After being picked up from your hotel between 8:40AM and 9:00AM, you will proceed to the Tipon Archeological Complex to begin your Incan adventure. The complex is located 24 kilometers southeast of Cusco, and is one of the lesser visited sites in the Cusco area. It is an ancient Incan site and thought to be a royal garden commissioned by Wiracocha, and is one of the most elaborate examples of agricultural terracing created by the Incas. These tall terraces run up the narrow valley and are irrigated by an aqueduct from Pachatusan, with a mountain located above the site. In addition to the terracing, there are also some other structures at Tipon including baths, a temple complex, canals, and aqueducts. Following Tipon, you will head to Pikillacta. Pikillacta is the only pre-Inca site in the Cusco area. This adobe complex was built around 700 to 900 A.D. by the Huari people. In the area, there is a small Inca site just a short walk from Pikillacta which is known as Rumicolca, and was a travel checkpoint for the Incas. After this complex, you will progress towards Andahuaylillas. Here you will discover the “Sistine Chapel of Peru”, a church that is home to golden altars, paintings, and many colored ceilings. The chapel is simple and unassuming on the outside, but on the inside you’ll find masterpiece after masterpiece as you browse the fascinating walls. On your return to Cusco you will also pass Saylla, where you will be able to enjoy the delicious and famous pork chicharrones. Your tour will then conclude with your return to Cusco at around 2:30PM.

Take advantage of savings and enjoy the convenience of the Cusco Tourist Ticket which includes entrances to Cusco’s and Sacred Valley’s most important tourist sites. Benefit from hotel delivery service to your hotel or Airbnb located in the Cusco Historic Center or Wanchaq. Choose from a 1, 2, or 10-day Tourist Ticket:  10-Day Tourist Ticket - Cusco City and Sacred Valley: Entrance to the 16 most important archaeological sites and museums of Cusco. With this ticket, enjoy entrance to the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray, Tipon, Piquillacta, Pachacutec Inca Monument, Qosqo Native Art Center, Museum of Contemporary Art, Qorikancha Site Museum, Regional Historical Museum, and Popular Art Museum. Ticket valid for usage for 10 consecutive days in which you can visit all attractions mentioned. 2-Day Tourist Ticket - Sacred Valley: Ticket includes entrance in the following archeological sites inside Sacred Valley: Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and Moray. Ticket valid for usage for 2 consecutive days in which you can visit all 4 attractions mentioned. 1-Day Tourist Ticket - Cusco City: Ticket includes entrance in the following archeological sites inside Sacsayhuaman Archeological Park: Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Tambomachay, and Puca Pucara. Ticket valid for usage for 1 day in which you can visit all 4 attractions.

Your tour begins with morning pickup from your Cusco hotel. Traveling either by private vehicle or by minibus with up to 15 other participants, set out on the scenic journey to the Inca city of Tipon. Jump out to explore the vast archaeological site, renowned for its elaborate agricultural terraces and water channels, which offer insight into the engineering marvels of the Incas. Make a quick stop in the modern town of Tipon, where you might get chance to see the local delicacy—guinea pig—being cooked up on a spit, then carry on to nearby Oropesa, a small town famed as the ‘bread capital of Peru’. After enjoying a glimpse of local life in the valleys, continue the short distance to Pikillacta, home to the only pre-Inca archeological site in the Cusco region. Listen as your guide explains its origins, dating back to the ancient Wari culture, and discover their influence on the Incas as you admire the adobe structures and other ruins. Finally, pay a visit to Andahuaylillas, a magnificent Baroque church renowned for its interior artworks; many sourced from the prestigious the Cusco Religious Art School. As you marvel at the grand interiors, you will understand why it’s been dubbed the ‘Sistine Chapel of the Americas’. After a busy morning of sightseeing, return to Cusco, making a quick stop in the traditional village of Saylla along the way, where you can grab lunch (own expense)—the local specialty is Cusco fried pork (chicharrones). On return to Cusco, your tour ends with drop-off at your hotel.

Explore the archaeological sites of Tipón and Pikillacta from Cusco. Visit the quaint town of Andahuaylillas on this private day trip. Be led to little-known villages and historic ruins by an expert guide. Start your journey in Tipón, a perfectly preserved archaeological site, 27 kilometers away from Cusco. Explore Tipón's impressive rural colony mansion. Marvel at the 12 agricultural terraces that are still cultivated with an irrigation system. This masterpiece of hydraulic engineering of the Incas serves the surrounding population to date. Continue your tour to Pikillacta, built by the Wari people. See one of the best-preserved pre-Inca sites of Peru. Learn about its archaeological importance. Among its 700 structures, spread over 3000 hectares, you can see stone and mud buildings, distinct terrace work, and the head of a condor carved in a rock. Finally, pay a visit to Andahuaylillas and its landmark attraction, the Church of Andahuaylillas. Admire the impressive quality of the art pieces in this baroque church. Gaze at the mural paintings and altars decorated in gold. It houses an original pipe organ, a result of recent restorations. After a busy day of sightseeing, relax on the way back to your accommodation in Cusco.

Benefit from pick-up at your hotel in Cusco, and then head to the beautiful Valle Sur with an English-speaking guide. Arrive at the archaeological site of Tipón, thought to have been a royal garden commissioned by the Inca god Viracocha. Learn more about the agricultural terraces created by the Incas and irrigated by an aqueduct on the sacred Pachatusan mountain. Take a closer look at other structures, such as the baths and temple complex to build a better understanding of the Inca civilization. Continue to the pre-Inca site of Pikillacta to explore the adobe complex built by the indigenous Huari people in around 700 to 900 AD. Marvel at the elaborate art of the Sistine Chapel of Peru in Andahuaylillas, including paintings from Escuela Cuzqueña. Return to Cusco via Saylla, where you can enjoy some delicious pork chicharrones or roasted guinea pig.

Be picked up from your accommodation in Cusco and start this interesting half day tour to visit the amazing archeological site of Tipon, also known as the garden of the Incas. Take a tour of Andahuaylillas and its beautiful church and finish the tour in Pikillaqta learning about the Wari culture. This pre-Inca culture began 700 years after Christ and left behind beautiful constructions that we will visit during the tour. This tour is perfect for those who are still acclimatizing to the altitude and want to do an easy tour before visiting other tourist sites in Cusco higher above sea level.