Sacred Valley Holidays

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People in traditional dress in the Sacred Valley, Peru

About the Sacred Valley

The term Sacred Valley of the Incas is used to refer to the valley of the Urubamba River, especially between Pisac and Ollantaytambo. The valley was very important to the Incas, as many of their sacred sites were located close to the river. As well as its rich Inca history, it boasts an indigenous local culture, striking scenery and relaxing ambience. Find out what makes this region of Peru so special by reading our blog.

Sacred Valley Location

The Sacred Valley is located in the Peruvian Andes, about 15 kilometres north of Cusco, as the condor flies. It stretches across 60 kilometres of fertile land from Pisac to Ollantaytambo, with several small towns dotted throughout the valley. To get to the Sacred Valley, the drive from Cusco to Chinchero, a small village located high up on the Andean plains, takes about an hour.

Visit the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley is quieter and more peaceful than Cusco, and visitors to the area often choose to spend some nights in the valley to be closer to the nearby attractions. The valley itself is scenic, with green pastures surrounded by a snowy, mountainous backdrop.

If you opt for our Sacred Valley excursion, spend the day exploring the valley, visiting villages and archaeological sites, learning about its inhabitants and the fascinating history, and enjoying the striking scenery. You can also stay overnight in a beautiful hotel in the Sacred Valley where you get to spend time with the Misminay community and learn about their culture and traditions, with more time to relax. If you can’t decide between visiting for one or two days, read this blog.

Sacred Valley Sites

The Sacred Valley contains some of the most visited archaeological sites in the Cusco area. The whole of the Urubamba River was very important to the Incas, and many of their most sacred sites were located near the river, including Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu. Nowadays, as in Inca times, the Sacred Valley is an important agricultural area, and most of the towns have given themselves titles such as ‘the world capital of maize', or ‘the world capital of capulí'. Its pleasant climate makes it particularly suited to agriculture.

Chinchero is a small town known for its textile workshops producing colourful Andean garments, colonial church and Inca ruins. Due to its location above the Sacred Valley, wonderful views can be seen from the town.

The modern town of Ollantaytambo is built on the base of the old Inca town, and the streets and blocks of the town are the same as those of the original Inca settlement. It almost certainly contains the best examples of Inca buildings still in use, although they have been modified somewhat. The Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo have some very fine terracing and some exceptional stonework. The site is not completely finished, so it gives a fascinating insight into how the Incas constructed their sites.

Also in the Sacred Valley are the ancient salt evaporation terraces of Maras, where salty water from an underground stream runs through an extensive system of channels and salt is collected in small pools, which are tended to by members of the local community.

Nearby, the agricultural experimentation centre of Moray is one of the most impressive and unusual Inca ruins in the valley, consisting of many levels of terraces in concentric circles at different elevations. Due to the position of Moray, the temperature of the terraces can vary significantly, creating varied climatic conditions in a very small area. The Incas took advantage of this to experiment with different crop strains at differing altitudes. The site is beautiful and views of the terraces with the snow-capped Salkantay Mountain in the background are wonderful.

Expand for more information on the Sacred Valley sites.

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 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. 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 & Moray

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.

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.

Ollantaytambo

Situated in Peru’s Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo has given itself the title ‘the living Inca town', and it almost certainly contains the best examples of Inca buildings still in use, although they have been modified somewhat. Wandering around the town and ruins gives the best example of what an Inca town must really have been like.

Ollantaytambo Location

Ollantaytambo is an attractive town at the far end of the Sacred Valley, 55 kilometres northwest of Cusco, surrounded by the Andes Mountains. The paved road ends here, although it is possible to continue down an unpaved road for a few kilometres. The train to Machu Picchu passes through Ollantaytambo, and all trains stop here.

Ollantaytambo History

Ollantaytambo was probably an important tambo (a resting house on an Inca route) for journeys towards the jungle, as well as a fort for protection against attacking tribes from the jungle. However, it is interesting to note that some of the heaviest fortifications are not facing the jungle but rather up the valley towards Cusco. Although there are claims that this was probably due to Manco Inca using the town as a defensive post against the Spanish based in Cusco, it is unlikely that these walls originated from that period as the stonework is very fine, and it is unlikely that the fleeing Inca would have had time to construct such a wall. Rather, it seems that these defences were built during the Inca reign, long before the arrival of the Spanish. A likely explanation comes from a legend surrounding the site, from where the site also gets its name. Ollantay was an Inca general under Pachacuteq, and was in charge of Ollantaytambo. The general fell in love with Pachacuteq's daughter, but the Inca forbade this love. The general therefore rebelled against Cusco (hence the construction of the defensive walls), but was defeated in battle. There are some legends that say that Pachacuteq relented after capturing the general, and allowed Ollantay to marry his daughter.

There is much speculation as to the reason for the failure to complete the site. Some claim that it was given less importance after Pachacuteq's death. Others, that its construction was interrupted by the civil war between Huáscar and Atahuallpa, or by the arrival of the Spanish. Whatever the reason, the work that was in progress indicates that this was one of the Incas' most important sites.

Ollantaytambo Town

The modern town of Ollantaytambo is built on the base of the old Inca town, and the streets and blocks of the town are the same as those of the original Inca town. The first metre or more of the walls of most of the houses behind the Plaza are original Inca walls, and many of the doorframes are original Inca doorframes.

There is a small museum in Ollantaytambo, with archaeological and historical information on the area, as well as a room dedicated to local crafts and beliefs. In addition to the site at Ollantaytambo, a couple of hours down the valley is the site of Pumamarca, which consists mainly of Inca terracing.

Ollantaytambo Inca Ruins

The main attraction in the area is the Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo, with some very fine terracing and some exceptional stonework. Entrance is by the Tourist Ticket.

Temple of the Sun

Entering the site there are some beautiful terraces. These may have been used for agriculture, although it is also possible that they were purely decorative. Climbing the steps by the side of the terracing brings you to a very fine double doorway. This was the entrance to the Temple of the Sun. Next to the door is another temple, incomplete, with ten windows. The quality of the stonework and the proximity to the Temple of the Sun indicates that this was probably the Temple of the Moon. Walking around the Temple of Moon brings you to an open platform. This was the Temple of the Sun, although it was never completed. In fact, this site is very interesting as it gives a good insight into the construction techniques of the Incas. There are many stones on their sides, and there is a ramp that was used to drag the stones from the quarry on the other side of the valley, 6km away. Between the quarry and the site there are approximately 50 stones that were in the process of being brought to Ollantaytambo. What is particularly impressive is that these huge stones would have had to cross the river. How this was done is unclear, although there are suggestions that the Incas diverted the course of the water around the stones. Upon completion of the site, the ramp from the quarry would have been destroyed.

Monoliths

Even in its incomplete state, the Temple of the Sun is amazing. There are six very impressive carved monoliths, among the finest in the Inca world. There huge stones were joined together with an incredible perfection, by pouring molten bronze into T-grooves joining the stones. These grooves are clearly visible on some of the stones lying on the ground. The monoliths originally had carvings on them, although these have now been destroyed. However, the outlines of a chakana (the Andean Cross) and a puma are visible. Both of these symbols correspond to the Inca perception of the order of the universe. The chakana was a cross with three different levels, representing the three worlds: Hanan Pacha, the world of above (representing the gods of the sun, moon and stars); Kay Pacha, this world (representing this life); and Uqhu Pacha, the world of below (representing death). Each of these worlds was represented by an animal: the condor, the puma and the snake. It is important to note that these worlds do not correspond to the Christian ideas of Heaven, Earth and Hell. In fact, the negative imagery associated with the snake, for example, was not shared by the Incas.

Ollantaytambo Fountains

The site also contains many fountains. The water for these came from a sacred lake, Yanacocha, 14km away. There are also many other buildings with cruder stonework. These would originally have been plastered and so would not have seemed so crude. These were less important temples as well as accommodation.

Pinkuylluna

The mountain opposite the ruins is Pinkuylluna, an Apu (a sacred Inca mountain, worshipped by the people), and there are storehouses visible on the side of the mountain.

Ollantaytambo is an interesting part of any trip to Peru. Contact us to find out more about visiting the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Other Towns in the Sacred Valley

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.

Pisac

Pisac is a small market town used by villagers from all around the Sacred Valley. Apart from the traditional market, it now caters extensively for the tourists who visit and there is a crafts market.

The main attraction near the town is the Inca site of Pisac situated above the town. This can be reached either by road or by walking up from the town. The walk up is beautiful, although quite steep, and takes around 1½ hours. The walk down takes around 1 hour. The ruins are very extensive, and it would be easy to spend the best part of the day here, especially if walking up and down from the town below. This is one of the finest Inca sites in the Cusco area. Entrance to the site is by the Tourist Ticket.

The site was a very important Inca centre, and contains many very fine ceremonial buildings, housing and agricultural terracing, as well as some very impressive defensive structures. From its size and the buildings in the complex, it appears that Pisac was probably an important ceremonial and administrative centre, as well as a large town. The main ceremonial centre, around the Intihuatana, contains some superb Inca stonework. As with all major Inca centres, this area contains the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Moon, some fine ritual baths and an Intihuatana stone, which was used for measuring the position of the sun. There are many other areas in the Pisac ruins, and it is well worth exploring the site.

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.