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Étaperia

Cusco and the Sacred Valley in 10 days: itinerary and hotels

Ten days in the heart of the Inca empire: the capital and its fortresses, the Sistine Chapel of the Andes, Pisac, Chinchero, Moray, the Maras salt pans, Ollantaytambo and a night suspended from the cliff.

Compiled by Kylian, updated on Aug 29, 2026

The salt ponds of Maras in the Sacred Valley
  • 10 days
  • 23 places
  • 10 nights
  • fast pace
Start
Cusco
End
Skylodge, Pachar cliff (Sacred Valley)
Main transport
Colectivos and private vehicle between Cusco, Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo
Recommended season
April to October, with the heart of the dry season from May to September; nights at 0-5 °C (32-41 °F) in Cusco

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 10 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 15 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The itinerary preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 10

The suspended night at the Skylodge

Morning

Rest in Urubamba

A free morning in Urubamba: a lie-in under the cloister, the village market. Save your strength for the cliff.

Afternoon

Skylodge Adventure Suites, via ferrata ascent

An ascent of about 400 m (1,310 ft) of rock face by via ferrata (rungs, rope bridges, roped in at all times) to the transparent capsules of Natura Vive, fixed to the cliff above the Sacred Valley.

Evening

Sunset dinner in the capsule

Dinner served in the capsule at sunset and a night under the stars, the valley plunging away beneath the floor.

Good to know

No climbing experience required, but not recommended if you suffer from vertigo. Small bag only (the rest follows by road), gloves and harness provided, dinner and breakfast included.

Hotel · Night 10

Skylodge Adventure Suites

Glass and aluminum capsules suspended from the rock face, run by Natura Vive: comfortable beds, dinner served in the capsule and a 300-degree view over the valley.

Address
· Pachar cliff, between Urubamba and Ollantaytambo
Website
· naturavive.com (new tab)
Book this hotel (new tab)

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €3.90 per day of travel

Billed in euros. If your card is in another currency, your bank converts at its own rate.

  • Secure payment through Stripe, bank card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the terms of sale, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 10 days

Buy

A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 2 business days.

The day-by-day rundown

10 stops, 140 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 Colonial and Inca Cusco Plaza de Armas, cathedral and Compañía de Jesús Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 The fortresses above Cusco Tambomachay, Puca Pucará and Qenko Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  3. Day 3 Cusco of the museums Museo Histórico Regional, Arte Popular and contemporary art Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 The South Valley: Tipón, Pikillacta, Andahuaylillas Tipón, Rumicolca and Pikillacta Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  5. Day 5 Pisac, citadel and market Parque Arqueológico de Pisac Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 Juchuy Qosqo and the Calca hot springs The climb from Lamay to Juchuy Qosqo Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 Machuqolqa and Chinchero MachuQolqa Viewpoint and Centro Arqueológico Racchi-Machuqolqa Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 Moray and the Maras salt pans Zona Arqueológica Moray Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Ollantaytambo and Pumamarca Ollantaytambo Archeological Site Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 The suspended night at the Skylodge Skylodge Adventure Suites, via ferrata ascent Free

1 day is free to read above. The other 9 unlock when you buy. Buy the itinerary, €39

Found an error in this itinerary? Report an error

Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • Dry season: strong sun by day, 0 to 5 °C (32 to 41 °F) at night in Cusco and Chinchero. First rains possible from October in the valley.
  • Cusco at 3,400 m (11,150 ft), Chinchero at 3,760 m (12,340 ft): the acclimatization of the previous stages pays off, but keep the days balanced and sleep well.
  • Visit the Maras salt pans in the late afternoon, for the raking light on the pools.

Transport and permits

  • Historic center, San Blas and Sacsayhuamán on foot; apps (Uber, Cabify, inDrive) for the rest, never a street taxi at night.
  • Very frequent colectivos from Cusco to Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, a few soles per leg; private vehicle for the day to chain Chinchero, Moray and Maras, on the same loop.
  • The Skylodge transfer from Cusco is included in the package; small bag only, the rest of the luggage follows by road.

Formalities and safety

  • Buy the Boleto Turístico del Cusco on day one (about 130 soles, valid 10 days): it covers Sacsayhuamán, Pisac, Chinchero, Moray, Ollantaytambo, Tipón, Pikillacta and several museums. No online sales: COSITUC desk, Av. El Sol 103.
  • The cathedral, the Qorikancha, the Museo Inka, the MAP and the Santa Catalina convent are paid separately, at each desk, in cash.
  • The Skylodge books up weeks in advance on naturavive.com: limited capsules, no climbing experience required but not recommended with vertigo.

Budget and meals

  • Boleto turístico about 130 soles, Maras salt pans about 20 soles, museum tickets outside the boleto at the desk.
  • Textiles bought directly from the cooperatives of Chinchero and Pisac; Maras pink salt travels home without difficulty.
  • Local set menu 10 to 20 soles; the wellness break of the route happens at the Aranwa, a 5-star hacienda on the Vilcanota.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening and says where you spend the night, with the address and booking link for each place to stay. Timed-entry tickets are flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is compiled day by day, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Module, classic or complete itinerary: which one should I choose?

A classic is a short trip built to stand on its own, designed for a first visit to the country. A module covers one region in depth. The complete itinerary crosses the whole country, and buying it also unlocks each of its modules in your customer account.

Can I get a refund if the itinerary doesn't suit me?

No. It is digital content delivered right away, and you waive your right of withdrawal at checkout. To judge before you pay, every product page gives one full day for free and the list of every stop. After purchase, the guarantee applies: a closed hotel or a permanently closed place is corrected within 7 days, otherwise you get a refund.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

This module is one leg of the full itinerary: Complete Peru itinerary: 82 days, hotels and bookings

The complete itinerary

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