Cusco Trekking Tours: 15 Worth the Climb

1.From Cusco: 7 Lakes Ausangate Trek with Breakfast and Lunch

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

Spend a demanding but memorable day in the Andes, hiking about 13 kilometers past the seven Ausangate lakes with views of 6,384-meter Ausangate Mountain. Guides such as Kevin, Carlos, Eduardo, and Joseph are praised for patient pacing and altitude checks. Breakfast, lunch, transport, and hot springs are included, though entrance fees and optional horses cost extra.

“great hike. enjoyed a nice breakfast before setting out. cloudy day and rained but is an amazing walk.”

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2.Cusco: Full-Day Rainbow Mountain & Red Valley Trekking Tour

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

Travel from Cusco to Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley in a small group of up to 15. After buffet breakfast, hike to 5,036-meter Vinicunca, then continue toward the red slopes at 5,038 meters. English or Spanish guides, transport, lunch, oxygen, and hotel pickup are included. The Red Valley section is partly self-guided.

“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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3.Salkantay Trek Challenge – 3 Days / 2 Nights

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

This three-day Salkantay Challenge takes you from Cusco over the 4,630-meter pass to Machu Picchu. You will hike with a guide such as Marco, Guido, or Cesar Quispe, sleep in an Andean camp and Aguas Calientes hotel, and travel home by panoramic train. Expect a hard first day, small groups, packed meals, and horse-carried gear.

“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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4.From Cusco: Rainbow Mountain Trek

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

Travel from Cusco to 5,020-meter Rainbow Mountain with a small group of up to 15 people. You’ll hike past alpacas, llamas, red hills, local homes, and Ausangate views, with breakfast, lunch, poles, guide support, oxygen, and hotel pickup included. Plan carefully for altitude, cold weather, and the 4:00 AM start.

“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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5.Choquequirao Trek 4 days and 3 nights

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

Trek from Capuliyoc through the Apurimac Canyon to Choquequirao, one of Peru’s least crowded Inca sites. This four-day trip includes Cusco transfers, a guide, chef, porter, camping meals, and a visit to Saywite. Expect steep climbs, early starts, basic camping, and a small-group format, with guides such as Elias, Sebastian, and Gary praised for care and encouragement.

“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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6.Machu Picchu: 5-Day Salkantay Trek with Panoramic Train

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

Spend five days crossing Peru’s Salkantay route from Cusco to Machu Picchu. You’ll hike to Humantay Lake and Salkantay Pass, camp at Llactapata with views of the citadel, share Pachamanca and coffee in Lucmabamba, and return by Vistadome or 360° train. Guides such as Cesar, Roger, José, and Miguel are praised for care and encouragement.

“Very good service and excellent guides. Food was amazing and everything was well organised. Well recommended for sporty and adventurous people.”

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7.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, farming valleys, and the 14,599-foot Kuychiccasa Pass before reaching Machu Picchu. Action Peru Treks provides guides, camping equipment, meals, park fees, hotel transfers, and one night in Aguas Calientes. Guides associated with the company include Lino, Eddy, Christian, and Lina, though assignments vary.

“My brother and I did this trip and had an amazing time! This trail, while not the classic Inca trail, is a great experience. The hike goes through the mountains and gives amazing views without the crowds of the classic trail. We visited several Incan Read more”

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8.Ausangate Trek 5 Days

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

Trek around Ausangate with a small team of up to 10 people, crossing passes as high as 5,200 meters and camping beside remote lakes. Vidal Expeditions provides meals, horses for equipment, guides such as Chino, Urbano, or Guillermo, and a final visit with a local family before returning to Cusco.

“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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9.Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 5D/4N or 4D/3N by glamping

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 35 reviews · 5 days · from $35

This five-day small-group trek follows a quieter route from Cusco to Machu Picchu, with Humantay Lake, Salkantay Pass, coffee country, hot springs, Llactapata, and one night in Aguas Calientes. English and Spanish guides may include Ruben, Roger, Reynaldo, Tupac, or Nidia. Expect long mountain days, simple camps, excellent cooking, and several optional costs.

“was good, saw lots of cool places, just a bit annoying that was in a group of half young people and half old people meaning we had to do a lot of waiting for then to catch up, but apart from thatvit was good”

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10.Cusco: 4-Day Lares Trek to Machu Picchu with Panoramic Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 20 reviews · 4 days · from $690

This four-day route pairs a demanding high-altitude trek with Andean village visits, Lares hot springs, Maras salt pools, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu. An English- or Spanish-speaking guide leads you, while muleteers carry up to 7 kilograms of camping gear. Guides such as Manolo and Filio have been praised for their care and steady pacing.

“Un excellent trek a faire en famille ou entre amis, la difficulté est abordable. Cependant il faut noté que le manque d’oxygène et le froid la nuit diminuent nos capacités physiques. Il fait déjà être sportif ou à minima en bonne condition physique. Les paysages sont époustouflants et le guide suit notre rythme (vous pouvez faire autant de pauses que nécessaire) ! Nos chefs cuisiniers étaient excellent, je recommande vivement !!”

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11.Cusco: 4-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, Panoramic Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 17 reviews · 4 days · from $552

You’ll hike from Humantay Lake over the 4,630-meter Salkantay Pass, then descend through cloud forest to Machu Picchu. The trip includes glamping, Andean huts, a 3-star hotel, a Pachamanca barbecue, coffee-making, trail meals, guides in English or Spanish, and a Vistadome or 360° train return. Guides such as Alex, José, and Filio have been praised for careful group support.

“Thank you so much for this truly unique experience! Our guide, Filio, was incredible; he took care of us with such patience, professionalism, kindness, and was clearly passionate about his job and providing us with cultural and historical information. I really appreciated the attention to detail and warmth Filio and the team provided during our trek. Our chef, Dionissios, was very good and made sure all our needs were taken care of, serving us delicious hearty meals and surprise treats! Another team member that was always ready to help and always with a smile was Alberto- thank you as well! I would highly recommend Filio as a guide and Trexperience…”

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12.5-Day Salkantay Trek to Machupicchu Sky Lodge Dome

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 6 reviews · 5 days · from $700

Trek from Challacancha to Machu Picchu through Humantay Lagoon, the 4,650-meter Salkantay Pass, coffee country, Llactapata, and Aguas Calientes. You sleep in private domes with bathrooms and hot showers, then visit Machu Picchu with a bilingual guide. Small groups are limited to 10 people.

“Hee goed verzorgd! Goed eten en fijne bedden, laatste hotel was ‘oke’. De domes waren top! Alleen nacht 1 zeer koud maar ik Geloof dat dit bij alle domes van alle organisaties wel zo was! Eigen douche en toilet, top! Hike zelf prachtig!”

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13.Cusco: 5-Day Salkantay Ultimate Trek to Machu Picchu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 5 days · from $669

Spend five demanding days hiking from the high Andes through cloud forest to Machu Picchu. You’ll cross 4,630-meter Salkantay Pass, visit turquoise Humantay Lake, learn about coffee with a Lucmabamba family, camp four nights, and finish with a guided citadel tour. English and Spanish guiding, meals, transport, and porter horses are included.

“The trek was fantastic. Really good scenery, excellent guide and well looked after by the support team.”

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14.From Cusco: Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 5D/4N or 4D/3N

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 12 hours - 5 days · from $50

Walk from Cusco through Humantay Lake, the 4,630-meter Salkantay Pass, rainforest trails, Llactapata, and Aguas Calientes before visiting Machu Picchu. You get a guide, cook, meals, cabins, and one hotel night. Guide Fernandez, chef Edgar, and assistant Eulogio are named members of the team.

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15.Tour Pallay Punchu Trek Full Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 3 reviews · 14 hours · from $150

Set out from Cusco before dawn for Pallay Punchu, one of the Cusco region’s three Rainbow Mountains. After breakfast in Layo Canas, hike about two hours to the 4,791-meter summit for views over Langui Lake, then return for lunch in Cusipata. An English- or Spanish-speaking guide, private transport, meals, entry, and hotel pickup are included.

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