A Complete Guide to Sacred Valley: Peru’s Hidden Gem
The Sacred Valley is the perfect destination whether you’re planning a full itinerary for Cusco and Sacred Valley or just looking for easy activities and day trips from Cusco. It’s the ideal place to slow down and immerse yourself in local traditions, due to its strategic location. In fact, the Sacred Valley sits right between Cusco and Machu Picchu. Also, if you’re wondering what to do in Cusco while acclimating, taking a relaxed day trip to the Sacred Valley is a great start. I personally loved wandering through the colorful markets of Pisac and exploring the impressive ruins of Ollantaytambo.
After finishing the Salkantay Trek, we took a 1-day Sacred Valley tour from Cusco. It was the perfect way to unwind, with minimal walking involved. The experience gave us a chance to take in Incan history and scenery without adding more physical strain. Even if multi-day treks (like Salkantay) aren’t your thing, this guide to Sacred Valley shows you how to enjoy the main highlights at your own pace and continue on to Machu Picchu comfortably.
In this post, I’ll share our guide to Sacred Valley in Peru, what we saw and how we explored the area. This way you can plan your own trip and make the most of it too.
Guide to Sacred Valley: 1-Day Tour & Itinerary Map
There are many options when it comes to how to visit the Sacred Valley from Cusco. We opted for an organized Sacred Valley tour that picked us up directly from our hostel in the morning. But, some tours even extend beyond the valley, by combining a visit to Machu Picchu or offering an overnight stay in the valley. If you’re wondering how to visit the Sacred Valley or whether you should opt for a combined Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour, there are plenty of flexible options to match your pace and interest.
A Sacred Valley self guided trip is a great option as well. You can rent a car, use public transport or hire a driver to take you around. Independently of what you choose, this guide to Sacred Valley will help you make the most of your time.
Why Visiting the Sacred Valley
During the time of the Inca Empire, the Sacred Valley was a key agricultural hub. This was especially true for maize, which was a sacred crop. Its fertile soil and mild climate made it ideal for farming, while its location allowed for the movement of goods like coca leaves and chili peppers from the tropical lowlands to Cusco. That’s how it earned its name: the Sacred Valley.
Today, the Sacred Valley is a rewarding place to visit for its impressive Inca archeological sites like Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray, and Chinchero. It’s also known for traditional markets and local Quechua culture. Also, the Sacred Valley is one of the main gateways to catch the train to Machu Picchu. But even if you’re not continuing on to the famous citadel, exploring the Sacred Valley without Machu Picchu is still incredibly rewarding. With a mix of history, culture, and scenery, the valley makes a practical and memorable stop on any trip through Peru.
Entrance Fees to Sacred Valley
Although there is no entrance fee to the Sacred Valley itself, there are fees for the archaeological sites within it. This includes the ruins in Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Moray, as well as attractions like Chinchero and the Maras Salt Mines.
To visit these sites, you’ll need to purchase either the Sacred Valley Tourist Ticket or the Cusco Tourist Ticket. This ticket will grant you access to multiple locations and you can buy them at any of the attractions mentioned above.
How to Visit the Sacred Valley
There are many ways to visit the Sacred Valley, from 1-day tours from Cusco to multi-day stays in the valley. Ultimately, it depends on how much time you have available. A guide to Sacred Valley can help you decide which towns, ruins and markets to prioritize.
Day Tours From Cusco
The most popular way to visit Sacred Valley, if you have limited time, is by booking a guided day tour from Cusco. These tours typically visit key sites, such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo. It’s a relaxed way to see the highlights without needing to navigate on your own.
Travel Tip: most of the tour agencies in Cusco offer a Sacred Valley tour. So, you’ll have unlimited options to choose from.
Visit the Sacred Valley Self Guided and by Bus
Another way of exploring the Sacred Valley is by taking the bus from Cusco. There are two main routes you can take:
- Pisac Route: bus stop at Puputi Street s/n Cusco
- Chinchero Route: bus stop Pavitos Street s/n, Cusco
These buses leave every day from Cusco and stop in each town in the Sacred Valley. This is a very economical way of visiting the Sacred Valley, as each way costs around 5 Sol (USD$ 2).
Multi-Day Tours including Machu Picchu
If you don’t want to do the Inca Trail or Salkantay Trek to get to Machu Picchu, then an itinerary for Cusco and Sacred Valley might just be the perfect choice for you. These tours combine Cusco, Sacred Valley and even Machu Picchu in one immersive experience. Depending on the tour details, you can expect to receive some cultural insights, visit local Inca towns and maybe even explore some hiking trails in Sacred Valley.
Take the Train to Ollantaytambo and Then Take a Tour of Sacred Valley
If you’re really set on taking the IncaRail, which ultimately brings you to Aguas Calientes (gateway to Machu Picchu), there is a way to still visit the Sacred Valley. The best option would be to visit Machu Picchu first and on the way back stop in Ollantaytambo. Here, then you can hop on an organized tour of the Sacred Valley, bringing you ultimately back to Cusco.
Main Attractions in the Sacred Valley
On our 1-day tour to visit the Sacred Valley we stopped at 5 main attractions. These included Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray, Chinchero and the Maras Salt Mines.
Chinchero: Experience Peruvian Weaving
The first stop in the Sacred Valley was just 30 minutes outside of Cusco. Chinchero is home to the Peruvian weaving, where many handcrafts are exported to the neighboring cities, such as Cusco.
To create textiles by hand, weavers in the Sacred Valley use natural dyes sourced from local plants and insects. For example, a parasite that grows on cacti forms a white coating, and when crushed, it produces a vibrant red dye. This natural colorant is not only used for dyeing textiles but is also traditionally used by local women as a natural alternative to makeup.
In Chinchero, we also visited the archeological ruins and the terraces that families once used for farming and agricultural purposes. Because of its rich and fertile soil, the land in Chinchero is perfect for growing potatoes, quinoa and beans.
Maras Salt Mines: Visit the Ancient Salt Mines
The Inca saw a great opportunity in the salt mines. It provided an important mineral at the time not only for consumption and livestock purposes, but also for food storage and even human mummification. Today, a local community controls and manages the salt mines.
An underground network of canals brings salt water straight from the mountain to over 3,000 pools.
Moray: Inca Agricultural Terraces
Moray’s ruins consist of circular depressions that Inca people once used as plantation terraces to acclimatize plants and crops. The terraces had varying temperatures, depending on how deep they were dug into the ground. Also, a complex irrigation system, which still functions today, brought water to the different levels.
Ollantaytambo: Discover Inca Fortress
Due to its strategic location at the entrance to the path leading to Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo held significant religious and military importance. During the Inca Empire, it served as a fortress, protecting against potential Spanish invasions. Additionally, it functioned as a ceremonial temple, hosting key religious rituals and ceremonies.
Travel Tip: In case you are thinking on visiting Machu Picchu, you can easily combine the visit with a Sacred Valley tour. In fact, you can take the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, after exploring some of the archaeological sites near Ollantaytambo.
Pisac: Explore the Archeological Site
The incredible terraces are carved into the mountain and extend from the bottom of the valley. The ruins were used for farming. But today they display a residential settlement, ceremonial baths and the largest Inca cemetery in South America.
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