Our Sacred Valley of the Incas Tour, is a specially designed itinerary we have created, so you get to enjoy the highlights of the Sacred Valley, such as the archeological sites of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, animal sanctuary, and the archeological site of Moray and the Salt Mines. All of this is provided in a small private tour with a guide that is passionate about Inca history.
The area of the valley between Pisac and Ollantaytambo is known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. On this tour drive through the mountains of the “Sacred Valley” which held great significance in Incas, it was regarded as the heart of the Empire. The valley has a milder climate than Cusco. See a succession of picturesque villages, agricultural terraces, and several archeological sites.
No other travel agency except Inca Trail visits all of these sites in their Sacred Valley Tours!
3399 m.s.n.m
Up to 12
Group or private
Self-guided
Moderate
1 day
Your guide will pick you up from your hotel lobby at 7am. First, we drive to a close-by Camelid (llama and Alpaca) farm. Here you have an opportunity to feed and pet different breeds of alpacas, llamas and vicuñas (a rare and national animal of Peru). Watch the local women using wool to weave beautiful garments with different patterns. They use a natural dyeing process with all the organic material. Visit their museum and souvenir shop with the option of purchasing a good selection of fair-trade alpaca and vicuña apparel. Be sure to grab your certification if you purchase merchandise made with Vicuña wool, they are protected by the government of Peru.
Next stop is the Mirador of Toray. Enjoy unspoiled views of the valley below, with its lush vegetation and the serene Urubamba River gently curving its way through the entire the Sacred Valley. Perfect spot to stop for selfies, this area has the most panoramic views of the valley and the lighting is perfect at this time of the morning.
After a short uphill drive, make our way to the historical Archeological site of Pisac. Learn about the agricultural practices of the Inca. How they used the different terraces below with varying micro-climates for their farming. They built their living quarters and food storage warehouses at the top of the hill, to take advantage of the cooler temperatures to preserve their produce. The biggest Inca cemetery is also located here, with thousands of niches wrapped around the mountain side adjacent to the archeological site. According to local legend, there are still human remains inside some of the gravesites.
We follow that with a scenic drive through the valley, passing small rural towns, with locals going about their normal day to day lives. We stop on the outskirts of Sacred Valleys´ commercial town of Urubamba for our lunch. Enjoy a scrumptious buffet lunch, with an impressive spread. The food is in abundance, with a great selection for different dietary needs. (Lunch is not included)
After filling up our bellies, head over to the Pre-Inca Salt Mines of Salineras. As you approach the salt mines be met by thousands of salt pans that has the valley coated in white and a murky brown color. The locals have been mining salt for generations. They have full ownership of the pans and have passed them from one generation to the next. The small stream at the top fills up all the salt pans and once the water evaporates, they cultivate the salt to be sold for profit. Any salt bought from the vendors at the mines, directly supports this small local community.
Next, we visit another set of Inca Ruins. The ruins of Moray are a great example of how advanced the Incas were for that period. Even though they did not build initial structure, they did however see the opportunity to use this as a natural ¨greenhouse¨. Each layer has different temperatures, they used these different micro-climates to test the optimum growing point of their crops. They brought in different samples of soil from the Empire to achieve maximum results. The sun also hit each level at different angles, making sun absorption different at every section, they also built an intricate irrigation system. The locals were still using this for farming until the 70s when the government purchased the area for tourism purposes.
Finally, we head to the bustling town of Ollantaytambo, the gateway to Machu Picchu and the world-famous Inca trail. Watching over the town is the Archeological site of the same name. This is where the last and greatest battle was fought between the Inca and the Spanish. Even though, the Incas won this battle, they later retreated further into the jungle. The site has many boulders that had been carved, which had either been damaged from the war or a sign that this site was still incomplete at the time of the invasion. The guide will give a comprehensive tour of this site and share all the important history.
Spend more time at the Inca cities in small or private groups!
| # OF PERSONS | PRICE
PER PERSON |
|---|---|
| 2 persons | $75 pp |
| 3 to 4 persons | $65 pp |
| 5 to 6 persons | $55 pp |
| 7 to 8 persons | $45 pp |
| 9 to 10 persons | $25 pp |
| # OF PERSONS | PRICE PER
GROUP |
|---|---|
| 1 to 6 persons | $197 |
| 7 to 12 persons | $240 |
| — | — |
| — | — |
| — | — |
The partial ticket, or 1 Day ticket costs 70 soles (US $20) and is valid for 1 day. You can visit a many sites as you like in one day with no further charge. There are no discounts with this ticket.
Both tourist tickets, of 1 day or 10 day, allows the access to different archeological sites around Cusco, and Sacred Valley. This is the best way to visit all the archeological sites of the region and the Sacred Valley. Most of the main archeological sites are not accessible for free.
The general ticket allows you to enter 16 archeological and cultural sites over the next 10 days in Cusco, the south valley and the Sacred Valley. The price of this ticket is 130 soles (about US $40) and is valid for 10 days. This is the cheapest and most convenient way to plan to see different sites in a few days. The cost for students under 25 (with the presentation of a valid ISIC card) and for teenagers under 18 (with the presentation of an identity card) is 70 soles (US $20). Children under 11 are free.
Here is a list of sites where you can use your Boleto Touristico:
Note : The entrance ticket to the main archeological sites like Sacsaywaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo,Chinchero,Tipón and Moray cannot be sold individually; you must buy the Boleto turístico to visit them. You can get it in Avenida el Sol nearby Peru office or at the time you enter the first site that you are visiting. YOU MUST PAY IN SOLES, NO CREDIT CARD OR US DOLLARS ARE ACCEPTED.
Important: These entrances are not included in the Boleto Touristico.
It will take place the night before the trek departure at 6pm in our office which is located at Garcilaso Street 210 , Office Nº:213 (2nd Floor) in the la CASA DEL ABUELO.
Of course! During the your Sacred Valley Tour your main luggage can be stored at our office or at your hotel, both are free.
FIRST, to book your Sacred Valley tour, we need you to fill out our booking form by clicking on BOOK NOW on our homepage or click here the link BOOK NOW.
Please be ready with the following information (FROM EACH PARTICIPANT in your group).
SECOND, we require a deposit of US$55.00 per person. You can make you deposit by clicking on the VISA or PAYPAL symbols on the top of our home page, or on our booking page.
It would be greatly appreciated if you pay in cash at our office (US dollars or Peruvian soles) here in Cusco. We have many cash machines in the historical center to withdraw money. You can also pay by VISA or PAYPAL online but you will have to pay a 5.5% service charge, charged by VISA and PAYPAL. To pay your balance through PAYPAL, you need to log into your PAYPAL account using our email address of info@incatrailhikeperu.com to complete the payment.
