Cusco to Tipon and Pikillacta: Private day trip
Private ride with a local driver
5h 30mRound tripPrivate driver
About your trip
Head southeast via the Cusco valley. Tipon’s advanced Inca terraces and water channels meet Pikillacta’s pre Inca Wari ruins, two culturally significant sites reachable purely by road, no train needed.
Exclusively yours: private vehicle and professional driver
Discover local insights you won't find in guidebooks
Experience the freedom to explore at your own speed
Perfectly planned for families, friends, or solo travelers
What to expect
Your day trip begins wherever you are
Meet our professional driver right where you prefer in Cusco whenever suits you best. No time wasted getting to the pickup point, grab your bag and start your trip right away.Discover more with local expertise
Your driver’s local insights will set the tone for your day trip. A hidden café here, a must-try restaurant there; insider tips you’ll love sharing later. This isn’t a guided tour but your ride will be rich with stories and discoveries along the way. And throughout the day, your driver will be available for you as needed, ready to assist, happy to help, making your trip stress-free.Explore at your own pace
Expect 45 minutes to Tipon, then 30 minutes to Pikillacta. A private driver from Cusco ensures you explore both the Inca water gardens and pre-Inca Wari ruins at your own pace.
Perfect for any private group
Whether you're traveling solo, as a family with kids, or as a large group, this service is tailored for your comfort and flexibility. It's the ideal option especially if you have limited time or a busy schedule.Good to know
- Two-way private car transfer
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Personalized pickup and drop-off
- Child seats included free of charge
- Professional English-speaking driver
- Complimentary bottled water
- Free cancellation 24 hours before departure
- Entry/Admission tickets to paid attractions Tipon Archaeological Site and Pikillacta should be purchased separately unless specified otherwise
- Meals, snacks, and gratuity are not included
From US$40
per person
Select date and travelers
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your pickup time.
For a group of 1-3 travelersTotalUS$120
Your trip at a glance
Your trip at a glance
- Start in CuscoYou choose the pickup spot.
- Tipon Archaeological SiteFeel free to explore at your own pace and discoverStop: 1 h 30 min - admission not included
While Tipón is not the biggest Incan site that you can visit, it certainly has one of the best views, the neatest excavated ruins in Peru, and one of the most intact, too. The terraces, defensive walls, housing, classrooms, and gardens are all clearly visible - the megalithic stones used in much of the construction will not fail to impress you. Most notable are the still-functioning water channels, fed by a natural spring, which fed the lush terraces and still keeps them green today. Although the true nature of Tipón is lost today (even the name is a mystery), it is likely that the deliberately varying microclimates of each terrace were part of a crop-growing experiment (similar operations have been noted in other Incan sites). Tipón is also likely to have doubled up as a palace built by King Viracocha Inca for his father after he usurped his throne. - PikillactaFeel free to explore at your own pace and discoverStop: 1 h 30 min - admission not included
The ancient Wari people occupied Pikillacta for about 600 years from 550AD, predating the Incas by around 300 years. Although not as architecturally competent as the Incas, they nevertheless constructed a great city of 10,000 people that influenced the surrounding Wari settlements. Archaeological evidence is scarce but it was likely to have been a place of great religious ceremonies and civic administration, and by extension a center of trade too. While imports were high in Pikillacta, they did produce a lot of maize, helped by the fertile soils and reliable rainfall, supplemented by 48,000 metres of canals during the few dry months. Amongst the extensive ruins are Qaranqayniyuj (second largest residential area), Kunturqaqa (Rock of Condors, a rocky structure of undefined importance), Urpicancha (Bird House, a set of united platforms with great cultural importance), and Choqepucjio (the main structure, with foundations of stone, rising up to mud bricks).
- Back to CuscoWe’ll take you back to your starting point.
Duration of the stops can be changed upon request after booking
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