Other Attractions
Calca
Calca is considered the capital of the Sacred Valley, although Urubamba is actually larger. It is in a very beautiful location at the encounter of two valleys, and the snow-capped mountains in the background are wonderful. The Plaza de Armas is large and attractive, with an interesting church. It is said that the Inca Viracocha had a palace here, although there are now no remains of this.
There is not much in the way of tourism in Calca, although there are a few things worth visiting nearby. The ruins of Huchuy Cusco are a pleasant walk from here, although it is slightly further than from Lamay. The town of Machacancha, 8km from Calca entering the other valley, has some hot thermal baths and some pre-Inca ruins. Calca also makes a good base for some excellent walking in the area. There is a beautiful walk to a lagoon near the top of the snow-capped Pitusiray, where there are also some Inca monoliths.
Urubamba
Urubamba is the largest town in the Sacred Valley, and is in a very beautiful position with the snow-capped Chicón sitting behind the town. The town is very attractive, although there are no ruins nearby. It makes a good base for walking in the surrounding mountains. Pablo Seminario has a workshop in the town and produces some wonderful ceramics. Prices are slightly cheaper here than in Cusco, but are still expensive.
Chincheros
Chincheros is a very pretty, small colonial town about halfway between Cusco and Urubamba. The town is beautifully situated on a relatively flat area of the hillside, and there are plans to build an international airport near here, although this has yet to pass the early stages. The sight of the peaks of El Chicón and Salkantay looming over the Sacred Valley is wonderful. The area is of interest to travellers for two main reasons. It houses some very important Inca ruins and an interesting church, and there is also a good market here. The Sunday morning market is not so much aimed at tourists as the local population, although there are a few stalls selling very fine textiles and clothing at prices lower than in Cusco or Pisac. It is worth visiting if you are interested in buying textiles, or in just seeing a typical highland market.
Entrance to the old part of the town where the church is, and to the Inca ruins, is by the Tourist Ticket. The colonial church has fine frescoes, both inside and out, although it is not always open. The Inca ruins are very impressive, and near the church are ten very fine, large niches that were probably used to place idols. This was possibly part of Tupac Yupanqui's temple. There is extensive Inca terracing nearby, and at the far end are three large rocks with very impressive carvings of channels, steps and seats.
Maras
A few kilometres before arriving at Urubamba, the road passes a turn-off for Maras, a small town about 5km from the main road. The town is very traditional and receives few visitors. Apart from seeing the town, there are several interesting attractions nearby, including the Salineras de Maras and the ruins of Moray.
Salineras de Maras
The Salineras de Maras are about 10km off the road to Maras on a clearly marked, rough, unpaved road. These are pools on the mountainside that are used to collect salt. The soil in the Maras region has large amounts of salt in it, and a saline underground stream runs to the salineras. Here, the water is diverted into hundreds of pools, which are then sealed off, and through evaporation salt is left in the pools. Each pool is owned by a separate family, who collects the salt to sell. The sight of the salineras is truly unique, with hundreds of white terraces against the green mountains and the blue skies, and creates some wonderful photo opportunities. As the terraces are on the side of the mountain, salt stalactites form where the salt has dripped down.
Moray
Moray is a very different Inca site, about 7km beyond Maras, and was used as an agricultural experimentation centre. It consists of many levels of terraces in concentric circles at different elevations, and each different level was used to try out different crop strains. Due to the position of Moray, the temperature of the different terraces can vary significantly, creating very different climatic conditions in a very small area. Peter Frost cites a study by John Earls that recorded temperature differences of 15ºC between the top and bottom circles of the main depression, in an altitude difference of only 30m! The Incas took advantage of these conditions to try out different crop strains for agriculture at different altitudes and in different locations, and probably were able to develop new strains of crops for growth in new areas.
The site is very beautiful, and there are three depressions, the main one having 14 different levels. The views of the terraces with the snow-capped Salkantay in the background are wonderful.