Cusco lies at about 3,400 m, Machu Picchu about 1,000 m lower, Rainbow Mountain at over 5,000 m. Book the low tours first and the high ones at the end.
The short answer
Plan the first days after arriving in Cusco, at about 3,400 m, around lower places: the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu at 2,430 m. Leave Humantay Lake at 4,200 m and Rainbow Mountain at 5,010 m for day four or later, and allow at least two days in Cusco before a multi-day trek.
If you have a heart or lung condition or are pregnant, ask a doctor before you book high tours.
Altitude shapes the order of a Cusco trip more than distance does. The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu are below the city, the day hikes and trek passes far above it, and many of the tours cannot be moved or refunded once booked.
Start with the lower tours and leave the passes for later in the stay.
| Photo | Tour | Highest point (listing) | When after arrival | Cancellation (listing) | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley Inka Altitude | 5,010 m | Day 4 or later | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.8 (6,783) | $23 per person | Book now |
|
Sacred Valley full day Viagens Machu Picchu | Pisac ruins, about 3,300 m | Day 2 | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 5.0 (5,604) | $51 per person | Book now |
|
Humantay Lake hike Inka Altitude | 4,200 m | Day 3 or later | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.8 (4,373) | $22 per person | Book now |
|
Machu Picchu day trip by train Peru Andes Top | Machu Picchu, 2,430 m | Day 2 or 3 | Non-refundable | ★ 4.7 (2,394) | $332 per person | Book now |
|
Palcoyo rainbow mountain Tour Machu Picchu Best | About 4,900 m | Day 4 or later | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.7 (678) | $34 per person | Book now |
Prices and ratings are loaded from GetYourGuide and Viator once a day; on treks the price shown is the cheapest option, which may leave out the sleeping bag, the hiking poles or the return train class you want.
Pick the day you want to go, or the first and last day you are in Cusco. We read the booking calendar of each tour and show the ones that still take bookings. For Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, book early: entry tickets, trains and trail permits are limited.
In the next 7 days, 4 of 5 tours on this page still have places.
Days: Day trip
Days: Day trip
Days: Day trip
Days: Day trip
Days: Day trip
Open a card for the itinerary, the pickup, what is included and what is not, as the operator gives them.
Pisac, a buffet lunch in Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, mostly at or below Cusco. Meeting point Plaza Regocijo; site entry fees not included.
The group meets at Plaza Regocijo in Cusco between 7:45 and 8:00 am. After a valley viewpoint, you spend about 45 minutes at the Pisac ruins (about 3,300 m), visit a silver and gold workshop, have a buffet lunch at a restaurant in Urubamba, and tour the Ollantaytambo ruins. The tour ends in Ollantaytambo between 5:00 and 5:30 pm; the return transfer leaves at 5:45 pm and reaches Cusco at about 7 pm.
This tour does not include Moray, Maras or Chinchero. The entrance to Pisac and Ollantaytambo is extra and paid in cash; the Boleto Turístico covers it if you already have one. You can stay in Ollantaytambo to catch a train to Aguas Calientes. The group options are English only or Spanish and Portuguese; the private option adds hotel pickup in central Cusco. One option text mentions shared hotel transfers for the English group, while the meeting point is given as Plaza Regocijo.
Plaza Regocijo in Cusco, by the fountain, between 7:45 and 8:00 am. Late arrival counts as a no-show without refund. The private option picks up from hotels in central Cusco. The Ollantaytambo drop-off is about 5 minutes on foot from the train station.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Down to 2,430 m by train and bus, guided visit, back in Cusco the same night. Entry included.
Pickup in Cusco's historic center, about 1.5 hours by tourist bus to Ollantaytambo station and about 1 hour 45 minutes by train to Aguas Calientes. A bus takes you up to the gate in about 25 minutes for a guided visit of the citadel of about 2 hours. After the bus back down there is free time for lunch on your own, then the train and the bus return you to Cusco.
The option sets the train and the route inside the citadel. The standard options travel on Expedition or Voyager, the panoramic ones on Vistadome or 360, with route 2 or 3 depending on availability. Two options with Circuit 5-1 (Expedition or Vistadome) visit the citadel from the upper part. Machu Picchu entry is included in all of them. Pickup is at 4:00, 6:00 or 8:00 am depending on the train.
Pickup from hotels in Cusco's historic center. Wait in the hotel lobby or at the agreed meeting point; on the Circuit 5-1 options be ready 10 minutes early, as drivers wait no more than 5 minutes.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
A climb of about 3 km to the lake at 4,200 m, pickup in the historic centre or a fixed meeting point.
Pickup from hotels, hostels and homestays in Cusco's historic center between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m., or wait at a fixed meeting point. After 2 hours you stop in Mollepata for breakfast and can buy water and snacks, then drive one more hour to Soraypampa, with views of Salkantay (6,230 m) and Humantay (5,250 m). The steep 2-hour climb of about 3 km leads to the lake, and you can walk a little higher on either side for a wider view. About an hour down, then lunch in Mollepata and arrival in Cusco between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. near the Plaza de Armas.
The listing says the tour reaches 4,200 m. The lake entrance fee is not included and is paid in cash in local currency. Horses can be rented locally; the operator does not manage them. Options are the fixed meeting point, hotel pickup or a private tour.
Fixed meeting point option: next to the door of Hotel San Pedro Plaza, where the guide calls your name. Pickup option: hotels in the historic center; collecting the group can take 30 to 45 minutes. Drop-off near the Plaza de Armas.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
The lower rainbow mountain, about 4,900 m, with a short walk of 30 to 40 minutes.
Pickup between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. from hotels, hostels and Airbnbs, or meet at the Church of La Compañía on the Plaza de Armas. After about 2 hours to Cusipata for a buffet breakfast and another 1.5 hours to the Palccoyo community, a walk of 30 to 40 minutes brings you to the Palccoyo viewpoint at about 4,900 m. An optional 10-minute walk leads to the forest of colored stones. After walking back you have a buffet lunch and reach Cusco around 4:30 p.m., one block from the main square.
Palccoyo is a different mountain from Vinicunca; the listing calls its path less demanding. Whether the Palccoyo entrance fee is included depends on the option: two group options include it, two do not, and the private option includes it along with a guide in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian or Portuguese. The Checacupe bridge is an optional stop with its own fee. Group options are guided in English and Spanish.
Meeting point option: Church of La Compañía de Jesús, Plaza de Armas. Pickup option: hotels, hostels and Airbnbs between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m.; in San Blas the pickup is at San Blas Square if the vehicle cannot get in.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
From 4,850 m to the top at 5,010 m, with breakfast and lunch. Not for people with heart or breathing problems.
Pickup in Cusco's historic center between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m., or you wait at a fixed meeting point. After 2 hours by van you stop in Cusipata for breakfast and can buy water and snacks. One more hour brings you to the trailhead at 4,850 m, where the 3.5 km hike over flat and uphill ground leads to the top at 5,010 m with free time for photos. The walk down takes about an hour, then you drive back to Cusipata for a buffet lunch and reach Cusco between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m.
The title names the Red Valley, but the listing treats it as optional with its own entrance fee, paid in cash. The Rainbow Mountain entrance fee is not included either and is also paid in cash in soles. Options are a fixed meeting point, hotel pickup in the historic center (no Airbnbs or private residences) or a private tour. Horses can be rented locally; the operator does not manage these rentals.
Fixed meeting point option: wait next to the door of Hotel Casa Andina, Calle Espinar 142, where the guide calls your name. Pickup option: hotels in the historic center; collecting the whole group can take 30 minutes. Drop-off at San Bernardo 132 or in the historic center.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
| Place | Altitude | Compared with Cusco | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aguas Calientes | 2,040 m | About 1,350 m lower | Reference data for the town |
| Machu Picchu | 2,430 m | About 1,000 m lower | UNESCO |
| Ollantaytambo and Urubamba | About 2,790 m and 2,870 m | About 500 m lower | Tour listing (Viagens Machu Picchu) |
| Pisac ruins | About 3,300 m | Similar | Tour listing (Viagens Machu Picchu) |
| Cusco | About 3,400 m | Base | City data; the CDC gives about 3,350 m |
| Humantay Lake | 4,200 m | About 800 m higher | Tour listings |
| Dead Woman's Pass, Inca Trail | 4,215 m | About 800 m higher | Tour listing (Alpaca Expeditions) |
| Salkantay Pass | 4,630 m | About 1,200 m higher | Tour listing (Salkantay Trekking) |
| Palcoyo | About 4,900 m | About 1,500 m higher | Tour listing |
| Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) | 5,010 m | About 1,600 m higher | Tour listing (Inka Altitude) |
Listings and other sources round differently, so expect figures a few dozen metres apart from one tour to the next.
Most visitors fly into Cusco from Lima, near sea level, and sleep at around 3,400 m the same night. The CDC advises against going from low altitude to a sleeping altitude above 2,750 m in one day, and names Cusco as a place where you can instead spend the first nights lower down. In practice that means the Sacred Valley: Urubamba and Ollantaytambo lie about 500 m below Cusco, and Machu Picchu is lower still.
The high day hikes work the other way. Humantay Lake, Palcoyo and Rainbow Mountain start before dawn, climb from a trailhead already well above Cusco and come back the same evening. The Inka Altitude listing for Rainbow Mountain starts the walk at 4,850 m and warns that the drive on the dirt road can bring on altitude sickness. Keep those for the end of your stay.
One tour sets a rule of its own: Machupicchu Inka Trek wants you in Cusco at least a day before its Machu Picchu day trip, because the date on the entrance ticket cannot be changed once it is issued. Many Machu Picchu tours are non-refundable, so a day of rest before them protects the booking as well.
The listings for Rainbow Mountain and Humantay ask for warm layers, rain gear, sun protection and snacks, and carry an oxygen bottle for emergencies. Horses can be hired on site for part of the climb, paid in cash and arranged by locals, not by the tour operator. Inka Altitude does not take people with heart or breathing problems, pregnant women or travelers over 65 to Rainbow Mountain. Palcoyo is the lower and shorter alternative, with about 30 to 40 minutes on foot to the viewpoint.
This page is about planning, not medicine. Talk to a doctor before the trip if you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant or plan to take medication for altitude; the CDC recommends a physician familiar with high-altitude travel for travelers with underlying conditions.
About 3,400 m. The CDC gives about 3,350 m. Machu Picchu is lower, at 2,430 m according to UNESCO.
Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley first, because they are lower than Cusco. Rainbow Mountain reaches 5,010 m and is best kept for day four or later.
Salkantay Trekking asks for at least two days in Cusco before its treks. More days are better before a pass above 4,500 m.
Yes, and the CDC names Cusco as a place where sleeping lower for the first nights is an option. Urubamba and Ollantaytambo are about 500 m below Cusco.
It is lower, about 4,900 m against 5,010 m, and the walk is short, about 30 to 40 minutes according to the listing. It is still high, so the same order of tours applies.
Pisac, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Maras and Moray, mostly below Cusco.
Down to 2,430 m by train and bus, back the same night.
Vinicunca and Palcoyo, the highest day hikes from Cusco.
A steep climb to the glacier lake at 4,200 m.
The pass heights of each trek to Machu Picchu.
Cold nights in the dry season, snow on the passes in the rainy one.
Two questions, and the finder suggests a tour from Cusco with two alternatives.
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