver, and a See Sight Tours guide throughout.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. Many Peru trips take up to 16, so with us everyone hears the guide at Machu Picchu, and the group fits around one table at lunch.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with you from the Lima briefing to the Cusco airport. Machu Picchu's rules require a licensed site guide inside the citadel, so one joins us there, and local guides join at other sites where the rules ask for them.
How do you help with the altitude?
We fly to Cusco and drive straight down to the Sacred Valley, about 500 metres lower, for three nights. Moray, the highest point at about 3,500 metres, is a short visit on day 5, and Cusco comes last, once you have adjusted. Ask your doctor about altitude medicine before you travel.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately fit. Most days mean 2 to 4 hours on foot over uneven stone paths and steps, and Machu Picchu is about 4 hours on foot. Every steep stretch has an easier option, such as watching Moray from the rim or taking an earlier bus down from Machu Picchu.
I'm travelling solo. What will I pay?
A room of your own costs from CAD 715 more, and we show it before you request to book, with no surprise at the end. If you'd rather share, ask when you book and we tell you whether a share is possible on your departure.
When is the best time to go?
April to October. May to September is the dry season, with clear days, cold nights and the most visitors; April and October are quieter, with a few more showers. From November to March the rains bring cloud over the ruins and the odd train disruption, heaviest in January and February.
How does booking work?
Pick your start date and request to book. We confirm your place, the hotels and your Machu Picchu tickets within 24 hours. No payment is taken when you request, and the price is per person sharing a room, with taxes, from CAD 3,575 for the small group.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 6,435 per person. If you'd rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we quote the same hotels, trains, tickets and guides.
Do I need a visa for Peru?
Most visitors from Canada, the US, the UK and the EU do not need a visa for a tourist stay; check the rules for your own passport. You need a passport valid for your whole trip, and we need its details when you book to issue your Machu Picchu, train and flight tickets.
Can we see all of Machu Picchu, and is Huayna Picchu included?
Not in one visit: each ticket covers one circuit and a set entry time. Where the ticket rules allow two entries on the same day, we book a second circuit later that morning and confirm it with your booking. Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain are separate tickets with small daily numbers; ask when you book.
Is there a version with the Inca Trail?
Yes. Our Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley trip spends four days walking the classic trail to the Sun Gate, with camping and a permit in the price. Choose this train trip if you want Machu Picchu, Lima and Cusco without a multi-day trek.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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