5 Days Private Cusco Tour Package Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Cusco  - Afternoon City Tour

Welcome to Cusco, your journey starts the easy way. We’ll meet you at the airport and take you by private transport to your 4-star hotel so you can settle in and take a breath. Cusco is high altitude, so this first day is planned to feel comfortable and unrushed.

In the afternoon, your private guide will show you the highlights of the city and the famous Inca sites above it. You’ll walk through Cusco’s historic center, visit the Plaza de Armas and Coricancha (the Temple of the Sun), then head up to the hills for Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay. You’ll finish with wide views from the Cristo Blanco viewpoint, one of the best places to see Cusco from above, then return to your hotel to rest.

• Duration: Half-day
• Meals: Not included
• Entry tickets: Cusco City Tour
• Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Cusco
• Difficulty: Easy

Day 2: Cusco - Sacred Valley Tour with Maras & Moray

Today you explore the Sacred Valley in style, with a private guide, a smooth schedule, and time to actually enjoy each stop. We’ll pick you up around 7:00 a.m. and head into the valley, where the air is lower and the pace feels easier.

Your first stop is an alpaca farm, where you’ll learn the difference between llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos, and see the traditional weaving techniques that make Andean textiles so special. Then you’ll stop at the Taray viewpoint for a classic Sacred Valley panorama.

Next comes Pisac: you’ll explore the archaeological site and, if you like, browse the famous local market. After that, enjoy a buffet lunch in Urubamba before continuing to Moray, the incredible circular terraces that look like giant steps carved into the earth.

Then visit Maras, the salt mines, where thousands of shallow pools create one of the most unique landscapes in Peru.
You end the day in Ollantaytambo, a living Inca town with original stone streets still in use today. It’s also the perfect place to sleep before your hiking day.

• Duration: Half-day
• Meals: Buffet lunch
• Entry tickets: Sacred Valley Attractions
• Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Ollantaytambo
• Difficulty: Easy

Day 3: Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (Km 104)

Today is your “Inca Trail day”, and it’s a favorite for a reason. You’ll start early, take the train to Km 104 (Chachabamba), and show your original passport at the official checkpoint. Before hiking, you’ll enjoy a fresh picnic breakfast prepared for you.

The Short Inca Trail is a beautiful mix of original stone paths, cloud forest, mountain views, and impressive ruins. You’ll hike at a steady pace with breaks, and your guide will keep it comfortable and enjoyable. The big highlights along the way are Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna, an incredible archaeological site perched on a mountainside, with terraces and stone structures that feel straight out of a movie.

After a picnic lunch, you continue to the Sun Gate (Intipunku). This is the moment many travelers dream about: your first view of Machu Picchu from above, reached on foot like the Incas did.

You then walk down into Machu Picchu for photos and that first “I can’t believe I’m here” arrival. After enjoying the views, you take the bus down to Aguas Calientes for dinner and a comfortable night in a 4-star hotel.

• Hiking Distance: 13 km / 8 mi
• Duration: 7 hours
• Highest Altitude: 2,720 m / 8,923 ft (Sun Gate)
• Meals: Picnic breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
• Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
• Difficulty: Moderate

Day 4: Machu Picchu Guided Tour + Belmond Lunch + Return to Cusco

After breakfast, you’ll take the bus back up for your full guided visit of Machu Picchu. This is your deeper, more complete experience inside the citadel, when you’re rested and can really take it all in.

Your guide will lead you through the most important areas, terraces, temples, water fountains, and key viewpoints, while explaining the story behind what you’re seeing in a way that’s clear, interesting, and easy to remember. We aim for the best Machu Picchu circuit available. If your preferred circuit or entry time is sold out, we secure the best official alternative for your date.

After the guided tour, enjoy a luxury lunch at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge (Tinkuy), right next to the entrance. It’s the best possible location,  no rushing, no searching for a restaurant, just a relaxed, high-end meal after an unforgettable morning.

Later, you’ll head back down to Aguas Calientes for free time before boarding the Vistadome Observatory train to Ollantaytambo. The panoramic windows and comfortable seating make the ride feel like part of the experience, not just transportation. From Ollantaytambo, your private van takes you back to Cusco, usually arriving around 7:30 p.m.

• Hiking Distance: 13 km / 8 mi
• Tour Duration: 2.5 hours Machu Picchu
• Machu Picchu Altitude: 2,430 m / 7,972 ft
• Meals: Hotel breakfast, lunch at Tinkuy (Sanctuary Lodge)
• Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Cusco
• Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Day 5: Departure

We’ll pick you up from your hotel and transfer you privately to Cusco airport in time for your flight.

• Difficulty: Easy

5 Days Private Sacred Valley Tour - Price

This is a private luxury tour, so everything is built around your comfort: private guiding, private transport, and hand-picked 4-star hotels. The final price depends on your group size. We organize only private tours.

Booking and Payment

• Deposit: US$555 per person (to reserve your spot). The balance can be paid online or at our office in Cusco with any credit card, PayPal, or wire transfer. Contact us for alternative payment options.

Student Discount

• US$ 30 off

Applies to all travelers under 17 and students under 25 with a valid university ID. The ID must:

• Show the student's name, photo, and university name.
• Include a valid expiration date (expired IDs are not accepted).

The discount is applied automatically for children. For students, you must submit a copy of your student ID when booking; if your ID is rejected, you will be charged the adult rate.

Luxury Machu Picchu Tour 5 Days - Packing List

You’ll likely travel around Peru with larger luggage, but on the Short Inca Trail, and train journeys, you'll only need a practical daypack, allowing you to hike comfortably with just the essentials.

For your convenience, we can arrange for a small 5 kg (11 lb) bag to be sent to your hotel in Aguas Calientes via train. Please request this service in advance so you can enjoy the trail light and at your own pace.

Essentials

Original passport

Plastic Rain Coat

Toiletries

Warm down jacket

Peruvian soles cash

Good-quality daypack

Water bottle

Power bank

Lip balm

Sunscreen

Hand sanitizer

Wet wipes and tissues

What to wear?

High-top hiking boots

Hiking crew sock

Comfortable underwear

Moisture-wicking shirts

Quick-dry hiking pants/trousers

Fleece

What to put in the Daypack?

Waterproof and windproof jacket

Sun hat or cap with neck cover

Sunglasses

Buff or bandana

Insect repellent

Camera + extra batteries

Trekking poles

Personal Medication

What we provide?

Trekking poles

Plastic Rain Coat

Backpack Rain cover

5 Days Private Luxury Cusco Tour Package - Travel Information

Location

This itinerary takes place in the heart of the Peruvian Andes, starting in Cusco and flowing through the Sacred Valley of the Incas before reaching Machu Picchu via the official Short Inca Trail (Km 104). Along the way, you experience a rare mix of Andean ecoregions in just a few days:

• Andean highlands (Cusco City Tour): Open skies, and classic mountain landscapes around Cusco and the Inca sites above the city (Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay).
• Inter-Andean valley (Sacred Valley Tour): A warmer, lower corridor shaped by the Urubamba River, home to farmlands, and living Inca towns like Ollantaytambo, Urubamba and Pisac.
• Montane cloud forest (Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu): From Km 104 to Wiñay Wayna and Intipunku, the trail enters the humid cloud forest / Yungas zone, lush vegetation and a completely different feel before you arrive at Machu

History

This route is more than a checklist of sights, it’s a timeline you can actually walk through, from the Inca capital to the valley archeological sites and finally Machu Picchu.

• Cusco City Tour: Cusco was the political and ceremonial center of the Inca world. Visiting Coricancha (Temple of the Sun) and the monumental stones of Sacsayhuamán helps you understand how Inca power, religion, and engineering were designed to impress and endure. The mix of Inca foundations and later colonial buildings in the historic center makes the story feel layered and real.
• Sacred Valley Tour: The Sacred Valley was the empire’s productive backbone, strategic, fertile, and full of planned settlements. Pisac shows terracing and hillside planning, Moray reveals Inca experimentation with agricultural terraces, and Ollantaytambo stands out as one of the best places to see Inca town design still functioning today.
• Short Inca Trail: The Inca Trail was part of the wider road network that connected the empire. Hiking from Chachabamba to Wiñay Wayna and arriving at Intipunku gives you the classic “on foot” approach, how pilgrims and travelers would have first seen Machu Picchu, framed from above.

Weather

Andean weather is famously changeable, and you’ll feel real differences between the city, the valley, and the cloud forest trail. Planning with layers makes the trip much more comfortable.

• Cusco City Tour: Cusco can feel cool in the morning and evening, with strong sun midday. Sites like Sacsayhuamán are exposed, so it can be windy and chilly once the sun drops.
• Sacred Valley Tour: The valley is generally lower and warmer than Cusco, days can be pleasant, and the pace feels easier on the body.
• Short Inca Trail: The trail crosses cloud forest, so expect quick shifts: sun, mist, drizzle, and humid sections even in the dry season. Stone steps can become slippery when wet, so footwear matters.

Altitude

Altitude affects energy, sleep, and appetite, so it’s smart that this itinerary begins with easier days before the hike. Here are the main reference points across the three key parts:

• Cusco (City Tour): 3,399 m / 11,151 ft, the highest sleeping point of the trip.
• Sacred Valley: Lower than Cusco
  • Ollantaytambo: 2,792 m / 9,160 ft.
• Short Inca Trail + Machu Picchu:
  • Km 104 (Chachabamba): 2,170 m / 7,120 ft
  • Wiñay Wayna: 2,600 m / 8,530 ft
  • Sun Gate (Intipunku): 2,708 m / 8,884 ft
  • Machu Picchu: 2,430 m / 7,972 ft
  • Aguas Calientes: 2,040 m / 6,692 ft

Elevation gain (Km 104 → Sun Gate): about 538 m / 1,760 ft.

To feel your best:

• Drink water, eat light the night before, and avoid heavy alcohol before the trek.
• If you have asthma, heart conditions, or other medical concerns, speak with your doctor before travel.
• We keep a steady, comfortable pace with breaks, this is not a race

Difficulty

This itinerary is designed to feel smooth and progressive: sightseeing first, then the trek, then a guided Machu Picchu day when you’re rested.

• Cusco City Tour (Easy): Mostly walking on stone streets and short stair sections, plus short drives to the hilltop sites. Great first-day activity because it’s interesting without being physically intense.
• Sacred Valley Tour (Easy): A full day of cultural stops with short walks. You’re moving a lot, but it’s gentle and flexible—perfect before the hiking day.
• Short Inca Trail and Machu Picchu (Moderate-Easy): These are the most active days. You hike on uneven trail and Inca stone steps with steady elevation gain. The Machu Picchu visit is mostly walking on stone paths and stairways at a relaxed pace.

Cusco Sacred Valley Short Inca Trail 5-day Luxury Tour - Frequently Asked Questions