Sacred Valley Destination Guide

The Sacred Valley of the Incas or El Valle Sagrado de los Incas is located in the Urubamba Valley near Cusco. Tucked away amidst mountains, verdant foliage and ancient ruins, it is a secluded place. It is blessed with a moderate climate which lends itself to farming on the slopes, and a number of farming settlements dot the Valley. The ancient Incas chose the Valley as the site of their permanent habitation for much the same reasons that visitors throng the Valley today. The Valley also was strategically placed between Rumicolca to the southeast and Ollantaytambo to the northwest, from where it could be defended.

Visitors to the Sacred Valley can see some fascinating villages that provide an insight into the Incan way of life.

Our Sacred Valley Destination Guide below tells you all about the exciting highlights of this stunning area. The ideal way of seeing the sights and getting a taste of the local culture is by taking one of our interesting Sacred Valley tours. For more exciting things to do throughout the rest of the country, check out our Peru Destination Guide.

Things to See & Do in the Sacred Valley

Follow the links to the right or scroll further down the page for details on some of the many interesting tourist attractions in the Sacred Valley:

Situated to the north of Cusco, Sacsayhuaman can be reached by taxi, bus or by booking a city Sacred Valley tour. Make sure you select a tour that allocates enough time to visit Sacsayhuaman properly as the ruins are extensive. Some tours in the Sacred Valley feature this place a mere blip on the itinerary or focus more on shopping.

Sacsayhuaman is a magnificent display of the construction wizardry of the Incas. The fortress is built to imitate the open mouth of a puma or mountain lion and hence has a zigzag layout. The city plan of Cusco was built to form the body of the puma with the navel of the puma represented by Plaza de Armas. The Incas believed that this was the centre of the world. Some of the stones used to build this military fortress weigh upwards of 125 tons, which made it invincible in the face of marauding forces. Some believe that the fortress was built as a temple in honour of the Sun God of the Incas.

Quenko or Qengo is the site of some well preserved ruins of an ancient Incan temple and amphitheatre. It is located around 7 kilometres from Sacsayhuaman. The entire Quenko structure was carved from limestone and features a number of underground tunnels with a sacrificial altar, carvings and galleries. The walls have recesses where religious articles were displayed. The amphitheatre was also probably used by Incan royalty and has a large monolith at its centre. Quenko features a hall where sacrifices were held and channels for water carved out of the rock.

Puca Pucara means the “Red Fort” as it looks pink in certain angles and light, and is a small fortress. It is speculated that Puca Pucara was an outpost used to defend Cusco, but in reality, it may have been used as a resting place for travellers, a place for storage or as a hunting lodge. Puca Pucara consists of water channels, aqueducts and rooms encircled by a wall. Chambers can be found at the lower level. From the top of the fortress, visitors can see the glaciers that lie to the south or catch some great views of the Cusco Valley.

This place was used as by Incan royalty as a sanctified bathing place. Fed by the crystal clear waters of a hidden spring, Tambo Machay is a marvel of Incan hydraulic engineering and is fully functional even today. The waters are believed to provide the elixir of youth. Tambo Machay’s superbly delicate stone carvings are in distinct contrast to the more functional stonework of the farming terraces of the Incas close by. It is also believed that at Tambo Machay, the ninth Sapa inca or emperor, Pachacutec, saw a prophetic vision of the conquest of their land, which came true a few years later.

Just 20 kilometres away from Pisac, this market town is a place of note in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It offers hot springs and Incan ruins.

Salinas is located about 7 kilometres away from Urubamba and is close to the village of Tarabamba. Salinas is the site where ancient salt pans, dating back to Incan times and numbering literally in the thousands, can be found.

Of all the sites in the Sacred Valley, Pisac is most noteworthy. It is located quite a distance away from all the other sites mentioned earlier. The ruins are fabulous and second only to the fabled Machu Picchu, but due to it being off the beaten track, few tours include Pisac in their itinerary. The carvings here are superbly done in stone. And in keeping with the Incan architecture of the other sites, the exquisite and precise stonework is indicative of Pisac’s importance to the Incas. The site is not as remarkable as Machu Picchu’s but the stonework is even better here. Water is still channelled through the fully functional irrigation systems. Pisac affords marvellous views of the valley as well.

This impressive citadel is located at the north eastern end of the Sacred Valley and was of great strategic importance to the Incas. Ollantaytambo has large terraces, bigger than other sites in the Valley. The name of the site originated from the great Incan general, Ollantay and the Tambo Valley. Ollantay was sent to prison for daring to ask for the hand of the King’s daughter. Ollantaytambo’s highlight is its wall of granite stone structures, whose faultless shape and size are the subject of speculation among scientists even today. The stone is not found in the Valley itself.

This attractive mountain town lies at a higher level than Cusco and is clean and scenic. Chinchero is a charming market town in the Andes. Set against the mountainous backdrop, it has a delightful colonial style church and is enclosed by white walls. The main market can be reached through a series of extremely steep steps where you need to be cautious. Once you reach there, you can see Quecha tribes-people dressed in their traditional costumes selling textiles and other interesting souvenirs. It is believed that Tupac Inca, son of Pachacutec, owned Chinchero.

This imposing fortress is situated at the south eastern entrance to the Sacred Valley and is a counterpart to Ollantaytambo. Their purpose was to prevent invasion of the Valley by enemies.

Moray has some remarkable terracing that is built in two distinct bowl shaped depressions. Resembling an amphitheatre of sorts, Moray is believed to have afforded the Incas varying climatic conditions to grow crops in. It is like a living museum and is located 10 kilometres from Urubamba.

Urubamba is a significant travel hub for visitors planning to visit Moray and Salinas. It lies at the intersection of the Cusco Valley road and is the ideal base for outdoor activities like horse riding, mountain biking, hot-air ballooning or paragliding that are organised at Cusco.

Walk through the Sacred Valley
Visitors can follow the course of the sacred Willcamayu River from its source in the Vilcanota Mountains down through this scenic valley.

The Tourist Ticket or BTG (Boleto Turístico General) is required for entrance to most of the popular places in the Sacred Valley and Cusco. This ticket can be purchased in the OFEC-Office (in Cusco) on Avenida el Sol 103 and costs 130 Soles (approximately US$45) or 70 Soles (approximately US$25) for students with a valid ISIC Student Card.
The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 6:30pm and on Saturdays from 8:00am to 2:00pm.
It is possible to purchase the ticket at the entrance of the tourist sites, but it has been known to happen that the sites run out of tickets for sale. For this reason, it is recommended to buy the ticket in the Cusco office.

Once purchased, this ticket is valid for 10 days and can be used to visit the following places:

In Cusco:
- Sacsayhuaman
- Q'enko
- Tambomachay
- Pukapukara
- Museo Palacio de Arte Contemporaneo
- Museo Arqueologico Koricancha
- Museo de Arte Popular
- Santa Catalina Convent y Museo
- Museo de Historia Regional (Casa Inca Garcilazo de la Vega)
- Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo
- Monumento de Pachacutec

In the Sacred Valley:
- Pisac Archaeological site
- Ollantaytambo Archaeological site
- Chinchero

In Urcos:
- Pikillacta
- Tipon

If you would only like to visit the Sacred Valley (and not the places in Cusco), or only Cusco (and not the sites in the Sacred Valley) you can opt for a Boleto Turistico General Parcial (Half Tourist Ticket). This ticket is valid for one day and gives access to only the places in the Sacred Valley or Cusco respectively. This ticket can be purchased in the same OFEC office as the above ticket for 70 Soles (approximately US$25).