This Peruvian hiking adventure will take us through the legendary Sacred Valley, with stops at Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, and the ancient salt mines of Maras. We’ll start our journey with a scenic Cusco city tour, then venture to the famous Pisaq Market and the agricultural terraces of Moray. A highlight of this tour is a Peruvian cooking class where we’ll learn the secrets of lomo saltado, causa limeña, and the iconic Pisco sour. Every day brings a new way to explore Peru’s culture and landscapes, making this the ultimate combination of adventure, flavors, and history.
Your guides will pick you up from Cusco airport and take you to the hotel. Later on, we’ll explore Cusco’s downtown area, mostly around the main square and its cobbled streets as a way to acclimatize to the high altitude.
Max Elevation: 3,399 m / 11,151 ft
Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Cusco, Mamasara
Your guides will pick you up from your Cusco Hotel around 7:30am. Our first stop is the Sacred Valley Lookout Point, where we’ll enjoy stunning views and great photo-ops. After that, we will visit the famous Pisaq market, where people come down from the Andean villages to sell their textiles and vegetables. We will continue the journey up to the Pisaq Inca archeological site, located on top of Pisaq Mountain in the Sacred Valley.
Then, we will drive, until we reach Urubamba, where we will stop for lunch (not included in the price). After lunch, we will drive to the Incan town of Ollantaytambo. Later in the afternoon you will head to the train station and catch the train to Aguas Calientes. Once there, your guides will lead you to your hotel. Overnight in Aguas Calientes.
Meals: Breakfast
Min Elevation: 2,040 m / 6,693 ft
Max Elevation: 2,430 m / 7,972 ft
Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, Coya Palace
On Day 3, we’re going on a guided trip to Machu Picchu. You have the optional opportunity to take the challenging unguided hike (for an additional fee) to the top of Huayna Picchu, where you will have the best view of the site. After a long day of exploring this lost city, we will take the bus to Aguas Calientes, and then we’ll take the train back to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco, you will be transported to your hotel for a good night’s rest. Overnight in Cusco.
Meals: Breakfast
Hiking: 2 hours
Min Elevation: 2,040 m / 6,693 ft
Max Elevation: 2,430 m / 7,972 ft
Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Cusco, Mamasara
Your guides will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco around 8am. The first stop is Maras, from where we can reach the famous salt mines. After visiting the salt mines near Maras, we’ll continue to the ruins of Moray. The ruins are made up of three coliseums, which are believed to have been used by the Incas as a kind of an open-air crop laboratory.
Around 1pm we will return to Cusco. You’ll enjoy an authentic Peruvian cooking class where you will learn how to make a dish called lomo saltado, and then wash it down with a traditional Peruvian cocktail, Pisco sour.
Meals: Breakfast
Hiking: 3 hours
Max Elevation: 3,399 m / 11,151 ft
Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Cusco, Mamasara
Your guides will pick you up early from your Cusco hotel, around 4am. The drive to the trail head is 3 hours long. We will have consistent views of the Ausangate Mountain, and after a total hike of approximately 2.5 hours, we’ll finally reach our destination, the Rainbow Mountain. We will have some time to explore the area, and later on, we’ll head back down. The hike will take 2 hours. Our private transport will be waiting for us when we return. We will stop for lunch before we head to Cusco.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Hiking: 6 km / 3.7 mi
Min Elevation: 4,795 m / 15,732 ft
Max Elevation: 5,100 m / 16,732 ft
Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Cusco, Mamasara
After breakfast, your guides will drop you off at the Cusco airport.
Meals: Breakfast
Included:
Add-ons
Not included:
This Machu Picchu culinary hiking tour is rated moderate to challenging. The challenging part, however, is only there on Day 5, while all other days are rated moderate. Good level of fitness is required, while experience with multi-day hikes is always welcome.
Check out the itinerary to learn more about changes in elevations. Prior to your trip, you can prepare by exercising on steep inclines or even stairs.
For more hiking adventures in Machu Picchu, click here!
It is advisable and important that you arrive in Cusco at least 2 days prior to the trek, in order to acclimatize to the altitude. The city of Cusco is located at 3,400 meters (11,150 ft) above sea level so you may feel slightly ill or dizzy due to altitude sickness, known as “soroche”.
A few tips on dos and don’ts for acclimatizing in Peru:
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
Group sizes and pricing
Hiking in Peru can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
The starting point of your Machu Picchu culinary hiking tour is Cusco. To get there, most people fly into Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport, also known as Cusco Airport.
Once you’re there, your guides will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your hotel.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both medical and travel protection. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, simply choose Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner!
Redpoint tailors their protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations. Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Once your booking is confirmed and your trip is paid in full, you will be offered to purchase Redpoint’s protection. If you need any help or require more information, let us know and we will be happy to help!