Sacred Valley of The Incas Cusco Perú
Everything You Need to Know About Peru´s Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley of the Incas in Cusco was a crucial place in the Inca times, where the largest agricultural production centers were located as well as Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley in Cusco gives us different options to explore if you visit Cusco you should know that there are several alternatives to explore Cusco here we will help you with essential things that you can take into account if you visit Cusco.
10 Best Thing to Do in The Sacred Valley in Cusco
Things to Do in The Sacred Valley
PISAC RUINS
If you are staying in the Sacred Valley then you could visit Pisac and the Pisac market, if you are in Urubamba you could take a direct taxi to Pisac the ride could take from 30 minutes to 45 minutes, to visit the ruins of Pisac you need to buy the tourist ticket, the tourist ticket costs 70 soles and you can visit 3 archaeological sites with it, if you want to visit the ruins of Pisac with a travel agent you can review our full day Pisac tour and also visit the alpaca farm.
OLLANTAYTAMBO INCA SITE
The village of Ollantaytambo may seem small and boring but if you explore it well it could become your favorite place, if you are in Ollantaytambo you can explore the ruins of Ollantaytambo and learn a little more about the history of this beautiful living Inca village. If you want to do it on your own we recommend you to explore the place as early as possible and get the best pictures or you could do it after 4 pm when most of the crowd has already left, the places to visit in the ruins of Ollantaytambo are: the temple of the sun, the temple of the condor, the temple of water, and the agricultural sector this visit could take you from 2 to 3 hours, the town of Ollantaytambo is quite quiet and safe the nights are a bit cold but the temperature during the day is quite warm. Do not forget also that the train station is only 10 minutes from the village of Ollantaytambo.
MARAS SALT MINES & MORAY RUINS
To visit the salt mines of Maras it is necessary to arrive at the town of Maras, the town of Maras is one of the districts of the province of Urubamba you can also explore the ruins Moray and have lunch in the restaurant Mama Mecha which has an impressive view towards the Valley of Maras, they offer menu and also dishes a la carte. Doubtless it could be your best option if you are hosted in the Urubamba Valley, unlike Pisac and Ollantaytambo the Salineras de Maras and the Inca site of Moray are a very short distance from each other.
CHINCHERO ANDEAN WEAVING DEMONSTRATION
If you like art then Chinchero could be a good option, the town of Chinchero is a picturesque town with plenty of history, if you are looking to connect with the local people and learn a little more about the lifestyle of this Inca town then we recommend you to visit one of the local families and learn the art that has been inherited ancestrally from ancient generations, here you can observe and learn how the people of this town still weave and dye their textiles with colors of natural pigments obtained from plants and insects. You can also buy some of their work at a good price.
SKYLODGE
If you like the adrenaline then this option could enchant you, if you have heard of floating hotels in the Sacred Valley then you are in the right place as these hotels are 10 minutes from the town of Ollantaytambo and 10 minutes from the Urubamba Valley by car, for this you have to make your reservation in advance. The stopover to the capsules takes 1 hour and a half to 2 hours via ferrata and you descend zipline.
TASTE PERU GUINEA PIG
Surely you have heard that here in Peru the guinea pig is eaten and the guinea pig has become the typical dish in almost all cities after the Spanish invasion and Cusco is not the exception, if you like the bizarre then we recommend you travel to the town of Lamay where you will see many restaurants offering the guinea pig to the stick, no doubt this could be one of your best experiences.
ALPACAS & LLAMAS FARM
If you love llamas and alpacas then visit the alpacas farm in Pisac, the best place for now is Awanacancha where you can find everything from alpacas, llamas, to vicuñas, the wonderful thing about this place is that you can feed the llamas and alpacas and take many pictures with them, but you should also know that there is an alpaca shop which has only private collections so it is not allowed to take pictures, you should also know that prices are quite high because most alpaca products are handmade.
