Sacred Valley travel guide
The Sacred Valley of the Urubamba runs between Cusco and Ollantaytambo below the city — the valley floor sits around 2,800 m against Cusco's 3,400 m — which makes it the logical first stop off the plane rather than a half-day outing. It gathers the Inca sites of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, the terraces of Moray, the salt pans of Maras and the station the Machu Picchu trains leave from.
Season by month
When to travel- Peak season
- High season
- Low season
What to do in the Sacred Valley
- Pisac: site and market approx. 4 h The market runs daily and grows on Sunday; the archaeological site sits above the town.
- The fortress of Ollantaytambo approx. 3 h Stepped terraces above the town, a short walk from the train station.
- Maras, Moray and the salt pans approx. 5 h Circular terraces and salt pools on the plateau; the pans are seen from the marked viewpoints.
- Chinchero and its weavers approx. 3 h Community textile work on the high rim of the valley, above 3,700 m.
- Machu Picchu from the valley approx. 14 h A full day by train from Ollantaytambo: the option that avoids going back up to Cusco.
- The valley floor approx. 2 h Urubamba and Yucay, between fields and mountain, are the base where travellers sleep and acclimatise.
Who to offer it to
When to go
The dry season, April to October, brings clear mornings and cold nights; June to August is where demand concentrates. From November to March the rain falls mostly in the afternoon, the valley is green and there is more availability. The sites and the trains run all year.
How many days
Two nights in the valley allow the traveller to acclimatise and to spread Pisac, Ollantaytambo and the Maras and Moray circuit over gentle days. With a single night, pick one axis — Pisac, or Maras and Moray — and leave Ollantaytambo for the morning of the train.
What not to miss
The archaeological site of Pisac and its market; the fortress of Ollantaytambo and the town still lived in on its Inca street plan; the circular terraces of Moray and the salt pans of Maras; and the weavers of Chinchero, on the high rim of the valley.
What to offer and why
Two nights in the valley straight off the flight, and only then Cusco: the traveller acclimatises better and the transfer to Ollantaytambo station gets shorter. It is also where the resort hotels are, which helps when the client asks for comfort as well as sites.
When to book
Three to four weeks outside high season. For June to August, book months ahead — the train and the Machu Picchu ticket are held before the hotel.
Practical and operational
The valley floor lies between 2,600 and 3,000 m and Chinchero above 3,700 m, so the order of the visits matters. Internal transfers are short, but the Maras and Moray route adds altitude. Nights are cold all year, summer included.
How we arrange it
We place the first nights in the valley, lower than Cusco, for a gradual acclimatisation, and order the visits from the gentlest to the most demanding. The Machu Picchu day is built out of Ollantaytambo, with the transfer to the station timed off the train, not off the hotel.
Circuits
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Hotels
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Excursions
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Booking & policies
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