Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Women-only Peru: Lima, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu by Train
9 days for women only, from Lima to Cusco: a food day in Lima, three nights in the Sacred Valley with a women weavers' visit, the train to a 6 am Machu Picchu entry 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
- Travel with 7 to 12 women and a See Sight Tours woman guide from the Lima airport to the Cusco airport
- A morning with a women's weaving group in the Sacred Valley: natural dyes, backstrap looms and a lunch the weavers cook, confirmed with your dates
- Walk into Machu Picchu at 6 am, with a woman site guide where one is available
- Three nights in one Sacred Valley hotel, about 500 metres below Cusco, to settle into the altitude
- A Lima food morning in the Surquillo market and a ceviche lunch in Barranco
- Pisac and Ollantaytambo in the morning, ahead of the day-tour buses from Cusco
- The panoramic-window train down the Urubamba gorge into the cloud forest
- Moray's circular terraces and the Maras salt pans, then a free afternoon in the valley
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 with your name 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 and comfortable to walk after dark, with cafés and restaurants close to the hotel. If you land early, follow the Malecón, the clifftop path of parks and gardens, to the Parque del Amor. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours woman guide meets the group for introductions and a briefing: the flight to Cusco, the altitude, what to wear, and how to get about safely, including which taxis to use.
Evening
Then we walk a few minutes to an early welcome dinner a short walk away, and are back at the hotel by about 9 pm. To join the briefing, plan to land by about 3 pm; later arrivals are briefed at breakfast. Lunch today is not included.
Included
- Pick-up at Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM)
- Introductions and a welcome briefing with your guide
- Early welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the 6 pm briefing; back at the hotel by about 9 pm
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, talking with the stallholders: 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
Your guide suggests restaurants close to the hotel for the evening and keeps it 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. Cover your shoulders inside San Francisco.
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 very 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. Your guide asks how everyone is feeling at each stop. 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, then a morning with women weavers
Urubamba to the Pisac ruins and a weavers' village, then back to Urubamba
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sacred Valley (Urubamba)
- Drive about 2 h
Evening
After a slow first evening in the valley we leave at about 7:30 am and drive about 45 minutes back up to the Pisac archaeological site, ahead of most day-tour buses from Cusco. Your guide walks you through the Intihuatana sector, where temples of fitted stone blocks surround a carved ritual rock, with curved terraces dropping steeply to the river. If you stay in the upper sector the walking is gentle. From there we drive to a village where a women's weaving association works, confirmed with your dates. The weavers show us how they wash wool with a root that lathers like soap, dye it with plants, minerals and cochineal insects, spin it on a hand spindle and weave on the backstrap loom, and they explain what the patterns mean. Lunch is cooked by the women of the association. Buying a piece is entirely optional, and we take no commission. We are back at the hotel by mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day is free.
Included
- Pisac archaeological site with your guide, entry included
- A weaving demonstration with a women's weavers' association, confirmed with your dates
- Lunch cooked by the weavers
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. Ask before photographing the weavers; most are happy to be asked.
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, with women selling the salt at the stalls by the entrance. 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. Spend it in the hotel garden, or your guide suggests a massage in Urubamba or a walk by the river in pairs.
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 and a woman where one is available, 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 request 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 woman where one is available
- 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
- We request a second entry on a different circuit later that morning, where the ticket rules allow it, and confirm it with your booking
- 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 women cooks at the San Pedro market counters 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; your guide can point you to a weavers' centre and shop on the Avenida El Sol, 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 and add extra nights in Cusco or Lima if you ask.
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
- Women visiting Peru for the first time who want to travel with other women and a woman guide
- Solo women who want company and a matched roommate
- Mothers and daughters, sisters and friends travelling together
- Travellers who want to meet Andean weavers, not just buy from them
- Anyone who wants Machu Picchu without a multi-day trek
Not for you if you want
- Couples or mixed groups: book our Lima, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu by Train trip, or a private departure
- An all-women crew: drivers, train staff and some local guides will be men
- Trekkers: our Inca Trail trip walks to Machu Picchu instead
- Step-free access: Inca sites mean uneven stone steps without handrails
- Anyone advised by a doctor not to travel above 3,000 metres
Minimum age: 18
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 woman guide for the whole trip
- A licensed Machu Picchu guide inside the site, as the rules require, a woman where one is available, 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, with a second entry on a different circuit requested where the ticket rules allow it
- Cusco: Sacsayhuamán, the Cathedral and Qorikancha
- A morning with a women's weaving association in the Sacred Valley, confirmed with your dates, with lunch
Meals
- 8 breakfasts
- 6 lunches: ceviche in Lima, Pisac, lunch with the weavers, 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
Who can join a women-only trip?
Anyone who identifies as a woman, aged 18 and over, travelling alone or with friends, sisters, mothers or daughters. Every guest on the departure is a woman. If you want to travel with a partner or a mixed group, our Lima, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu by Train trip follows the same route, or we can run this one privately.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours woman guide travels with the group from the Lima airport pick-up to the Cusco airport drop-off. Machu Picchu requires a licensed site guide inside, and we ask for a woman there and at other sites, confirmed with your dates. Drivers and train staff will mostly be men. We name your guide when we confirm.
I am travelling solo. Can I share a room, or have my own?
Either. Ask to share and we match you with another woman on the same departure, at the shared price. A room of your own is CAD 715 more, shown when you request to book and never added later. If we cannot find you a roommate, we tell you before you confirm.
Is Peru safe for women, and what should I wear?
Yes, on this route most trouble is petty theft in crowds. Expect some street comments in Lima and Cusco; walking on is the local answer. Use hotel-called taxis or ride-hailing at night. There is no strict dress code; cover shoulders in churches and pack warm layers for the Andes.
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, the Cusco tourist ticket and every other entry in the day plan, the weavers' visit, 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 3 dinners, airport transfers, your own vehicle and driver, and a See Sight Tours woman guide throughout.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 women, never more. Everyone hears the guide at Machu Picchu, the group fits into one weaving courtyard and around one table at lunch, and there is time for everyone's questions.
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.
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 check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. No payment is taken when you request, and the price is per person sharing a room, with taxes, from CAD 3,620 for the small group.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own woman guide, from CAD 6,515 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we quote the same hotels, trains and tickets.
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.
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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