The Sacred Valley of the Incas was undoubtedly a key area of settlement for the Incas. Its agreeable climate and fertile plains make a rare and fruitful combination for the high Andes. It was also the route to the jungle
and therefore an area with access to fruits and plants of tropical lowlands.The Sacred Valley also served as a buffer zone, protecting Cusco from invasions of the Antis, fierce jungle tribes raided the Andean highlands from time to time. It is called like this because of its vast territory which is between Pisac and Ollantaytambo located at a short distance from the city of Cusco where the Incas had their agricultural areas and beautiful towns. This valley is well-known for having very special conditions such as excellent weather, fertile lands and the waters of the sacred Incas river named Vilcanota which changes its name in the town of Urumbamba where its named after this town.
The Sacred Valley of the Incas has breathtaking Andean landscapes where inhabitants who are native quechua speakers keep lots of the traditions of their ancestors. You can also see the technological development that the Incas reached in agriculture by using shed systems that are still used today accompanied by the most sofisticated designs of hydraulic engineering. Pachamama rituals also stand out nowadays, this is a ritual done to ask blessings and permission to Mother Earth to have excellent crops or to go through specific areas. Nowadays, each Sacred Valley town has a merger of Incan and Spanish architectural styles, the richness of its people with folklore and handicrafts with its inhabitants clothing styles, amaze tourists from all over the world.
Overview:
- Visit of the Sacred Valley of the Incas in 1 day,
- Guided tour of the Incan site of Chinchero (textile processing)
- The Moray Archeological site where you can learn about Incan agricultural experimentation
- The famous Pre-Inca Salt Mines of Maras where naturally salty spring water is gathered in the same way it has been for hundreds of years
- Guided tour of the Ollantaytambo´s Incan fortres,
- Guided tour of the Typical buffet lunch in the town of Urubamba
- Guided tour of the Pisaq Inca City
ITINERARY
Sacred Valley of the Incas Tour with Moray & the Salt Mines - Full Day Itinerary
We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 6:45 a.m. and travel for one hour by private van to Chinchero, a small village with beautiful views of the Sacred Valley. In this charming village, you will see adobe homes, narrow cobbled streets, and people in traditional Peruvian dress. Here, the villagers still practice many Incan traditions and crafts. If you wish, you will see a demonstration of how wool is washed and dyed using native plants and minerals.
We will then continue our journey to Moray in order to see the fascinating site used by the Incas for agricultural experiments and cultivating seeds. There, you will learn how they cleverly designed a drainage system at the bottom of the terraces in order to avoid flooding during the rainy season.
After the tour of Moray, you will take a 20 minute bus ride to the salt mines of Maras. At this amazing site, you can see the pans fed by saline spring water that were built on steep terraces along one side of a narrow valley. The water is sent throughout the pans by a network of channels where the water slowly evaporates leaving the salt behind. Salt has been collected from Maras since Pre-Incan times and it is thought that a collective of salt ‘miners’ has maintained the terraces and channels for hundreds of years.
We will continue our scenic journey to the amazing town of Ollantaytambo, is a classic Inca city which conserved the traditional Inca urban construction of narrow streets adjacent to flowing streams. As you walk through the stone streets, the gentle sound of flowing water will make it easy for you to imagine the city as it was in the time of the Incas. In the upper part of the town, there is an impressive ceremonial center that was used for water worship and also a mighty fortress that protected the access point to the lower part of the valley. We will follow the beautiful route to Urubamba, the heart of the Sacred Valley, where we will stop for a buffet lunch.
After lunch, we will take you to the small village of Pisaq, where you can enjoy its lively artisan market and have some free time to interact with the townsfolk and to shop for handicrafts and souvenirs. Finally, you will be taken to explore the Pisaq Ruins before you return to Cusco at about 7:00 p.m.
INCLUSION
What Is Included
What Is Not Included
Added Values For Free
PRICES
Price & Availability
“This tour is available to depart any day of the week”
Prices
- US$200 (AMERICAN DOLLARS) GROUP of 1 to 3 persons
- US$250 (AMERICAN DOLLARS) GROUP of 4 to 6 persons
- US$280 (AMERICAN DOLLARS) GROUP of 7 to 9 persons
Important Information
Boleto Turistico (Tourist Ticket)
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 Tour. 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 over the next 10 days to enter 16 archeological and cultural sites in Cusco, the south valley and the Sacred Valley tour. 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: Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Pucapucara, Tambomachay, Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray, Tipon, Piquillaqta
Important:
These entrances are not included in the Boleto Touristico.
- The entrance to Qoricancha or Santo Domingo Convent (15 soles)
- The entrance to the Cathedral (25 soles)
Book Optional Tours / Activities
- ATV Around The Sacred Valley / Full Day
- View Of The Condor In Chonta Canyon – Full Day
- Cusco Horse Riding / Full Day
- Cusco City Tour / Half Day
- Maras Moray Tour / Half Day
- South Valley / Half Day
TRIP NOTES
Inside Your Daypacks
Daypacks can be any size for day tours, but we always recommend the smaller, the better.
- Water: we supply clean water at each meal.
- Sunhat
- Rain gear
- Fleece
- Camera
- Music (IPhone)
- Handsanitizer
- Toilet paper and small plastic bag for waste
- Extra Money for Souvenirs, Drinks & Tips
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