Traditions, Textiles & Andean Community
5.0 on Google (13) · 132 reviews on TripadvisorChinchero, at 3,762 metres and 28 kilometres from Cusco, is the weaving town of Cusco. Valley tours stop there for ten minutes; this experience gives it the whole morning. It is not a demonstration at a centre for passing tourists but a day with a community family: you learn to wash the wool with saqta root, spin it on the pushka, dye it with cochineal and plants and set up the backstrap loom, and you eat what they cook. The money goes straight to the weavers.
Pickup at eight. In Chinchero, the family welcomes the group with coca tea and the workshop begins: each person follows the whole process by hand, from fleece to dyed yarn and from yarn to loom. Mid-morning you visit the archaeological complex, the colonial church built on the palace of Túpac Inca Yupanqui and the terraces, with your guide. On Sundays, the barter market on the square. Lunch at the family’s home with local produce, and a simple offering to the Pachamama. Back in Cusco by mid-afternoon, stopping at the Chinchero viewpoint if the sky is clear.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | About 7 hours, with pickup at 8:00 |
| Altitude | 3,762 m, the highest point of the Sacred Valley |
| Walking | None: a stroll around the town and the archaeological complex |
| Includes | Weaving workshop, materials, lunch at the family’s home, guide and private transport |
| Entrance | Tourist Ticket for the archaeological complex, not included |
| Best day | Sunday, for the barter market |
If you want to see a lot in one day, the private Sacred Valley tour takes in Chinchero, Moray, Maras and Ollantaytambo, and the Chinchero, Maras and Moray tour does it in about seven hours. On both, Chinchero is a short stop. This experience does the opposite: one place, no rush and your hands on the loom. Choose it if textiles interest you more than monuments.
Travellers who want to understand Andean textiles rather than just buy them, families with children, who usually enjoy the loom most, and anyone after a calm day with no hiking. Chinchero is the highest point of the valley: spend a day in Cusco first. More about the town in our Chinchero guide, and with children, in the Sacred Valley with children.
The workshop is for your group alone: the family adapts the pace, you can ask questions at leisure and nobody waits for you to finish. With your own vehicle, on a Sunday the visit is timed with the market, and the return fits your afternoon.
The archaeological complex is visited with the Cusco Tourist Ticket, full or partial Circuit III, which is not included. The workshop, lunch and materials are. Bring a warm layer, sunscreen, cash if you want to buy pieces from the weavers and a willingness to get dye on your hands.
Click each segment to see the detailed itinerary.
Welcome with coca tea and the full process with your own hands: washing the wool with saqta root, spinning on a drop spindle, dyeing with cochineal and plants, and the backstrap loom.
Guided visit to the Inca complex, the colonial church on the palace of Túpac Inca Yupanqui and the terraces. On Sundays, the barter market in the square.
A meal at the family's home with local produce, a simple offering to Pachamama and time to talk about life in the community.
Back in the city mid-afternoon, with a stop at the Chinchero viewpoint if the sky is clear.
| Ticket | Price | Where to pay |
|---|---|---|
| Cusco Tourist Ticket, partial Circuit III (Sacred Valley) | 70 soles | At the first ruin |
| Cusco Tourist Ticket, full (10 days: city, Sacred Valley, South Valley and museums) | 130 soles | At the first ruin |
Approximate prices for a foreign adult. Paid in cash, in soles, and subject to change. Which one suits you, in the Tourist Ticket guide.
Quick answers to the most common questions about this tour.
We work with a community family, not a centre for passing tourism. They run the workshop, they cook lunch and the payment goes directly to them.
Yes, from the weavers themselves at the price they set. There is no obligation to buy.
Yes, it is one of the experiences that works best with children: touching the wool, watching the dye change colour and trying the loom.
Yes, for the archaeological complex and the church. It is not included and is bought at the gate. The workshop and lunch are included.
Sunday, for the barter market. The rest of the week the workshop is the same and the village is quieter.
We design itineraries with generous pacing, so you can truly immerse yourself and connect with Cusco.
Private tours: no strangers, no crowded buses. Just you, your people and your guide.
We skip the tourist traps and show you living Andean culture and little-visited archaeological sites.
Want to stop for a photo or stay longer at a site? It is your private tour: you control the clock.
From safety protocols to altitude tips, our local team looks after every step of your journey.
Real reviews, verified by each platform. Read them in full, with each traveller's name and date.
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