Visiting the Sacred Valley of the Incas is one of the popular activities in Cusco. Our full day Sacred Valley Peru Tour is designed to offer you an introduction to the Inca civilization and Andean mythology.
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is a group of traditional villages that were prominent during the Inca Empire, some continue to be so even today. The archaeological sites, traditional communities and the arts and crafts makes this an unmissable attraction and a popular day trip from Cusco city.
The villages in the Sacred Valley of the Incas have the most fertile soil in Peru. The Incas built many farmlands across the valley. Farming terraces of Moray are a true testament to the Incas’ advancement in farming techniques. It was more of an agricultural laboratory to them.
The circular terraces here that resemble the Roman Amphitheater are dug into the ground. They have different levels and each level has a different temperature. This allowed the Incas to know the best weather condition needed to grow any crop.
The town of Maras is another notable site. The Pre Inca Maras salt pans are built on a cliff side. Locals extract salt using the traditional Solar Evaporation method.
These geometric shaped salt pools are filled with natural spring waters. They wait for the water to evaporate and manually scrape out salt from there.
On this full day Sacred Valley of the Incas tour from Cusco, you will be getting a deeper insight into life in the Andes and Incas history. This will be extremely helpful to understand life during the Inca period in South America, especially before visiting Machu Picchu.
We highly recommend this tour while you acclimatize in Cusco as Sacred Valley Peru is roughly 2743 meters above sea level (9000 feet). This would help you acclimatize.
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Cusco Hotel Transfer
0700 AM
A visit to the Sacred Valley of Peru is a great way to experience the rich history and culture of this region, and to explore the stunning natural and archaeological wonders of this unique part of the world.
Sacred Valley is situated in the Andes mountains and stretches for roughly 60 kilometers (37 miles) along the Urubamba River, between the towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Here’s an overview of what you can expect to see and experience in the Sacred Valley:
Embark on an insightful trip to the Sacred Valley of the Incas with an English speaking local tour guide. Your epic full day trip begins with an early morning transfer from your hotel in Cusco. We will be driving you for 45 minutes to the emblematic Ina ruins of Pisac.
The Inca Ruin here nestles on a hilltop overlooking the valley. With our local expert you will be getting an immersive tour of the complex. After the tour, we will be driving you to the main square. There is a handicraft market here which is popular for local craftsmen selling their products, it is an ideal place to buy souvenirs.
After the tour, we will be driving you to Ollantaytambo. This is a prominent place. The beautiful town nesltes between two hills each home to Inca sites.
Here we will be visiting the most prominent Inca ruin. This is where the infamous battle of Ollantaytambo was fought between Manco Inca and the Spanish troops led by Hernando Pizzaro in 1537.
After this immersive tour, you will have some free time to saunter the cobble stoned streets of Ollantaytambo. This is a living Inca town as it has been continuously inhabited since the Inca civilization.
Ollantaytambo is a true testament to Incas advancement in town planning. You will witness here how carefully the irrigation canals run in the middle of the street. These were built by the Incas and are functional even today.
After the tour, we will be driving you to Urubamba. Rightly called as the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas due to its centric location. Here we will be stopping in a local restaurant for a farm fresh buffet lunch.
After lunch, we will be driving you to Maras. Home to iconic salt mines, our local expert will introduce you to the traditional salt farming method here. The salt of Maras is rich in nutrient value. This pink salt has a distinct taste.
We will then visit Moray. The circular farming terraces are arguably the most photographed site in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Here we will be giving you a detailed tour of the complex.
Our last stop will be in the small town of Chinchero. Just 45 minutes away from bustling Cusco City, Chinchero is home to renowned Andean weavers. Here you will get a first hand insight into their traditional weaving methods.
We will also be visiting the Inca ruins here. The village also houses a white washed colonial church which was built on the remains of Pachacutec’s palace when the Spanish colonists invaded Chinchero.
After the tour, we will be returning to Cusco by 0600 PM.
