Best Day Trips From Cusco, Peru

Cusco is a stunning city on its own, with cobblestone streets, colourful markets and centuries of history at every turn, there is loads to see within the city.

After visiting twice, I’ve learned that the magic of this region doesn’t stop at the city limits. Some of the most unforgettable landscapes and cultural experiences are just a short drive away, making Cusco the perfect base for day trips.

In this guide, you’ll find the very best day trips from Cusco, what each one offers and how to choose the right adventure for your itinerary. I’ll also let you know what my favourite day tour that I took from Cusco was. 👀

Best Day Trips in Cusco, Peru

Quick Tips for visiting Cusco

Best time of year to visit: June / July for the best weather

Where to stay: El Virray Boutique – this is where we stayed right in the main square!
Casa Cartagena Boutique Hotel & Spa is an amazing choice if you have a larger budget. It is GORGEOUS!

My favourite day trips from Cusco: 1. The Sacred Valley – this is the one we did which I loved!
3. Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley
3. Humantay Lake

My favourite restaurants: Kusykay Peruvian Craft Food & Yaku Restaurant

Summary of the Cusco’s best day trips

Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain & Red Valley

This is the classic (original) Rainbow Mountain that you have probably seen all over the internet. It’s also the one that I did last time I went to Cusco. This is my favourite day tour from Cusco because the landscape is just so unlike anywhere else! Red Valley is especially beautiful!

👉 You can read about my full Rainbow Mountain experience here.

Rainbow Mountain can be sort of like Disneyworld, meaning it gets extremely busy after around 9:30-10am. For this reason, my friends and I decided to do a sunrise tour. The sunrise tour is more expensive than the classic day-time tour, but it was pretty cool to be the first ones there.

There doesn’t seem to be a sunrise tour available anymore, so I recommend booking this tour which still gets you there as one of the first groups in the morning and gives you breakfast and lunch. It does start SUPER early in the morning so I recommend opting for the hotel pick up option.

Red Valley also blew my mind a little. I wasn’t expecting anything special but I actually think I enjoyed it more than Rainbow Mountain itself!

Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain

This is a newer less popular Rainbow Mountain and a great option if you are worried about the crowds. There is no Red Valley on this mountain. Instead, you will also visit the Forest of Colorful Stones which also looks really cool!

Breakfast and lunch are both included and the tour ends back in Cusco.

Maras Salt Mines

Maras Salt Mines are incredible to see and they were one of my favourite stops on the Sacred Valley Tour that we did! While we were there we were able to learn about how the salt is mined and also tasted some salted chocolate.

To visit, you can either see the mines as part of the larger full day Sacred Valley Tour which is what I did and would recommend, or you can just visit Moray, Maras Salt Flats and Chinchero on this half day tour.

Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo is a must do day tour from Cusco. I have now been there twice and recommend it to anyone going to Cusco. It is part of the Sacred Valley so one of the main features of the Sacred Valley Tour. Ollantaytambo’s village still follows its original Inca street plan, water channels run through the lanes, and the terraces rise dramatically above it all.

The village is really pretty and lots of people end up staying there a night or two during their trip. If I were to stay there, I would stay somewhere really unique like the Stardome Experience.

If you want to get to Ollantaytambo without having to join a tour, you could get an Uber or taxi from Cusco which will take around 1.5 hours and would cost around 80–100 Peruvian soles (roughly US $25-35), or you could book a bus with Peruways which takes you to Ollantaytambo Station.

Pisac

The ruins at Pisac rival even Machu Picchu! You can spending a couple of hours wandering around the ruins, taking photos and meeting alpacas and llamas. The ruins sit above the town, with colourful markets between the town and the ruins.

You will need a ticket for Pisac’s ruins, even if you visit as part of the Sacred Valley Tour. They are part of the Boleto Turístico del Cusco pass. If you plan on visiting Ollantaytambo and Saqsaywaman as well, then the 10 day ticket is very worth it!

Chinchero

Chinchero is a charming little Andean village which is famous for its traditional markets, colonial church and stunning views of the surrounding valleys as well as it’s terraces.

If you do the Sacred Valley tour that we did, you will watch a local weaving demonstration and get to browse the shop at the women’s co op which has some REALLY nice stuff. I highly regret not getting anything from there (it was our very first market of the trip so I was not ready to buy anything).

Sacred Valley Tour

This tour brings a bunch of the places in the Sacred Valley together so that you can visit them all in one day. This is the tour that I did on my recent visit to Peru and the one that I recommend because you get to see more than some of the other tours that go to the Sacred Valley.

Our guide was awesome and so informative about everything we saw and being on a tour was just so relaxing compared to my usual way of travelling.

Humantay Lake

Humantay Lake is a turquoise glacial lake which you see as part of the Salkantay Trek, however, you can also do the hike on it’s own as a day trip if you just want to see the lake. It’s worth it! The lake and the surrounding mountains are absolutely bonkers!

The hike is 5.8km / 3.6 miles with an elevation gain of 413m / 1,354 ft. The lake sits at over 4,000m / 13,123 ft elevation so you will feel the effect of the high altitude on this hike. The lake is absolutely stunning though and so worth it!

You can arrange to do the hike by yourself but the easiest way would be to join this tour (it’s pretty affordable) because then you don’t need to figure out all the logistics of getting there and back to Cusco.

7 Lakes of Ausangate

This is a hike that I really wish I had had time for and honestly, I will probably return one day to do it because it looks absolutely stunning. The best part? You can do it in just one day on this 1 day tour from Cusco!

The total hike is around 13km / 8 miles and passes by multiple turquoise lakes with insane mountain backdrops! The hike itself takes around 4.5 hours altogether and then you get to have lunch, followed by a soak in a hot spring. Sounds like the perfect day to me!

Waqrapukara Ruins

The Waqrapukara Ruins is a much less popular day tour and I haven’t done it personally but if I had more time in Cusco, it would definitely be on my list. These ruins are super unique as they are shaped like 2 horns.

Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary

One of the girls that I did the Salkantay Trek with went to this animal sanctuary and she said it was really great! You will see lots of animals that the sanctuary have rescued like pumas, monkeys, condors, and of course alpacas! You can book the Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary here which also includes transport from and back to Cusco.

Machu Picchu

This one should be obvious, as it is probably the reason you are in Cusco to begin with. There are loads of different ways to see Machu Picchu, including see it on a day trip from Cusco, although personally I would spend at least 1 night in Aguas Calientes (the town located at the bottom of Machu Picchu). It’s a very touristy town but a lot of fun.

My thoughts

I’ve done a few day trips from Cusco now and I loved them! It feels so great getting out and seeing the beauty that Peru has to offer. My favourite day trip from Cusco would have to be Rainbow Mountain but more specifically seeing the Red Valley. It’s just so so gorgeous!

If you love taking photos like me, then I recommend this day trip over any of the others.

Don’t plan your trip to Peru without reading these:

• How to Spend a Magical 3 Days in Cusco
• Things to do in Cusco for First-Timers
• Unique Places to Stay in Cusco
• Is Cusco Worth Visiting?
• An Incredible Lima 1 Day Itinerary
• Best Things to do in Lima Peru
• Is Lima Worth Visiting: My Honest Review
• Bucket List Things to Do in Peru
• Where to Stay in Lima (I found the best place ever)!
• The Best Sacred Valley Tour from Cusco & Why I Think it is Worth it
• Huacachina Peru: Is the Desert Oasis Worth It?
• Is Rainbow Mountain Worth It? What I’d Do Differently After Visiting
• Inca Trail vs Salkantay Trek (From someone who’s done both)
• Where to Stay in Paracas Peru: The Most Beautiful Budget Hotel
• Best Things to do in Paracas, Peru
• My Experience Hiking the Inca Trail
• My Experience Hiking the Salkantay Trek

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