Cusco South Valley Tour

Everyone who goes to Cusco has heard of the Sacred Valley, the famous location of beautiful archaeological sites such as Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero. Not so many people have heard of the South Valley, a lesser-known route to the east of Cusco that has a wealth of pre-Inca, Inca, and colonial-era attractions. 

Our half-day South Valley tour of Cusco takes you to the South Valley, passing through beautiful Andean scenery as we travel to three fascinating destinations: the archaeological sites of Tipón and Pikillaqta, and the charming colonial town of Andahuaylas. 

Our adventure in the South Valley begins when we pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 7:45 a.m. Our first stop will be at Tipón, located about 23 km to the east of Cusco. This vast Inca site covers some 239 hectares and was likely used as an agricultural center. It has 12 impressive and unusually wide agricultural terraces, all irrigated by a network of water channels fed by a natural spring from the Pachatusan Mountain above the site. It may have been used as a laboratory of sorts, with each terrace providing a different micro-climate within the complex. Some surrounding ruins have been excavated, while others remain partially visible below the soil and vegetation. 

We’ll spend about an hour exploring Tipón before heading on to Pikillaqta. Pikillaqta was built by the Wari civilization, which occupied the site from about 550 to 1100 AD (before the rise of the Inca Empire). The large site may have had various functions, including as a defensive settlement and as a huge feasting site for people coming from across the region. As we explore Pikillaqta, you’ll see houses, colcas (food storage areas), temples, and areas used for games and ceremonies, all connected by a network of streets, some of them very narrow. The site has more than 700 structures in total, with some walls standing almost 12 meters high. We’ll spend about an hour exploring the ruins of Pikillaqta, and then continue on to Andahuaylillas. 

Next, we’ll move on to Andahuaylillas, an Andean village with some spectacular colonial architecture. The most famous structure is the church of San Pedro Apóstol, built by the Spanish in the late 16th century. From the outside, this Baroque church looks fairly plain. When we go inside, however, you’ll see an amazing sight: an astounding display of colorful murals, a coffered painted ceiling, and an ornate altar covered in gold leaf. The church also has a majestic piano, numerous paintings from the Cusco school of artists, and exquisite silverwork. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as “The Sistine Chapel of the Andes.” 

We’ll spend about one hour in Andahuaylillas, which is the last attraction on our tour of the South Valley. We will then return to Cusco, arriving at around 1:30 p.m.

• Pick up from your hotel on the morning of departure.
• Private round-trip transportation.
• English / Quechua / Spanish professional guide speak.
• Second Tour Guide over 12 people.
• First aid kit.

• Tourist Ticket for archeological sites (70.00 Soles).
• Entrance Fee to Qoricancha (10.00 Soles).
• Feeding.
• Tips (optional).

• Original Passport.
• Original Student Card (if you book as a student).
• A travel insurance card is essential.
• Sun hat.
• Sun protection cream.
• Waterproof jacket/rain poncho.
• Extra money.
• Water.

We also offer a special service only for you or your group, you have the power to choose the size of your group and the date of departure, we will never add other people since it will be organized only for you.

Our Cusco City Tour private service, includes additional items such as:

• Private Transport just for you.
• Entrance fee to Qoricancha.
• Tourist Ticket for archeological sites.
• English / Quechua / Spanish professional Guide speak just for you.
• We will leave a little early to avoid the crowds

We offer 3 kinds of service, each with different price ranges and you can book in any of these services according to your convenience, we just need you to be a minimum of 02 people to organize your trip on the date that suits you, all our services are 100 % guaranteed.

We are a direct TOUR OPERATOR that never passes clients to other agencies as most agencies do it here in Cusco to save operating costs with poor quality.

We will make the trip even if there are only 02 people in your group.