Super Sacred Valley06:20 → 19:00 · Back to Cusco · 5 sitesUS$32
Traditional Sacred Valley07:20 → 18:30 · Back to Cusco · 4 sitesUS$30
Super Sacred Valley06:20 → 15:30 · Ends in Ollantaytambo · trainUS$31
Traditional Sacred Valley07:20 → 15:30 · Ends in Ollantaytambo · trainUS$29
Chinchero3,762 m · 07:40 Super · 16:45 Trad.Maras Salt Mines3,385 m · 09:30 · Super only
Moray3,500 m · 10:30 · Super onlyOllantaytambo2,790 m · 14:15 · all 4 departuresPisac3,300 m · 09:30 Trad. · 16:50 Super
A well-planned day covers Chinchero, Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo and Pisac with lunch included, or four sites at an easier pace. What it doesn't allow is walking for hours at one place or browsing the markets without a clock. Here's what you see, what you give up and when something else makes more sense.
What you see
The Super Sacred Valley spends 1 h 15 in Chinchero, 45 minutes at the Maras Salt Mines, 45 in Moray, 1 hour in Ollantaytambo and 50 minutes in Pisac, plus 25 in its market. That's about 5 hours on your feet, with the guide explaining at each stop, and 50 minutes of buffet lunch. The Traditional splits 3 h 45 between the Taray viewpoint, Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero.
What you give up
In Pisac there are 25 to 30 minutes in the village and market, not a morning. There's no time to walk to the top of Pisac's terraces or to stay for sunset in Ollantaytambo. And the day is long: 10 to 12 hours from pickup. If that matters more to you than seeing all five sites, see the alternatives below.
Who it suits and who it doesn't
Super Sacred Valley: five sites, 06:20 to 19:00, US$32. It's the only way to see Maras and Moray together with the rest of the valley in a single day. Book →
Traditional: four sites, 07:20 to 18:30, US$30, with an extra hour of sleep and more time in Pisac. The route for families and a first day at altitude. Book →
A private tour from US$90 per person with stops and timing to suit you, or two days on your own sleeping in the valley. See the private tour →
One day versus two
| Topic | One day with the tour | Two days on your own |
|---|---|---|
| Sites | 4 or 5 | Whichever you choose, with more time at each |
| Transport between sites | Included, with pickup in Cusco at 06:20 or 07:20 | Taxis or public transport; Maras and Moray with no direct service |
| Guide | Certified, English and Spanish, at every stop | On your own or hired at each site |
| Lunch | Buffet included at 12:00 in Urubamba | On your own |
| Night | Back in Cusco at 18:30 or 19:00, or in Ollantaytambo at 15:30 if you're sleeping in the valley | Accommodation in the valley |
| Tour cost | From US$29 per person | Entrance fees, transport, meals and the night on your own |
Entrance fees are extra in both cases: Boleto Turístico and, in Maras, the community entrance.
To see the main sites, yes: the Super Sacred Valley covers all five between 06:20 and 19:00 with lunch included. It isn't enough if you want to walk for hours at one site, browse the markets at leisure or sleep in the valley.
On the Super, 1 h 15 in Chinchero, 45 min in Maras, 45 in Moray, 1 h in Ollantaytambo and 50 min in Pisac plus 30 in the village. On the Traditional, 15 min in Taray, 1 h plus 30 in Pisac, 1 h in Ollantaytambo and 1 h in Chinchero.
It's long (10 to 12 hours) but not demanding: visits of 45 minutes to 1 hour, with stairs in Pisac and Ollantaytambo, and bus legs of 15 minutes to 1 h 50 to rest. Most of the day is spent below Cusco's altitude.
Time at each site and the markets at an easy pace: in Pisac there are 25 to 30 minutes in the village, not a morning. And the chance to see the valley in different light, for example Ollantaytambo at dawn.
If you're travelling with young children or older relatives who need breaks, if you want unhurried photography in Maras, or if you'd rather sleep in Ollantaytambo before the train. A private tour adapts pace and stops from US$90 per person.
Many travellers do, because the valley is lower than Cusco. If you arrived from sea level the night before, the Traditional (07:20, four sites) is the gentlest version.
The valley is the natural way there: the departures ending in Ollantaytambo leave you at 15:30 next to the station, in time for the 16:36 Inca Rail or the 19:00 Peru Rail, for US$1 less than with the return.
Book and get the exact pickup time for your Cusco accommodation tonight.