Guided Tours in Peru - Local Experts, Unforgettable Experiences
From a private guided visit to Machu Picchu with a certified archaeologist to a walking tour through the colonial streets of Cusco, a knowledgeable local guide transforms every site into a genuine encounter with Andean history and culture.
The Difference a Guide Makes
Peru’s archaeological sites and cultural landscapes are extraordinary on their own terms. But the stories behind them, the engineering logic of Inca construction, the ritual significance of each space, the human drama of the conquest and the living traditions that survived it, require a guide who knows the material and can bring it to life in a way that makes the experience genuinely memorable rather than simply visual.
Our guides are certified professionals who have studied the sites they cover, speak fluent English and work exclusively with small groups or private arrangements. They do not rush, they answer questions with depth and precision, and they adapt each tour to the pace and interests of the people they are guiding. Whether you are a first-time visitor who wants a solid foundation in Inca history or a returning traveler who wants to go deeper into specific aspects of Andean culture, we match you with the right guide for the experience you are looking for.
Understanding the differences between each circuit before you book is what makes the difference between a visit that meets your expectations and one that truly exceeds them. At Inka Tickets, we not only handle the booking process but also take the time to help you choose the circuit that matches your travel dates, physical condition and what you most want to experience inside the citadel.
MACHU PICCHU GUIDED TOURS
Machu Picchu — Guided Tours Inside the Citadel
Standard Guided Tour — Machu Picchu
The Essential Visit — Standard Guided Tour of Machu Picchu
The standard guided tour of Machu Picchu covers the most important areas of the citadel in approximately two hours, following one of the official circuits through the agricultural terraces, the main entrance gate, the principal temple complex, the Sacred Plaza, the Intihuatana stone and the residential sector. The guide explains the function and history of each area and provides context that transforms the walk from a scenic stroll into a structured understanding of how the city worked, who lived there and what happened to it after the Spanish conquest.
The tour is conducted in groups of no more than sixteen people as required by the site regulations, with audio guide equipment provided so every visitor can hear clearly even in the outdoor spaces. We recommend the early morning entry slots between 06:00 and 08:00 for the best light, the fewest crowds and the most dramatic first impression of the citadel as the morning mist clears from the valley below.
Duration: approximately 2 hours inside the citadel Group size: maximum 16 people per guide Language: English (Spanish, French and other languages available on request) Includes: certified guide, audio equipment
Private Guided Tour — Machu Picchu
Your Own Pace, Your Own Story — Private Guided Tour of Machu Picchu
The private guided tour of Machu Picchu gives you and your group exclusive access to your own certified guide for the duration of the visit. There are no other travelers to accommodate, no pace to keep up with and no questions left unasked because there was not enough time. The guide tailors the tour entirely to your group’s interests, spending more time on the areas that fascinate you and adjusting the route within the permitted circuit to make the most of your entry slot.
Private tours are particularly recommended for families with children, couples celebrating a special occasion, travelers with specific academic or professional interest in Andean archaeology and groups who have visited Machu Picchu before and want to go beyond the standard narrative. The guide can also help coordinate your arrival from the bus station, explain the site map and suggest the best spots for photographs during the visit.
Duration: approximately 2 to 3 hours inside the citadel Group size: exclusive to your group, no strangers Language: English (Spanish, French and other languages available on request) Includes: certified guide, personalized itinerary inside the citadel
Guided Tour — Machu Picchu + Huayna Picchu
The Summit and the Citadel — Guided Tour with Huayna Picchu
This tour combines a guided visit to the main areas of Machu Picchu with the ascent of Huayna Picchu, the dramatic peak that rises directly behind the ruins. The guide accompanies the group through the citadel first, providing historical and cultural context before the mountain climb begins. On Huayna Picchu itself the guide points out the Inca terraces and temple structures that cling to the steep rock face during the ascent and describes the significance of the peak within the overall layout of the Machu Picchu complex.
The combined experience takes between three and four hours in total and is one of the most complete ways to understand Machu Picchu as both an archaeological site and a deliberately constructed landscape where the relationship between the citadel and the mountains around it was intentional and meaningful.
Duration: approximately 3 to 4 hours total Difficulty: demanding — steep Huayna Picchu trail Group size: maximum 16 people (or private on request)
Guided Tour — Machu Picchu + Machu Picchu Mountain
Above It All — Guided Tour with Machu Picchu Mountain
This tour pairs the standard guided visit to the citadel with the ascent of Machu Picchu Mountain, the higher and longer climb that takes visitors above the site and reveals the full extent of the Inca settlement from a vantage point that most travelers never reach. The guide provides the archaeological context inside the ruins before accompanying the group to the base of the mountain trail and sharing information about the ecology, the Inca road system and the strategic positioning of the settlement during the climb.
The views from the summit of Machu Picchu Mountain are among the most expansive anywhere in the region and require clear conditions to fully appreciate. Early morning departures on Circuit 1A give the best chance of clear skies before the afternoon clouds build up around the peaks.
Duration: approximately 4 to 5 hours total Difficulty: demanding — long, steep trail Group size: maximum 16 people (or private on request)
CUSCO GUIDED TOURS
Cusco — Guided Tours in the Ancient Inca Capital
Cusco City Tour
The Living Capital — Cusco City Tour
Cusco is one of the most layered cities in the Americas, a place where Inca stonework forms the foundations of Spanish colonial churches, where street vendors sell offerings for traditional Andean ceremonies in the shadow of baroque facades and where the Plaza de Armas has been a center of power through multiple civilizations. The Cusco City Tour covers the main archaeological sites on the hillsides above the city as well as the historic center itself, giving visitors a coherent picture of how Cusco functioned as the capital of the Inca Empire and how it was transformed after the conquest.
The tour typically includes Sacsayhuamán, the massive Inca fortress above the city, Qenqo, the ceremonial rock carving complex, Tambomachay, the Inca water temple, and a walking tour through the historic center covering the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, the Qorikancha complex and the famous Inca stonework of Hatunrumiyoc street with its legendary twelve-angled stone.
Duration: approximately 4 to 5 hours Includes: transport between hillside sites, certified guide Entry tickets: Cusco Tourist Ticket (BTC) required, bookable separately
Cusco by Night Tour
After Dark in the Inca Capital — Cusco by Night
Cusco at night is a different city from the one that fills with tour groups during the day. The Plaza de Armas is illuminated and largely quiet, the restaurants and bars of San Blas fill with locals and travelers sharing the same narrow cobbled streets, and the views from the hillsides above the city take on a particular clarity in the cold Andean air. The Cusco by Night tour combines a walking exploration of the historic center after dark with a visit to one of the traditional Andean show restaurants for dinner and a performance of Peruvian music and dance from different regions of the country.
This tour works well as a first evening in Cusco before beginning the main sightseeing and as a gentle introduction to the city that does not require the fitness or acclimatization needed for the daytime archaeological sites.
Duration: approximately 3 hours Includes: guide, dinner at traditional show restaurant
SACRED VALLEY GUIDED TOURS
Sacred Valley — Guided Tours Through the Heart of the Inca Empire
Sacred Valley Full Day Tour
The Valley of the Incas — Sacred Valley Full Day Guided Tour
The Sacred Valley of the Incas stretches for approximately sixty kilometers between Cusco and Ollantaytambo, following the course of the Urubamba River through a landscape that the Incas considered the most fertile and spiritually significant in their empire. The full day guided tour covers the main sites and communities along the valley road, beginning with the market town of Pisac and its terraced ruins high above the valley floor, continuing through the valley with stops at traditional weaving communities and the agricultural site of Moray, and ending at the fortress and temple complex of Ollantaytambo before returning to Cusco in the late afternoon.
The guide provides historical and cultural context at each stop, explains the agricultural and spiritual significance of the valley to the Inca civilization and introduces visitors to the local communities and artisans who maintain traditional Andean practices today.
Duration: full day, approximately 8 to 9 hours Includes: private transport, certified guide, entry assistance Entry tickets: BTC Circuit 2 required for archaeological sites
Maras, Moray and Salineras Tour
Salt, Circles and Cloud — Maras, Moray and the Salt Mines
This half day tour covers three of the most visually striking and intellectually fascinating sites in the Sacred Valley. Moray is a series of concentric circular terraces descending into a natural depression in the landscape, believed to have functioned as an Inca agricultural laboratory where different crops were tested at varying altitudes and microclimates. The Salineras of Maras are a remarkable network of over three thousand small salt evaporation pools fed by a single saltwater spring that has been harvested by local communities for centuries and continues to produce salt using the same techniques today. The village of Maras itself is a quiet colonial settlement with an atmosphere that feels largely untouched by the tourism that has transformed other parts of the valley.
Duration: approximately 4 to 5 hours Includes: private transport, certified guide
SPECIAL EVENT GUIDED TOURS
Special Events — Guided Experiences Beyond the Sites
The Greatest Festival in the Inca World — Inti Raymi
Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, is the most important ceremonial event in the Andean calendar and one of the most spectacular public celebrations in all of South America. Held every year on June 24th to mark the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, the festival involves an elaborate re-enactment of the Inca ceremony honoring Inti, the sun god, performed by hundreds of costumed participants across three locations in and around Cusco over the course of a full day.
The ceremony begins at Qorikancha, the original Temple of the Sun in the city center, continues through the Plaza de Armas and reaches its climax at the fortress of Sacsayhuamán on the hillside above the city where the main theatrical performance takes place before tens of thousands of spectators. Our guided Inti Raymi experience includes reserved seating or standing positions at each location, a guide who explains the meaning and sequence of the ceremony as it unfolds and coordination of the logistics between the three sites throughout what is always a very crowded and emotionally charged day.
Date: June 24th each year Duration: full day Includes: guide, reserved positions at each ceremony location, logistics coordination Note: advance booking essential — this is one of the most sought-after experiences in Peru
Waqrapukara Expedition
The Forgotten Fortress — Waqrapukara Guided Expedition
Waqrapukara is one of the least visited and most dramatically positioned Inca fortresses in the entire Cusco region. Its name means horned fortress in Quechua, a reference to the two distinctive rock spires that rise above the site at an altitude of approximately four thousand three hundred meters. The approach involves a full day of hiking through high Andean grassland, crossing rivers and climbing to a ridge from which the fortress appears unexpectedly against the skyline. Very few travelers make the journey and those who do find a site that feels entirely untouched, with a silence and isolation that is impossible to find at more accessible archaeological destinations.
The expedition requires a full day from Cusco with early morning departure and good physical fitness. Our guide manages the route, carries emergency supplies and provides historical and cultural context about the site and the communities of the valley below it.
Duration: full day, approximately 10 to 11 hours including travel Difficulty: demanding — high altitude hiking, 6 to 7 hours of walking Includes: private transport, certified guide, first aid kit
Choquequirao Guided Trek
The Other Machu Picchu — Choquequirao Guided Trek
Choquequirao is often called the other Machu Picchu and the comparison is not exaggerated. The site is a large Inca royal estate perched on a ridge above the Apurimac River canyon, comparable in scale to Machu Picchu and arguably more impressive in its setting. Unlike Machu Picchu, it is only accessible on foot, via a demanding multi-day trek that keeps visitor numbers extremely low. On a typical day at Choquequirao, a traveler might encounter a handful of other groups rather than the thousands who crowd the more famous site.
The standard trek covers the route in four days with two nights of camping, allowing time to explore the site thoroughly without rushing. Our guided version includes an experienced trekking guide, a support team, full camping equipment, all meals and first aid provision throughout the journey.
Duration: 4 days, 3 nights (extended versions available) Difficulty: very demanding — steep descents and ascents, remote terrain Includes: guide, support crew, camping equipment, all meals
Lima City Tour and Gastronomy Tour
The Capital and Its Table — Lima City and Gastronomy Tour
Lima is one of the great food cities of the world and also one of the most architecturally layered capitals in South America. Our Lima guided experience combines a tour of the historic center and the coastal districts of Miraflores and Barranco with a focused introduction to Peruvian gastronomy that covers the history and diversity of the country’s cuisine, a visit to a local market and a guided tasting menu at one of Lima’s celebrated restaurants.
The city tour covers the Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral, the Government Palace and the baroque church of San Francisco with its remarkable catacombs, before moving to the dramatic coastal clifftops of Miraflores and the bohemian streets and galleries of Barranco. The gastronomy element can be added as a half day extension or combined into a full day experience that gives first-time visitors to Lima a genuine sense of both the city’s history and its extraordinary contemporary food culture.
Duration: half day city tour (3 to 4 hours) or full day combined (7 to 8 hours) Includes: certified guide, private transport, gastronomy tasting (full day version)
HOW TO BOOK
Tell us which tour or tours you are interested in, your travel dates, the size of your group and any specific interests or requirements. Our team will confirm guide availability, advise on the best combination of tours for your itinerary and send you a detailed booking proposal within a few hours.
If you are combining a guided tour with entrance tickets, train travel or a transfer, we coordinate all of it together so that your timings, entry slots and pickups are properly aligned from the moment you arrive.
Book Your Guided Tour
Select your tours, travel date and group size. Our team will confirm guide availability and send you a booking proposal within a few hours. No payment required at this stage.
- Certified local guides — English, Spanish, French
- Private or small group options
- Machu Picchu · Cusco · Sacred Valley · Lima
