Ride Peruvian mountain horses to hidden Inca sanctuaries on a guided half-day tour with round-trip transfers and site walks.
Getting started
Begin your guided half-day equestrian tour after your round-trip transfers bring you from central Cusco toward the surrounding archaeological park. You first meet your official licensed bilingual English and Spanish-speaking guide and wrangler support crew, who match you with one of the Peruvian mountain horses and adjust your comfortable saddle and safety helmet. After a short riding orientation, you set off toward your first panoramic ridge.
What to expect
Panoramic horseback route around Cusco
This route links elevated ridges and rural trails above Cusco, giving you open views toward the historic Inca capital and the Vilcanota mountain range.
Features
- Time on horseback is beginner-friendly, with well-trained, docile Peruvian mountain horses and full riding equipment, so you can focus on the scenery and the feel of the trail.
- CE-certified safety helmets and comfortable saddles are provided, and your expert English and Spanish-speaking guide and wrangler support crew ride alongside to manage pace and terrain.
- From several panoramic viewpoints, you pause to capture photos of Cusco spread out below and the surrounding Vilcanota mountain range before continuing toward the Inca sites.
- Throughout the guided half-day equestrian tour, an emergency support kit and portable oxygen bottle travel with the group for added security at altitude.
Inkilltambo, Wayraqpunku, and Chuspiyoq
You dismount near the first cluster of ruins to continue on foot into quieter sectors of the Cusco archaeological park, including Inkilltambo, Wayraqpunku, and Chuspiyoq.
Features
- Guided walks at Inkilltambo, Wayraqpunku, and Chuspiyoq help you explore carved terraces, passageways, and ritual spaces that illustrate Inca stonemasonry and landscape planning.
- Your official licensed bilingual guide shares Andean cosmology and the role of these lesser-known sites while you move between them on short connecting paths.
- Access to these areas is structured so that the horses remain outside the fragile zones while you continue on foot, rejoining your Peruvian mountain horses after the visit to ride to the next sector.
Temple of the Moon and Sun
Also known as Amaru Markawasi and part of the Zone X area, the Temple of the Moon and Sun is a cluster of carved stone chambers and ceremonial spaces associated with lunar and solar traditions.
Features
- On the guided walk, you step into caves and alcoves where altars and carved niches are visible, giving a close look at how the Incas shaped natural rock formations for ritual use.
- Your guide explains how light and shadow interact with these spaces in relation to the Moon and Sun, tying the architecture to broader Andean cosmology.
- The horses remain nearby with the wrangler support crew while you explore on foot, and all movement inside this sector is done at a walking pace to respect the carved stonework.
Kusilluchayoq
Kusilluchayoq is another sacred area in the archaeological park, visited toward the latter part of the itinerary before you ride back toward the trailhead.
Features
- During the guided walk at Kusilluchayoq, you follow stone paths and examine carved rock features that highlight the Incas' integration of natural outcrops into ceremonial landscapes.
- Interpretations from your bilingual guide connect Kusilluchayoq with the other visited sanctuaries, building a complete picture of ritual spaces across the hills above Cusco.
- After this final stop, you reunite with your Peruvian mountain horses for the last riding segment that leads back toward the vehicle pick-up point, where your round-trip transfers return you to central Cusco.