Quick Summary: The South Valley day trip links three stops roughly 22 to 45 km south-east of Cusco on the highway toward Puno: the Inca terraces and fountains of Tipón, the Wari city of Pikillaqta, and the painted church of San Pedro Apóstol in Andahuaylillas. As of October 2026, Tipón and Pikillaqta are entered only with the Boleto Turístico (Circuit II, S/70, about US$20, valid 2 days), while the church sells its own S/18 ticket (about US$5) that also covers the churches of Huaro and Canincunca. Buses and shared taxis toward Urcos pass the turnoffs for all three for S/5 to S/8, so our pick is to go independently, start at Tipón and give it at least two hours. It suits acclimatising travellers and anyone who has seen the Sacred Valley; for how it ranks, see our ranking of day trips from Cusco.
The Day at a Glance
Every stop sits at about 3,100–3,460 m (10,200–11,350 ft), close to Cusco's 3,399 m (11,152 ft), except Tipón's upper trails, so this is a gentle outing while you acclimatise.
| Site | Ticket | Hours | Time needed | Distance from Cusco |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tipón | Boleto Turístico: Circuit II S/70 or full ticket S/130 | About 07:00–18:00 daily | 2–3 hours | About 22–27 km, roughly 35–60 min by car |
| Pikillaqta (plus Rumicolca) | Same Boleto; Rumicolca free | About 08:00–17:00 daily (one source) | 1–2 hours | About 32 km |
| Andahuaylillas church | Ruta del Barroco Andino South Valley ticket, S/18 | 07:30–17:30 daily | 30–45 minutes | About 39–45 km, about 1 hour |
| Huaro and Canincunca churches (optional) | Same S/18 ticket | 08:30–16:30 daily | A short stop each | About 5–6 km beyond Andahuaylillas |
COSITUC, which runs the Boleto, publishes no hours for Tipón and Pikillaqta, so those come from travel guides. Church details come from the Jesuit-promoted Ruta del Barroco Andino (updated September 2026; schedule in force since August 2023).
Tipón: Inca Water Engineering That Still Runs
Tipón is an Inca estate of terraces, canals and fountains covering 239 hectares in Oropesa district, according to Andina. COSITUC's site page stresses that its channels and fountains still work, and that is the reason to come.
- What you see: 13 main terraces with walls up to about 5 m high, fed by a monumental fountain that splits a spring into four jets. The American Society of Civil Engineers listed Tipón as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2006 (Wikipedia).
- History: probably an early 15th-century royal estate of Pachacuti or his son Túpac Inca Yupanqui.
- Altitude: the main terraces sit at about 3,380–3,460 m (11,090–11,350 ft), and the park climbs to about 3,960 m (12,990 ft) at Cruzmoqo, home to most of its petroglyphs, per Nomadic Niko (updated May 2026).
- Time needed: about 2 hours for the terraces, and up to about 4 hours for the upper sectors, per Tierras Vivas.
- Rule to know: keep out of the water. After tourists bathed in a fountain in 2022, the culture ministry filed a police complaint and posted a permanent guard (Andina).
Our view: Tipón is the strongest stop and the one tours shortchange; Nomadic Niko notes they cover only the main terraces. The village below is known for roast guinea pig (cuy), per Machu Travel Peru.
Pikillaqta: The Wari City Before the Incas
Pikillaqta, roughly "town of fleas" in Quechua, was built by the Wari culture centuries before the Incas. COSITUC's site page calls it one of the main Wari sites in the Cusco region, with plazas, enclosures and streets of stone and adobe. Wikipedia dates its occupation to roughly AD 550 to 1100.
- What you see: a rigid grid of rectangular enclosures and long straight lanes. Routard counts more than 700 buildings, some once two or three storeys high.
- Rumicolca: a 10 to 15 minute walk south-east along the main road, a Wari aqueduct the Incas rebuilt as a gate on the road into Cusco, with walls up to about 12 m (39 ft). Atlas Obscura lists entry as free.
- Altitude: about 3,200–3,350 m (10,500–11,000 ft); sources differ.
- Time needed: 1 to 2 hours, per TreXperience (updated June 2026) and Routard.
Our honest take: the fieldstone-and-mud walls look rough beside Inca masonry. Pikillaqta earns an hour for its scale and contrast, and it is the stop to trim if time runs short.
Andahuaylillas: The "Sistine Chapel of America"
From the plaza, San Pedro Apóstol, at about 3,100 m (10,200 ft), looks like a plain adobe village church. Inside, almost every surface is painted or gilded. The route's church page describes a Mudéjar-influenced coffered ceiling, two painted organs it calls the oldest in Latin America, and a baptistery doorway with the baptism formula in Latin, Spanish, Quechua, Aymara and Puquina. The Path to Heaven and Path to Hell murals by the entrance are by Luis de Riaño and indigenous collaborators, from the 1620s (Wikipedia).
- Time needed: 30 to 45 minutes.
- Photos: not allowed inside, as 2026 visitors report.
- The 2024 closure: earthquake damage, including fallen roof tiles and a damaged bell tower, closed the church for inspection (Infobae, May 2024). We found no formal reopening notice, but Nomadic Niko lists admission as of May 2026, and tours sold in October 2026 include the visit.
Is the nickname earned? Partly. This is a village church, not a Roman vault; what earns the trip is the density of painting, gilding and canvases working as one teaching programme.
Huaro and Canincunca (optional): the same ticket covers two churches a little further toward Urcos. Huaro's San Juan Bautista is covered in murals of death, judgement, heaven and hell by the Cusco painter Tadeo Escalante, per the route's Huaro page, signed in 1802 according to the parish priest quoted by Panamericana. The small Canincunca chapel stands on an old Wari site beside Lake Urcos. Huaro is 4.9 km past Andahuaylillas and Canincunca another 1.1 km, with S/1 colectivos between them.
Tickets: Two Separate Systems
Tipón and Pikillaqta are on the Boleto Turístico's Circuit II (City and South Valley), and no single-site ticket exists. COSITUC's tariff page, read in October 2026, lists:
- Circuit II partial: S/70 (about US$20) for a foreign adult, valid 2 days. It also covers six city sites, so you can use day two in town.
- Full ticket: S/130 (about US$38), 16 sites over 10 days. Buy this if you will also see Sacsayhuamán or the Sacred Valley, because two partials cost S/140.
- Where to buy: in person only, at Av. El Sol 103 or at most included sites, including the Tipón gate, per COSITUC's FAQ.
The churches are not on the Boleto. The Ruta del Barroco Andino's South Valley ticket covers Andahuaylillas, Huaro and Canincunca for S/18 (about US$5), or S/10 for students and Peruvians, and S/25 (about US$7) adds the Compañía church on Cusco's Plaza de Armas. It is valid for seven calendar days and sold at any of the churches, and the route says the income funds conservation and Jesuit social programmes.
For a foreign adult the two tickets total S/88 (about US$26). Carry cash in soles: Nomades tells its tour customers to pay both in cash. Our Boleto Turístico guide covers the circuits in detail.
Getting There: Bus, Colectivo, Taxi or Tour
All the stops sit on or just off the highway to Urcos. The Ruta del Barroco Andino's transport notes, updated September 2026, give these options from Cusco:
- Shared taxi (colectivo) to Urcos: from the stop on Av. de la Cultura in front of the university, S/8 (about US$2.30).
- Bus to Urcos: from the stop in front of the Regional Hospital, S/5 (about US$1.45).
- Private taxi: about S/40–50 (US$12–15) one way to the churches, about an hour.
Tipón: ask for the Tipón turnoff (el desvío a Tipón). The ruins are up a steep road, about 45 minutes on foot per Tierras Vivas and Wikivoyage, or a short taxi ride with the fare agreed first. Pikillaqta: the entrance is about 500 m off the highway (TreXperience). Andahuaylillas: on the route, about an hour from Cusco.
Taxi: Machu Travel Peru puts a one-way taxi to Tipón at about 37 minutes and S/30–40 (US$9–12). We found no reliable full-day rate, so fix the price, stops and waiting time before you leave.
Group tour: half-day tours cover all three in about 5.5 to 6 hours. Nomades lists one from S/38 (about US$11) with pickup and guide, tickets extra. Much of that window is driving.
Daytime tourist buses between Cusco and Puno also stop at Andahuaylillas; see our Puno to Cusco guide.
The Best Order, Hour by Hour
Go in road order: Tipón first, while you are fresh for its climbs, and Andahuaylillas last, since it closes at 17:30, an hour after Huaro and Canincunca. A sample day by public transport:
- 07:00: bus or colectivo from Av. de la Cultura to the Tipón turnoff.
- 08:00 to 10:30: Tipón, buying the Boleto at the gate if needed.
- 11:00 to 12:30: Pikillaqta and the walk to Rumicolca.
- 13:00 to 15:00: lunch, then Canincunca and Huaro if you want them.
- 15:30 to 16:30: Andahuaylillas, then about an hour back to Cusco.
Oropesa bread stop: Oropesa, about 22 km from Cusco at 3,320 m (10,890 ft), was named Peru's National Capital of Bread by Law 31389 in January 2022, Andina reported, estimating that about 85% of residents work in baking. Buy the round pan chuta. Andina puts Tipón about 7 km away, an easy taxi stop.
Our Pick: DIY or Tour, and Who Should Skip It
Our position: do it on your own. Transport is cheap and frequent, the altitude is gentle, and going independently buys what tours cut short: time at Tipón.
- Go by bus or colectivo if: you can flag a bus and ask for a stop in basic Spanish. Budget S/88 for entries and roughly S/15–25 for transport.
- Hire a taxi for the day if: you are two to four people, want Oropesa and Huaro without bus changes, or have limited mobility.
- Book a group tour if: you only have a morning and want a guide. Accept a brief Tipón.
- Skip it if: you have only one or two days in Cusco. Sacsayhuamán and the Sacred Valley come first.
The Waqrapukara overlap: Waqrapukara lies further down the same highway, where its access roads leave at the Chuquicahuana Bridge. It is a separate day of about 14 hours from a 3 or 4 a.m. pickup, with a hike at roughly 4,100–4,300 m, so the two do not combine. Do the South Valley early and Waqrapukara later; our altitude sickness guide explains why.
FAQ
Is the Andahuaylillas church included in the Boleto Turístico?
No. The church sells its own S/18 Ruta del Barroco Andino ticket, which also covers Huaro and Canincunca for seven days. Only Tipón and Pikillaqta use the Boleto.
Can I buy a ticket for Tipón only?
No. COSITUC sells no single-site tickets, so the cheapest way in is the S/70 Circuit II partial, which also covers Pikillaqta and six city sites for two days. The Tipón gate sells it.
How long does the South Valley day trip take?
A group tour takes about 5.5 to 6 hours. On your own, plan from about 07:00 to mid-afternoon for the three main stops, or until about 17:30 back in Cusco if you add Huaro and Canincunca.
How do I get to Tipón by public transport?
Take a bus (S/5) or colectivo (S/8) toward Urcos from Av. de la Cultura and ask for the Tipón turnoff. From there it is about 45 minutes uphill on foot, or a short taxi ride with the fare agreed first.
Is the Andahuaylillas church open after the 2024 earthquakes?
It closed for structural checks after earthquake damage in 2024. We found no formal reopening notice, but a guide updated in May 2026 lists the S/18 admission and October 2026 tours include the visit. Check with the route if the church is your main reason to go.
Can I take photos inside the Andahuaylillas church?
No, photography is not allowed inside. You can photograph the exterior, the plaza and the open chapel set into the facade.
Is the South Valley worth it if I have already seen the Sacred Valley?
Yes, that is when it is most worth it. It adds a pre-Inca Wari city, Andean Baroque painting and Tipón's working water channels, with far fewer visitors.
Can I combine the South Valley with Waqrapukara or Rainbow Mountain?
Not in one day. Waqrapukara is about a 14-hour trip from a 3 or 4 a.m. start, and Rainbow Mountain sits at about 5,000 m, so both deserve their own day.
Limitations
Prices, hours and fares here are as of October 2026 and can change: the August 2026 Boleto Turístico law may alter circuits and prices, the church schedule dates from 2023, and Tipón and Pikillaqta hours come from travel guides. Earthquakes have closed the Andahuaylillas church before, and we found no formal reopening notice after 2024. Work-around: before booking, confirm the Boleto price at a COSITUC counter, check the Ruta del Barroco Andino's useful-information page for church hours, and ask your driver or tour seller exactly which entries their price includes.