15 Hiking Tours in Cusco Worth Booking

1.7 Lakes Ausangate Trek with Breakfast and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 360 reviews · 1 day · from $29Our pick

Leave Cusco before dawn for Pacchanta, then hike about 13 kilometers past Ausangate’s seven high-altitude lakes. English and Spanish guides such as Kevin, Eduardo, Carlos, and Diana lead the group, with horses available locally for an extra fee. Breakfast, lunch, transport, and hot springs complete this long but memorable day.

“Diana was a great guide! The meal included was good as well”

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2.Rainbow Mountain Tour and Red Valley Hike (Optional)

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 149 reviews · from $29

Travel from Cusco to Vinicunca with a bilingual guide, breakfast, lunch, transport, and an optional Red Valley hike. Guides such as David, Fredy, Joel, and Gorky are praised for patient support. The 5,020-meter hike is demanding, and the usual access route may be limited, so check current conditions before booking.

“Had the most amazing time! I can totally recommend this company because they really value your feedback. Our guide, Joel, was translating all the information into English just for me, considering I was the only non-Spanish speaker on the bus. Everything was perfect, from the smooth transport to the delicious food (with plenty of vegetarian choices) and the super enjoyable hike up the mountain. Highly recommend. P.S. Note for Joel: Aconcagua - 6,961 m, Everest - 8,849 m, Ausangate - 6,384 m”

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3.Full-Day Rainbow Mountain & Red Valley Trekking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 121 reviews · 1 day · from $145

Travel from Cusco to Phulawasipata, then hike about 1.5 hours to Rainbow Mountain at 5,036 meters. Continue toward Red Valley, with views of Ausangate and Andes wildlife. A bilingual guide, transport, breakfast, lunch, oxygen, and a first aid kit are included. The group can reach 15 people, though some departures are smaller.

“Escursione? Sostanzialmente è stato un servizio di transfer. Nessuna spiegazione dalla guida che non ci ha seguiti durante il tragitto. Inoltre, si è persa un turista causando un ora di ritardo a tutto il gruppo. Infine, non è stato dato il tempo per visitare la red valley.”

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4.Salkantay Trek Challenge – 3 Days / 2 Nights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 101 reviews · 3 days (approx.) · from $680Top rated

Take the fast, demanding route from Cusco over the 4,630-meter Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu. You will sleep at Mountain Sky View and in Aguas Calientes, with meals, a guide, horse-carried duffel, safety gear, train, and transfers included. Guides such as Marco, Guido, and Cesar Quispe have been praised for patient support and strong group spirit.

“Salkantay Trekking does a great job in ensuring all the conditions are set for this hard challenge to be doable for everyone.”

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5.Rainbow Mountain Trek

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 98 reviews · 16 hours · from $61

Leave Cusco around 4:00 AM for a demanding high-altitude trek to Rainbow Mountain. Walk past alpacas, llamas, red hills, local homes, and Ausangate views before reaching 5,020 meters. Your small group includes an English or Spanish-speaking guide, breakfast, lunch, poles, first aid, and oxygen.

“Es war ein guter Ausflug, allerdings habe ich die Beschreibung missverstanden, ich dachten wandert ca.3 h hin un 2 h zurück, es waren aber nur 3h insgesamt zum Wandern. Außerdem hat mir die Information gefehlt, dass man zum red valley auch noch gehen kann für 30 Soles zusätzlich. Hätte gerne mehr Zeit gehabt am Vinicunca und Red Valley. Ansonsten hat aber alles gepasst.”

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6.Private Palccoyo Rainbow Hike Without the Crowds

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 86 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $199

Leave Cusco before dawn for Palccoyo, a quieter alternative to Vinicunca. A local guide leads you toward three rainbow mountains, with an optional stone forest walk and valley views. Breakfast, lunch, transport, hiking poles, oxygen, and a possible alpaca companion are included. The hike reaches about 4,900 meters, so acclimatization matters.

“We had a fantastic time exploring Palcoyo, thanks to our experienced guide, Jesús Carrion. The tour started promptly, and Jesús took great care of us throughout the day. Although the walk to Palcoyo, also known as the alternative Rainbow Mountain, was relatively easy and moderate, the high altitude of 4900m caused my husband to feel short of breath. Jesús made a concerted effort to ensure his well-being while also keeping an eye on the rest of the group. Compared to Vinicunca, Palcoyo was noticeably less crowded, and it offered breathtaking views of three rainbow mountains, the red valley, and the stone forest. Unfortunately, we had to skip the stone forest…”

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7.Choquequirao Trek 4 days and 3 nights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 81 reviews · 4 days (approx.) · from $698

This four-day Choquequirao trek takes you from Cusco into the Apurimac Canyon and to one of Peru’s least-visited Inca sites. You hike with an English-speaking guide, chef, and porter, enjoy four breakfasts, four lunches, and three dinners, and carry only a small personal bag. Guide Elias and chef Leandro have earned especially warm praise on past departures.

“Trip of a lifetime! We did the 4-day, 3-night TreXperience Trek with Gary (lead guide) and Sergio (support guide) and “Chef Ratatouille” Balbino starting Sept 8th, 2025. Length of trip was just about right - long enough to get good hikes bu”

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8.5-Day Salkantay Trek with Panoramic Train

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · 5 days · from $655

Trek from Cusco to Machu Picchu via Humantay Lake and Salkantay Pass, with glamping at 4,150 meters, cloud-forest huts, a Pachamanca feast, coffee tasting, and a night overlooking the citadel at Llactapata. Small groups of up to 16 travel with English or Spanish guides, cooks, muleteers, and a panoramic train back to Cusco.

“Fantastic trip! All of the staff were incredible. The food was delicious and better than the restaurant food we had in aquas calientes. Cesar was a brilliant guide and looked after us really well. Some highlights. Salkantay mountain standing over our campsite first night. The night sky first night. The very distant view of macchu picchu on the fourth night. Some tips - you need cash in Peru. Be prepared. Altitude was a problem on the first day of the trip and medication (acetazolamide) helped those who had it.”

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9.Ancascocha Trek To Machu Picchu 4 Days And 3 Nights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 77 reviews · from $730

You’ll hike from Soqma through waterfalls, Inca ruins, Andean villages, and the 14,599-foot Kuychiccasa Pass before reaching Machu Picchu. Action Peru Treks provides guides, camping equipment, meals, park fees, transport, and one night in Aguas Calientes. Guides may include experienced team members such as Lino, Lina, Edison, Christian, or Eddy, depending on the departure.

“Loved this trek. I did two other treks with another company and really feel Action Peru delivered a better experience. And the other tour group is a major operator while Action Peru is smaller. So pros and cons.”

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10.Humantay Lake Full Day Hike

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 75 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $89

Leave Cusco before dawn for Humantay Lake with a professional guide, private transport, breakfast in Mollepata, and lunch after the hike. From Soraypampa, you walk about 1 hour 45 minutes uphill to the turquoise lake at 3,900 meters. Groups are limited to 15, and guide Luz has been praised for patient, hands-on support.

“Tour was awesome. Pick up perfectly on time. Our tour guide Luz was above and beyond , she was perfect. She answered all questions we were asking and most important she helped us to get all the way to the top because at the beginning of the climb I was struggling. Thank you Luz and I hope we meet again on some other tour.”

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11.Ausangate Trek 5 Days

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 74 reviews · 5 days (approx.) · from $660

Spend five days circling Ausangate, Peru’s sacred 6,384-meter mountain, with a small group of up to 10. Guides such as Guillermo, Urbano, and Chino lead you across high passes, glacial lakes, and remote villages, while cooks prepare full meals and horse drivers carry camp gear. Expect thin air, cold nights, and some of the Andes’ finest scenery.

“Where to begin? A fabulous trek with an incredible team. There were two of us, and we were pampered by the Vidal Expedition team. Ansangate is a captivating mountain, and it must be experienced with people who reveal its spirituality to you. Every day we went from glacier to glacier, from color to color, from discovery to experience. The expedition was very comfortable with top-notch equipment transported by our horse driver Angel. We ate more than enough thanks to our cook Beni and our assistant cook Euden, and we were expertly guided by our guide Chino. Thank you all for your good humor and smiles, thank you for all these…”

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12.4 Day Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu Multi day tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 70 reviews · from $930

Trek 42 kilometers from Km 82 to Machu Picchu in four days with guides such as Nico, César, or Plinio. Sleep in tents, cross Dead Woman’s Pass, explore Inca ruins, and enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate. Porters carry up to 7 kilograms of your gear, while a chef prepares meals along the trail.

“Amazing trip. We had the best guide Nico. The food along the trip was fantastic despite the fact we were camping. The porters, chef, guide and company that ran this tour were second to none. No question went unanswered.”

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13.Salkantay Trek 4 Days to Machu Picchu by Glamping Sky Lodge Dome

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 68 reviews · 4 days (approx.) · from $761

Trek from Cusco through snow-capped Andes, cloud forest, and tropical valleys on a four-day Salkantay route. You will sleep in Sky Lodge domes, spend one night in Aguas Calientes, and reach Machu Picchu with a guide. Fernando and Nildo have earned special praise for their care, humor, and mountain knowledge. The route is strenuous, with a 4,650-meter pass.

“Without Fernando I may never have been able to walk all of the Salkantay pass . It was hard , exhausting , exhilarating , the group , my daughter guiding me up Waynapicchu. So emotional seeing MP rise out of the clouds in early morning su”

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14.2 Day Hiking Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 66 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $761

Follow the final section of the Inca Trail from Km 104 to Machu Picchu with a guide, visiting Wiñay Wayna and the Sun Gate before spending the night in Aguas Calientes. José, Carlos, Henry, and other guides may lead the trip. Trains, permits, lodging, meals, and the Machu Picchu visit are included.

“We did the 2 day trek to Machu Picchu and had a great time!”

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15.Full-Day Trek to Humantay Lake from Cusco with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 66 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $29

Leave Cusco at 4:00am for Mollepata, Soraypampa, and a steep 90-minute hike to Humantay Lake. An English- and Spanish-speaking guide explains the lagoon’s Inca importance. Breakfast, lunch, transport, oxygen, and first aid are provided. The group can reach 19 people, and the 20-sol entrance fee is listed separately.

“Tough but AMAZING hike and experience! I struggled as I was not quite adjusted to the altitude yet but the tour guide was patient and helpful during the climb. It’s a long ride up and down and the hike is a little intense but the views and the lagoon were totally worth it!! Would recommend for a day trip in Cusco!!”

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