A Half-Day Walk on the Inca Road from Chinchero to Urquillos
The Inca Trail from Chinchero to Urquillos is a half-day walk along a recently rebuilt stretch of Inca road between the village of Chinchero and the farming community of Urquillos. You walk down through a quiet quebrada, then reach a viewpoint, or ushnu, with the sacred peaks of Pitusiray and Sahuasiray in front of you. Choose a shared or private service, because we tailor-make every detail to your travel style, needs and budget.
A recently rebuilt Inca road
A viewpoint over the Sacred Valley
Led by a local expert team
A packed lunch and private transport
Route and Itinerary
Half a Day on the Inca Road
Follow the route from Chinchero to Urquillos, then check the altitude changes along the way.
Distance
7.43 km
Duration
5 hrs
Start
3,720 m a.s.l.
End
2,903 m a.s.l.
Route map
Elevation profile
Altitude comes from the route’s GPS track, so every value is in m a.s.l.
Itinerary
9:00 a.m. We pick you up at your hotel and drive to Chinchero, an Inca-founded town watched over by the Chicón snowcap. Its name is thought to come from the Quechua word sinchi, meaning brave man.
Then you follow a recently rebuilt stretch of Inca road that links Chinchero with Urquillos, walking down through the quebrada. Along the way, a viewpoint, or ushnu, opens onto the Sacred Valley, with the sacred mountains of Pitusiray and Sahuasiray in front of you.
You finish in Urquillos, where the microclimate suits the best maize of the Vilcanota valley, known as gran blanco. This valley also holds haciendas that belonged to the most important Incas and were later divided among the Spanish army’s high command. Finally, we drive you back to your hotel. The excursion lasts about 5 hours, including your packed lunch.
Your price
What’s Included
Guide and safety
Professional guide in English and Spanish.
First-aid kit.
Lunch
Packed lunch box.
Transport
Pickup from your hotel to Chinchero.
Private transport from Urquillos back to your hotel.
What’s not included
Tips for the guide and driver.
Personal expenses.
Important Notes
Shared or private service, tailored to your dates and group size.
We pick you up at your hotel at 9:00 a.m.
Bring a little cash in soles for tips and personal expenses.
However, times are approximate.
FAQ
Difficulty and altitude
This is a half-day walk of about 5 hours. According to our GPS track, it covers 7.43 km and descends about 820 m, from 3,720 m a.s.l. at Chinchero to 2,903 m a.s.l. at Urquillos. Because the route goes mostly downhill, most of the effort falls on your knees and ankles, so good walking shoes help.
Good physical condition is recommended. Your guide walks with you, and we provide a packed lunch and a first-aid kit.
We recommend spending at least one full day in Cusco (3,399 m a.s.l.) before the walk, so your body has time to adjust to the altitude. The route starts at 3,720 m a.s.l. and descends to 2,903 m a.s.l. If you have a health condition, check with your doctor before you travel.
Packing and booking
Bring comfortable clothes for walking, a warm jacket, a small backpack, your camera, sunscreen and a hat. We provide a packed lunch and a first-aid kit. Bring a little cash in soles for tips and personal expenses.
Book as early as possible, so we can confirm availability for your dates.
You can choose a shared or a private service, and we tailor-make every detail to your travel style and needs. The price depends on your group size and the services you choose, so request a quote.
Write to us on WhatsApp with your preferred dates and group size, and we will confirm availability and explain how to secure your booking. We will reply as soon as we can.
Before and after the trek
On the day of the walk, we pick you up at your hotel at 9:00 a.m. and drive to the village of Chinchero, where the walk begins.
After the walk, we drive you from Urquillos back to your hotel.
However, times are approximate.
Pack light
What to bring
The bag you carry yourself while walking.
Sun and rain
Sun hat
Sunscreen
Warm jacket
Daypack essentials
Small backpack
Comfortable clothes for walking
Documents and health
Personal medication
Camera and power
Camera
Keep your camera, sunscreen and hat in your small backpack. Bring a little cash in soles for tips and personal expenses.
Tripadvisor · 2026 Reviews
What Our Travelers Say
Recent Tripadvisor reviews of Santu trips in Peru, posted in 2026.
This is Santu’s overall rating, not a rating specific to this walk.
“The experience was incredible; we were 3 families and we loved it. The level of food, the tents, the guides. A ten.”
Edgardo C · Toledo, Spain Written 4 August 2026 · Translated from Spanish by Tripadvisor
“… Giuliana exceeded our expectations. She did an amazing job listening to our wants/needs, make recommendations and take care of all the steps along the way. We felt fully informed.”
“Giuliana who is an amazing travel agent who planned everything for Us and give us lots of great ideas and she came with an amazing package that it took care of all our needs …”
To provide the best experience, we use technologies such as cookies to store and/or access device information. By consenting, we may process data such as browsing behavior or unique identifiers on this site. Refusing or withdrawing consent may negatively affect certain features and functionality.
Functional
Always active
Technical storage or access is strictly necessary to provide a specific service explicitly requested by the user, or solely to enable communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferencias
El almacenamiento o acceso técnico es necesario para la finalidad legítima de almacenar preferencias no solicitadas por el abonado o usuario.
Statistics
El almacenamiento o acceso técnico que es utilizado exclusivamente con fines estadísticos.Technical storage or access is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. The information collected cannot normally be used to identify you.
Marketing
Technical storage or access is used to create user profiles, deliver relevant advertising, or track users across websites for similar marketing purposes.
