Choose a local Chinchero hiking experience
Chinchero hiking can be a guided highland walk accompanied by llamas and alpacas. The two experiences here have different priorities: one includes a picnic and drinks, while the other combines a two-hour walk with a visit to the Inca site of Machuqolqa. Choose between them by the activity you want and the time information available, then organise the journey to the meeting point separately.
These are local walking options around Chinchero. Keep them distinct from a driving circuit through the Sacred Valley when planning your day. Read the arrival guide for the journey and the archaeological-site guide if you also want to visit the village’s palace walls and terraces. Allow for the high altitude before adding more activities.
Our picks: Chinchero walks
Our take: Choose the picnic outing for food and hot drinks or the two-hour walk for Machuqolqa. Arrange your own arrival for either.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of November 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Chinchero highland walk with picnic
- Local guide
- Llamas and alpacas
- Hot drinks and water
The voucher is valid for one day; the walk's duration is not specified.
Check availability →
Chinchero alpaca walk and Machuqolqa
- Expert local guide
- Llamas and alpacas
- Visit to Machuqolqa Inca site
Make your own way to the meeting point and check conditions before setting out.
Check availability →Guided walks with llamas and alpacas
Choose picnic and drinks or a two-hour walk including Machuqolqa. Both experiences require your own transport to the start.
Picnic outing or Machuqolqa visit?
The picnic experience includes a knowledgeable local guide, llamas and alpacas to walk with, a picnic, hot drinks and water. Transport and tips are extra. The booking lists one-day validity; that describes the validity of the experience rather than a full day of walking. Ask for the actual walking duration and meeting arrangements when choosing your date so you can fit the outing into the rest of your day.
The two-hour walk includes an expert local guide, llamas and alpacas, and a visit to Machuqolqa. Transport, water and snacks are extra. It suits visitors who want a stated walking duration and an archaeological stop within the activity. Its food and drink arrangements differ from the picnic outing, so plan what to bring around the particular experience you select.
Arrange your own arrival near Chinchero
Transport is separate from both walking experiences. The picnic outing starts in Chinchero; obtain its exact meeting point directly for your booking. The two-hour Machuqolqa walk meets at Sky Dome Peru near Chinchero. Use the named meeting point rather than treating the village square as the starting location for every activity.
Arrange the outward journey and the return before setting off, leaving room around the activity rather than filling every part of the day. Chinchero connects by road with Cusco and Urubamba. If your priority is visiting several places by vehicle, the Cusco day-trip options provide a different way to structure the visit. A place on a walk and transport to its starting point are separate bookings.
Chinchero altitude and altitude sickness
Chinchero is a high-altitude destination. Take time to adjust before committing to a walk. Peru’s health ministry recommends gradual ascent, rest during the first hours, fluids and light meals. Medication should be used only under medical supervision. Choosing a shorter activity is a planning decision; it does not replace paying attention to how you feel.
Breathlessness at rest, persistent severe headache, vomiting, confusion or altered consciousness require immediate medical help. Do not continue a planned activity in order to keep to an itinerary when these warning signs occur. Young children, pregnant people, older adults and people with heart or lung conditions are among the groups needing particular care. Seek medical advice appropriate to your circumstances before planning high-altitude exertion.
The presence of a guide and animal companions is part of the walking activity. It should not be treated as medical care or a treatment for altitude symptoms. If you have just arrived, leave the programme flexible enough to rest. Consider the textile visits and weaving experiences as a different activity interest, while still taking the village’s altitude into account.
Rain, route conditions and flexible plans
Use the forecast for your visit and ask about the intended route’s current condition. Climate patterns, an available booking date and access to a path are separate matters. Rainy-season planning should leave room to change the day’s activity, rather than rely on a dry route. The weather guide explains the regional comparison and its limits.
A highland photograph illustrates the landscape. Base your walking decision on the route conditions for your date. Discuss the walk itself, meeting arrangements and current conditions together. Make the decision around those details and your health, especially if you are combining a walk with travel from another starting point.
Keep the walk separate from archaeological-park rules
The picnic and animal accompaniment belong to the booked walking experience. The archaeological park has its own protection rules: food and animals are prohibited, as are camping, alcohol, drugs, climbing walls and marking masonry. Drones and commercial photography need permission. Plan an archaeological visit separately and respect the rules applying to that place rather than carrying over the activities of a different outing.
Frequently asked questions
Is the picnic walk a full-day hike?
Its one-day entry describes validity, not walking duration. Arrange the actual walking time and meeting point for your booking. The separate Machuqolqa outing has a stated duration of two hours.
Do the walks include transport from Cusco?
Both require your own arrival. The Machuqolqa walk meets at Sky Dome Peru near Chinchero; obtain the precise meeting arrangements for the picnic walk when booking.
What should I do about altitude warning signs?
Breathlessness at rest, persistent severe headache, vomiting, confusion or altered consciousness call for immediate medical help. Stop treating the planned activity as the priority and seek help promptly.
Which walk includes water and food?
The picnic experience includes a picnic, hot drinks and water. The two-hour Machuqolqa walk excludes water and snacks, so make your own arrangements for that outing.