By air
Cusco (CUZ), ~1 h by road
South America · Peru
Sacred Valley, Peru
Inca terraces and market towns along the Urubamba
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to September — dry and sunny
Don't miss
Pisac
Ollantaytambo
Moray
The Maras salt pans
Things to do
Pisac's market and ruins
Ollantaytambo's fortress
Rafting the Urubamba
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Charles Gadbois · CC BY 3.0
What to pack
Layers, sun protection
A quieter corner
Chinchero's weaving cooperatives
Questions travellers ask
When should I visit the Sacred Valley?
May to September, when it's dry and sunny. Bring layers and sun protection.
How far is the Sacred Valley from Cusco?
About 1 h by road from Cusco (CUZ).
What are the highlights of the Sacred Valley?
Pisac's market and ruins, Ollantaytambo's fortress, Moray and the Maras salt pans. Go rafting on the Urubamba, and visit Chinchero's weaving cooperatives.
What dish should I try in the Sacred Valley?
Pachamanca, the earth-oven feast.
About Sacred Valley
- Mountains
- Riverside
Where it is
The Sacred Valley of the Incas follows the Urubamba River through the Andes of the Cusco region of Peru, north of Cusco, from Pisac, at about 3,000 m, down to Ollantaytambo.
History
In the 15th century the valley became an area of Inca royal estates and the most important maize-growing land in the heart of the empire, guarded by strongholds such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo. In 1537 the Inca emperor Manco Inca defeated a Spanish force under Hernando Pizarro at Ollantaytambo, and colonial towns and haciendas later grew around the old Inca centres.
People
The valley's Quechua-speaking communities farm maize, potatoes and quinoa on terraces built by their ancestors and brew chicha from maize, and weaving cooperatives in Chinchero keep alive natural dyeing and backstrap-loom weaving. Markets in Pisac and Chinchero and fiestas with masked dancers mark the year.
Known for
- Pisac's market and hillside ruins
- Ollantaytambo's fortress and old town
- The circular terraces of Moray
- The Maras salt pans
- Weaving in Chinchero
Did you know?
The salt pans of Maras, more than 5,000 small pools terraced into a hillside and fed by a salty spring, have been worked since Inca times, and local families still harvest salt from them.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.