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Cusco & the Sacred Valley: 5-Day Plan You Can Actually Do
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The 5-day version for May: every day fits real transit, opening hours and daylight. Prefer more or fewer days? 5-day plan · 6-day plan · best time to go.
💡 Good to know for this plan
- Dry season: crisp blue days, freezing nights, and peak Inca Trail demand — permits and Machu Picchu slots sell out months out.
Before you go · check live details
This is a planning draft. Check these changing details for your dates before booking or travelling.
Some route advice is currently available in English.
- Arrange a driver and your return pickups
This draft assumes a locally prearranged taxi or driver for the valley road sections, Pisaq upper entrance and the Moray–Salineras circuit. Arrange return or onward pickups before leaving town; the plan does not book transport. The two-hour Pisaq visit returns to the upper pickup, rather than walking down to town. Colectivos need their own waiting and access time. The final Machu Picchu leg remains a separately booked train and entrance transfer.
Check source ↗
Day 1 Cusco
- Transit
- 0h29
- Finish
- ~15:20
- Temperature
- 2.6°C–13.2°C
- Rainy days
- ~1
- Daylight
- 11.4h
Day 2 Pisac
- Transit
- 2h10
- Finish
- ~17:25
- Temperature
- 2.6°C–13.2°C
- Rainy days
- ~1
- Daylight
- 11.4h
Day 3 Urubamba
- Transit
- 3h00
- Finish
- ~17:05
- Temperature
- 2.6°C–13.2°C
- Rainy days
- ~1
- Daylight
- 11.4h
Day 4 Ollantaytambo
- Transit
- 0h46
- Finish
- ~15:25
- Temperature
- 3.2°C–13.0°C
- Rainy days
- ~2
- Daylight
- 11.4h
Day 5 Machu Picchu
- Transit
- 4h02
- Finish
- ~17:05
- Temperature
- 8.5°C–17.8°C
- Rainy days
- ~2
- Daylight
- 11.4h
Travel connectionsIndicative times · check before travel
Transport is not booked. Confirm departures, local transfers and vehicle pickup before travel.
- 09:00–12:02Transport serviceOllantaytambo → Machu Picchu PuebloPeruRail regular service to Machu Picchu PuebloCheck source
- 12:02–13:02TransferMachu Picchu Pueblo → Machu PicchuTransfer from Machu Picchu Pueblo to the archaeological entrance by authorised shuttle or the signed walking route; match this with the timed admission slot.Check source
Huayna Picchu
Choose the matching official circuit and entry time before travel. Capacity, season and route rules vary; this option is not inserted as another stop inside the default Machu Picchu visit.
detailsGreat Cave route
Choose the matching official circuit and entry time before travel. Capacity, season and route rules vary; this option is not inserted as another stop inside the default Machu Picchu visit.
detailsMachu Picchu Mountain
Choose the matching official circuit and entry time before travel. Capacity, season and route rules vary; this option is not inserted as another stop inside the default Machu Picchu visit.
detailsInca Bridge route
Choose the matching official circuit and entry time before travel. Capacity, season and route rules vary; this option is not inserted as another stop inside the default Machu Picchu visit.
details🔍 Check before you book
Every stop is a real, sourced place, but opening hours change, roads close and businesses move. Check anything you're paying for before you book.
Sources (8)
- Wikivoyage — CuzcoCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)
- Pisaq Archaeological Park — culturacusco.gob.peOfficial Ministry of Culture visitor facts; original paraphrase, no reproduced source prose
- Wikivoyage — PisacCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)
- Moray Archaeological Site — culturacusco.gob.peOfficial Ministry of Culture visitor facts; original paraphrase, no reproduced source prose
- Salineras de Maras — consultasenlinea.mincetur.gob.peOfficial tourism-inventory and UNESCO facts; original paraphrase, no reproduced source prose
- Wikivoyage — UrubambaCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)
- Wikivoyage — OllantaytamboCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)
- Wikivoyage — Machu PicchuCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)