If you are visiting Cusco, you must have heard that the Sacred Valley is an area that you shouldn’t miss. But how to get from Cusco to the Sacred Valley?
I have visited Cusco and the Sacred Valley more times than I can remember, so here I’ll tell you how to get to every major town.
Before, I’ll talk a bit about each town, so that you can decide which towns in the Sacred Valley you will visit in case you don’t have enough time to visit them all.
Are you looking for an easy way to get from Cusco to the Sacred Valley?
1. Book a private transfer from Cusco to Ollantaytambo here.
2. Book a private transfer from Cusco to Urubamba here.
Which Towns to Visit in the Sacred Valley if You Are in Cusco?
The Sacred Valley is one of the most beautiful areas in the Andes.
The landscapes are some of the most beautiful you will find in the highlands of Peru. And the towns are full of history and traditions.
There are several towns in the Sacred Valley, but these are the most well known ones: Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Chinchero and Urubamba.
The first two (meaning Ollantaytambo and Pisac) are on the top of my list when people that are visiting Cusco ask me to recommend them where to go in the Sacred Valley.
They are charming towns with cobbled-stoned streets, colorful local markets, local traduitions, archaeological sites, surrounded by the beautiful nature of the valley. You can here what you can do in one day in Ollantaytambo.
If you don’t have enough time to visit all three of them, you should prioritze Ollantaytambo and Pisac.
You also have Maras and Moray, which people visit for their salt mines and archaeological ruins. They are not necessarily places to spend the night, but they are great choices for visiting on day trips from Cusco.
You should be aiming to visit at least a couple of the above mentioned towns if you have enough time to spend in Cusco (you can also check this Cusco itinerary for more ideas).
There are other smaller towns, less visited by tourists, but were some expats and/or Limenians do live along with the local population. For example, Calca, Lamay or Arín.
Those towns are smaller and are not worth a visit if you have limited town in the valley.
How to go from Cusco to the Sacred Valley (except for Pisac)
Chinchero, Maras, Moray, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, are located in the Sacred Valley in that order if you depart from Cusco. It’s different for Pisac though, which is on the opposite side of the valley. You can find information on how to get to Pisac further down.
So you don’t need to worry too much about transport, they route will be the same for either of those towns.
That means, you don’t need to change shared taxis or micros to get from point A to point B. It’s pretty simple. You hop off at whatever town you want to stay.
Then, once you want to continue your journey, you can get on a shared taxi or micro again and continue your trip.
There’s public transport to go from Cusco to any of these towns in the Sacred Valley. It’s pretty straightforward and inexpensive.
Otherwise, you also have the option to go to the Sacred Valley by hiring private transfer, which will be more comfortable.
How to go from Cusco to the Sacred Valley by Public Transport (except for Pisac)
First, head to Calle Pavitos (“Pavitos Street”), which you can look up on Google Maps. It’s just a 10 minute walk from the main square of Cusco. Everyone knows Calle Pavitos, so if you want, you can also take a taxi there directly from the airport.
From there, you have two ways of going to Ollantaytambo.
One way is to take one of the shared taxis. This is the way I always get from Cusco to the Sacred Valley. It’s easy and inexpensive.
There will be several cars waiting for passengers, and they will depart when they are full with 4 passengers. The cost is 20 soles per person.
If you dont mind paying the full rate (meaning 80 soles), you can also have a private taxi ride for yourself.
The other way is to go on a colectivo (minivan). The seats are smaller and it can be more uncomfortable to go with more people. Plus you will have to wait longer until the minivan is full. But on the positive side, the cost is 8 soles per person.
Important Tips If You Go by Public Transport
First of all, make sure to ask the price to the driver beforehand. What I mentioned are the standard rates, but for whatever reason, they could change. These are either private companies or individuals offering a service, so anything could change at any moment.
Otherwise, the most important thing is to make sure you don’t enter an empty vehicle. Especially if you go on a shared minivan, but also if you go on a shared taxi.
This is not because of safety reasons; you should have no problems in that sense. But empty vans will take much more time to fill up.
Even if they tell you that you shouldn’t worry, that they will depart in 10 or 15 minutes. Sometimes the driver will assure you this, but they have actually no way of knowing when other passengers are going to show up.
They can estimate a time but it can be totally off. Or, most likely, they will tell you a time much shorter than they actually estimate the wait will be.
I remember having had to wait up to an hour once, when me and three other friends entered an empty minivan.
So the best is, once you are at Calle Pavitos, look for the taxi or minivan that has the most people already waiting inside.
If for whatever reason they are all empty or almost empty, don’t feel shy to get out of the car and enter another one if you see that another one is already starting to fill up.
How to get from Cusco to the Sacred Valley by Private Transfer
If you are traveling with other people, have more luggage, or are looking for a more comfortable ride, you might want to go hire a private transfer.
This will be the best and most comfortable way of traveling from Cusco to the Sacred Valley.
The transfers are by car or van, depending on the amount of people you book for. They will pick you up from your hotel and leave you at your hotel in the Sacred Valley.
Plus you can always ask for some short stop if you want to get off to take some pictures or do a toilet stop.
Book a private transfer from Cusco to Ollantaytambo here.
Book a private transfer from Cusco to Urubamba here.
How long is the journey from Cusco to the Sacred Valley?
Below you will find the approximate duration of the trips from Cusco to each town of the Sacred Valley on the above mentioned route.
Take into account that you will arrive at your destination faster if you go by private transfer or take a shared taxi than if you take a minivan. This is because the minivans have space for many more passengers, who will be getting off at different towns, which will require more stops.
Likewise, there will be a similar amount of stops for picking up people along the route to fill up the spaces that get free.
- Cusco to Chinchero: Around 50 minutes
- Cusco to Maras: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Cusco to Moray: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Cusco to Urubamba: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Cusco to Ollantaytambo: 2 hours
How is the ride from Cusco to the Sacred Valley?
The first part of the ride goes through the suburbs of Cusco city. It takes at least 30 minutes to actually get out of the city.
After that, you the landcape around you will be more rural, and you will see local people going about with their lives.
But there are a couple of things you have to take into account:
Altitude Sickness and Diziness When Driving to the Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley is at a lower altitude than Cusco city, which is why many people go directly to the Sacred Valley before visiting Cusco city. Actually Machu Picchu is also at a lower altitude than Cusco.
That way, the shock to your body is less. You can get to acclimate at a lower altitude, so you might feel almost normal once you visit Cusco city.
But still, most of the ride from Cusco to Urubamba is through winding roads in the mountains. Meaning that that chances of feeling a mix of dizzines and altitude sickness will be present.
After Urubamba, the road is basically straight.
I have traveled to high altitude places in Peru lots of times, including Cusco, and basically don’t have probles with altitude sickness anymore.
I don’t feel bad once I’m at a certain place. But actually, I feel sick every time when I’m on a car or bus towards that place. This happens to a lot of people.
So, just in case, make sure to have either a pill for diziness or an altitude sickness pill with you. This will make your journey much better.
I suggest you to take Gravol for dizziness or Sorojchi Pill for altitude sickness. You can buy them at most pharmacies in Lima and Cusco.
Taxis and Minivans Can Go At High Speeds
One thing that might shock you if you go by public transport is how fast they drive.
I’m from Lima, so I’m very used at people driving fast. If I’m in a taxi with a foreign friend, they might comment on it and I will agree, but it’s something that I wouldn’t have noticed myself.
But even being used to that, I feel that public transport drivers often go extremely fast, especially when they are at roads out of the city.
Seat belts aren’t really a thing in Peru, except for the people on the front seats. It’s not compulsory to wear it in the back seats, so no one is used to doing it.
If you are going by private taxi, you can choose to wear it, of course. But don’t be surprised if the seat belt is broken or not working!
If you go by minivan, I think you won’t really find seat belts on the back seats. Or at least not in every seat.
It should be fine, though. They are used to driving those routes.
But of course the ride on a private transfer will be much more comfortable and less speedy. Plus, if you feel the driver is going too fast, you can always ask him to go slower.
How to go from Cusco to Pisac in the Sacred Valley?
If you want to go to Pisac, you have to take a different route. This is because Pisac is in the East of the Sacred Valley, as opposed to the other mentioned towns, which are West.
You can either go from Cusco to Pisac by colectivo (minivan), bus or by private transfer.
How to Go from Cusco to Pisac by Public Transport
If you want to go from Cusco to Pisac by public transport, the easiest way is to go by colectivo (minivan).
First, you will have to go to Puputi Street, which is just a 15-minute walk from the main square of Cusco. There you will find the minivans waiting for passengers.
There are minivans heading straight to Pisac, and they charge 7 soles per person. Otherwise, there are also another minivans that go to Calca but you can get off in Pisac, which is on the way. The fare is a little bit higher but it can be a good idea if there are more people inside, since they will leave sooner.
Again, like when you take a minivan from Cusco to any of the other towns in the Sacred Valley there is no schedule. They leave when they are full of passengers, which is around every 15 minutes.
They generally run from around 5am to 8pm. It will take around 45 minutes to get to Pisac.
The other option would be to take a bus, which you could do from the bus terminal. The cost is cheaper, but it takes longer, so it’s not worth saving a couple of soles. Also, buses hace more capacity for people, so it can take longer until they depart.
