Lima

Marcahuasi Experience in Lima

Badge of ExcellenceLima, Peru

10 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

The Marcahuasi stone forest is often overlooked by visitors, but this mystical site shouldn't be missed by anyone with an interest in nature or history—and this private guided tour will show you why. Discover monolithic stone forms, unobstructed vista points, and tucked-away attractions far from any crowds as you explore off the beaten path and delve into Peruvian lore.

Marcahuasi stone forest tour from Lima
Private tour can be customized to suit your interests
Breakfast and snacks included
All transportation included with pickup and drop-off in Lima

What's Included

Breakfast

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Av Javier Prado Oeste 1975, San Isidro 15076, Peru

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

We are going to pick up the costmer any place in Lima Metropolitana.

What To Expect

Municipalidad Distrital de San Pedro de Casta

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Marcahuasi

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Miraflores (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Service animals allowed
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required

Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Jeffrey_H

My friend and I took this tour together and cannot recommend it enough. Our time with our guide Carlos was the highlight of our trip to Peru. He provided so much insight and perspective throughout the journey that truly captured the type of experience we were looking for. He demonstrated the importance of community in Peru through his tour which was not always apparent in our other tours. Aside from the community/tour aspect, the views on this tour are absolutely stunning and Carlos perfectly curated the journey for us. Every stop is more spectacular than the next. It is well paced so you are able to take in every moment of the beautiful, historic views. I am so grateful for being able to do this experience and would highly encourage anyone else to partake!

Reviews

5.0

153 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 153 reviews

Overall great experience

Zairah_M, May 2024

This was a great experience, however I will say it is certainly not for beginners or even moderate. Moreso for advanced hikers in top shape. I would suggest to eat prior, bring hiking shoes if possible, and if you are weary of very small roads on large cliffs this may not be for you.

Marcahuasi Day Trip

victor_M, May 2024

"best driver". Very kind tour guide, going out his way for us to have the best time . Hope to have my next experience in the near future. Just an excellent day. Piedras

Spectacular!!!

Rozina_H, Apr 2024

There are no words to describe this magical place. Pictures won’t justify the beauty. Carlos was excellent tour guide. How can I forget Cusy. Thanks for bringing her along with you.

Magical

Ashleah_N, Apr 2024

There are no words! This a MUST if you are in Lima. It was a magical experience from start to finish.

Incredible

Andrew_M, Apr 2024

If you want to experience a very special place with someone who shares their connection to it, you can't go wrong. It's a bit of journey in a day, but a rewarding one. It's hard to translate the experience of being in this place into words.

Unique Tour!

Gwen_G, Apr 2024

This was one trip where the journey was a big part of the experience. To see the least, the drive up to Marcahuasi was thrilling! The experience was so unique from the history to the hike and onto the ruins. We had the entire Marcahuasi to ourselves, which I hear is often the case on the week days. I highly recommend! (I failed to remember our guides name, Carlos's associate - but he was awesome! He was always checking with us to be sure we were ok. And an awesome driver - even though the road was a bit crazy, we felt 100% safe.)

Great experience

Amanda_A, Apr 2024

Great experience !!! Our guide had a lot of experience and knowledge about this hike. Very patient when we had to stop for rest breaks

Mesmerized by Marcahausi

Kirsta_B, Mar 2024

Marcahausi is amazing to see in person and Carlos is the best tour guide I've ever had in my years of travel. He made the trip well worth it. He is very passionate about Marcahausi and Peruvian culture. He is sincere and taught us so much. This place is absolutely beautiful a must see !!!

Amazing Experience!

Jeffrey_H, Mar 2024

Authentic, adventurous Marcahuasi experience

Joel_D, Mar 2024

If you are looking for an experience off the beaten track, this is for you. Carlos was energetic and loved the mountains he took us to. We experienced authentic Peru, from breakfast and lunch, to hiking among Warhi ruins, to assisting locals along the way! Incredible! If you’re adventurous, this is for you!

Great knowledge guide who...

Neva_T, Feb 2024

Great knowledge guide who cares about connecting folks with their best selves through nature. Prepare your nerves for the drive though!

A Hiking Adventure in the Clouds

Chad_W, Jan 2024

Allow me to preface this by saying I’m not a hiking person in the slightest. But, despite some struggles with the altitude and a few bouts of vertigo, I really enjoyed this experience! It is a long day so you’ll need to get yourself in the headspace, but it will be so worth it. The right clothing/accessories are critical: hiking shoes, long sleeve shirt, light jacket (it can get chilly up there and perhaps rain), hat (with a brim or a back neck cover), sunscreen (don’t let the cloud cover fool you, UV rays are getting through, I have the patchy sunburn where I missed with sun screen to prove it), small backpack, and sunglasses. Our fantastic guide, Marco, picked us up at our AirBnB at 5am in a 4x4 and we were off. We drove about 1.5 hours before stopping for a bathroom break and light breakfast in Santa Eulalia (think tea/coffee and a breakfast sandwich) and the purchase of some water and fruit/snacks. This is where the adventure really starts: the final 90 minutes or so of driving up the mountainside to get to the hike starting point. People who have issues with heights: the narrow switchbacked dirt road up the side of mountain can feel precarious since there are no guardrails and it’s a sheer drop off the edge - DON’T LOOK DOWN and you’ll be fine. Marco is a great driver and handled the hairpin turns with ease. A stop at the town of San Pedro de Casta for a final bathroom break and payment of the Marcahuasi entrance fee before heading back to the 4x4 for the last 4 kilometers to the mouth of the trail where we park, load up on sunscreen, and head out. According to my watch’s altimeter, the hike starts at an elevation of about 12,300 feet and peaks out at around 12,900. I initially felt fine: no headache or shortness of breath. As soon as we started walking at a steep-ish incline the shortness of breath kicked right in. Thankfully, Marco was very patient when I had to take breaks to catch my breath. After the initial incline ended, the path we followed for the remainder of the hike was relatively flat. There were a few places along the hike where Marco suggested would be a good place for a picture and he offered to take them so we could be in them. Some of them I couldn’t do because the spot was too high or too close to an edge and my vertigo acted up. The fact that it was very foggy probably helped so I couldn’t see how far down was “down.” The other thing I noticed was how peacefully quiet it was up there - aside from the sound of the occasional donkey, there was only the sound of the wind and birds. We took a break for a snack at one of the mountain lakes and then we got to do my favorite part of the day: exploring the ruins. You can actually walk in and around them and even go inside one of the houses that is still intact! After the ruins we began our descent back to the car and then drove back to Lima and were dropped off at our AirBnB. The hiking portion was about 3-3.5 hours. Let me reiterate, I’m not an outdoorsy hiking person at all but I’m really glad I did this. There were a few moments that were a little rough with the altitude and the height, but overall it was an excellent experience that I highly recommend.

Amazing Experience!

Aaron_G, Jan 2024

This tour was a true highlight of my time in Peru. Our guide Carlos is an amazing human being and I'm so happy we got to spend a day seeing his favorite place in this beautiful country. The views are breathtaking and the experience life-altering. If you are the type of person who wants to get off the beaten path and see more than just the usual tourist destinations, I would highly recommend devoting a day to Marcahuasi. Do understand, you are very high in the mountain, so the air does get thin, and some areas do have steep inclines. I'm in decent health and walk regularly but would not consider myself to be terribly athletic. For me the hike was challenging at a few points but doable. If you suffer from any health concerns that limit activity for you this might be difficult though. My favorite aspect was that this location is not on the regular tourist rotation. While there we saw the local population from the village going about their daily lives and one hiker who had made his way up. Otherwise, it was a quiet and peaceful area to enjoy the unspoiled natural surroundings. Honestly, it was one of the most beautiful spots I've been to in my life, and I consider myself a pretty well experienced traveler. If you feel like this interests you, I wouldn't hesitate to book your date as Carlos only takes small groups (3 people in ours total though he can do a little larger) and you'll have a hard time finding another guide.

Perfecto

margarita_s, Jan 2024

The trip was amazing being in the mountains and seeing different Andean animal species. Also very quiet with minimal people.

A special place

Leslie_T, Jan 2024

Marcahuasi is such a special and beautiful place. I'm really happy with what we got to see and the cool pictures we took. There was no one else around, so it was peaceful. Our tour guide, Marco, was great at taking pictures for us and taught us a lot about the place. One small critique is that the breakfast was underwhelming compared to the meals we got with other tours we did in Peru.

A hike with stunning scenary right outta Lima.

Lisa_U, Dec 2023

Looking for a hike you can do from Lima?? Then this is it! With stunning views and scenary, some animals along the way too. Definitely glad to add this one to the list. Tour guides are awesome! Collecting me from my accomodation and then we were off. A short stop for breakfast and then we headed into the dirt road. Yes, the dirt road is bumpy, windy and narrow. This is part of the experience of a hike that starts further up a mountain. Sit back and enjoy the scenary, the drivers have done this mamy times. There was also communication multiple times just to check I was ok with the drive so far which was considerate. (The dirt road is actually in very good condition, better then a lot I see in Australia). For the hike, I would suggest some hike shoes, even basic ones, a bit easier when walking over rocks or on smooth boulders. Do not forget your sunscreen, apply when there. The sun at that alittude bites. There is some small inclines but it is mostly a plateau hike. Although of course those inclines are at altitude, taking the walk slow, most people should be fine. Although this may be a fairly new hike experience, it is one to add to the list if you have time or if you are based in Lima. Thanks for an awesome day Abraham & Eddie, loads of info and some photography skillz from Abraham for the perfect Instagram shot!

Great tour

Kenyatta_H, Dec 2023

Despite I had trouble getting use to the high altitude this was a amazing tour the scenery was great my tour guide Marco was great,this is a great tour but beware of the high altitude thin air

Marcahuasi Day Trip

Brittany_A, Oct 2023

My trip to Marcahuasi with Marco was wonderful! After an early morning pickup, we drove out of Lima and stopped in Santa Eulalia for a simple breakfast and coffee. Marco warned me about the narrow roads ahead, let air out of the tires, and we headed up to the “rustic” road into the mountains. While the cliff side drops could be scary to see, I put my trust in the vehicle and the driver and paid more attention to the beautiful views. I paid the small fee (20 soles) in San Pedro de Castra and we drove the final stretch to the hiking area. The beginning of the hike was the most difficult, because you walk up a steady hill to the start of the circuit. Don’t be discouraged though - it’s much easier after that. We hiked around the rock formations and Marco told me the theories and myths behind this mysterious area. He also acted as my personal photographer and took some great photos. At a beautiful viewpoint he advised me to take some time for myself, and left me to meditate or think for a while. It was easy to feel close to nature here. We only ran into a couple other hikers the entire time. We ended the hike looking at the pre-Spanish ruins before heading back to the suv. I never felt rushed and we did so much wandering and chatting that I wasn’t dropped off until about 5:30pm (which was fine with my schedule and I was aware of). Overall it was a long day, but filled with good conversation and peaceful quiet. We experienced all types of weather so be prepared with layers and rain jacket. Bring toilet paper for the toilets along the way and maybe some extra water or ibuprofen if you get a headache from the altitude or the bumpy drive home! I felt really comfortable as a solo female traveler taking this tour with Marco and organized by Carlos. I’d recommend it to anyone with an open mind and an adventurous spirit!

Great way to get out of Lima for a day

Monika_V, Oct 2023

Great fun day and well organized! Yago safely got us up and down the mountain! The region is beautiful and interesting.

Brilliant!

9tcj6wbqtz, Sep 2023

This day trip was one of the highlights of our month long tour! Carlos was a wonderful guide, we had a brilliant day. The bus ride was an experience in itself, I would highly recommend. We had no problem with the altitude despite this being our first experience.

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