Best Sites to Visit The Sacred Valley

There are so many beautiful destinations to explore outside of Cusco, Peru.

You can enjoy various adventurous day trips, such as a hike to Laguna Humantay, a walk to Rainbow Mountain, or a trip to the Sacred Valley. We visit the Sacred Valley on our second day in Cusco, and we highly recommend including it in your itinerary. It is the perfect way to explore beautiful Inca sites while acclimating to the altitude and avoiding altitude sickness. There are so many things to see in the Sacred Valley that most tour companies offer two different day trips. A tour will take visitors to know Pisac, Chincheros, and Ollantaytambo.

While the other tour will take visitors to see the salt mines of Moray and Maras, it is tough to find a company that creates a special full-day tour of the Sacred Valley that includes all the most popular sites and affordable prices. Luckily for us (and you), we found the best private excursion of the Sacred Valley to fit any Peru budget!

This post will list things to see in Sacred Valley and the best private tour company to book. We aim to provide you with all the information you need to help you plan a successful trip to the Sacred Valley.

The best private tour of the Sacred Valley

Economic

A group tour to the Sacred Valley and the Salt Mines of Moray and Maras costs $ 40 per person. Making these tours private costs $ 80 for two people and $ 70 for three people, and the price keeps dropping as the number of people in a personal group increases “private.” Isn’t that a fantastic price or what?!?! We also researched, and you will not likely find better prices than these. So whether you’re backpacking South America or enjoying a luxury trip to Peru, these prices are hard to beat for everyone.

Meet the needs of guests.

We knew there were so many things to see in the Sacred Valley. However, we had very little time in Cusco, so we could not make two trips to the Sacred Valley. If you want to create your special tour, do not hesitate to ask them; they will help!

Things to see in the Sacred Valley

There are five things to see in the Sacred Valley that you cannot miss during your visit: Pisac, Chincheros, Moray, Salineras de Maras, and Ollantaytambo. To see the beautiful sites of the Sacred Valley, you must buy tickets, so we recommend that visitors buy a Cusco Tourist Ticket.

Tourist Ticket Cusco

The Cusco Tourist Ticket is a great way to save money on tickets to some sites in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. If you plan to visit at least three places in the Sacred Valley, the Tourist Ticket Cusco Circuit III—Sacred Valley is your best option. The Complete Cusco Tourist Ticket is highly recommended if you visit the sites Cusco and the Sacred Valley offer. What must I pay for Cusco Tourist Tickets in person and cash at one of the eligible sites? S/ 130.

Pisac

Pisac is a beautiful town with an attractive tourist market, but its best-known feature is the Inca fortress. The beautiful Inca fortress towers over the city from a mountain. Leading up to the defense are large semi-circular terraces. The terraces and the Inca fortress are available for visitors to explore on their own and marvel at the work of the Incas. Pisac is a top-rated destination with tourists and an easy day trip from Cusco.

Our private tour of the Sacred Valley took us to a market from the main town square to the “Awac Nusta” Textile Center. Visiting this market in Chincheros is fascinating in the Sacred Valley, and we recommend you see it. We were introduced to a local woman who demonstrated the entire process of creating alpaca textiles. It was an incredible demonstration, and we learned a lot. The locals use only natural ingredients, such as flowers and roots, to create colorful ink. At the end of the demo, we could look around his market and buy one of his masterpieces.

Tip:

While you’re in the Chincheros markets, don’t be afraid to try to negotiate fair prices.

Some physical stores accept credit cards (sometimes with a 5% fee), while stores that sell blankets accept soles. Centro Textil “Awac Nusta” accepts credit cards free of charge.

Moray (Inca Ruin)

There are many Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley, and the Moray Inca Ruin is one of them. It is one of the most incredible things to see in the Sacred Valley because of its sheer beauty and ingenuity. The Moray Inca Ruin consists of several large circular depressions known as agricultural terraces.

The Incas were undoubtedly remarkable engineers. They created each terrace level for different crops and varied in temperature. From the upper terrace to the lower one, there is a temperature difference of 59 °F/15 °C. The pure genius of the Incas! Did you know that 60 percent of the world’s food crops originated in the Andes? It is not surprising at all when you visit the Moray Inca Ruin.

Salineras de Maras

If you visit a site in the Sacred Valley, it must be the Maras salt mines, one of Peru’s hidden gems! The Maras salt mines were what we liked the most to see in the Sacred Valley. After seeing several Inca ruins, the Maras salt mines were refreshing. Six thousand shallow pools filled with salt water are visually stunning and impressive. The salt flats completely captivated us with their unique beauty and history. The Salineras de Maras date back to pre-Inca times and produced salt for over 500 years. Our guide, Susana, was able to take us to the storage facility; we were shocked by the magnitude of the stored salt.

Visitors impressed by the salt mines can happily purchase a variety of salts produced in the shallow pools on their way out. We certainly buy our fair share of pink cooking salt and therapeutic bath salt.

Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo is another beautiful town in the Sacred Valley with an incredible Inca archaeological site known as the Ollantaytambo fortress. The fortress is located on the city’s outskirts of Temple Hill. Inside the fort are some of the most extensive Inca terraces and a Temple of the Sun. Like its predecessor, Pisac, this Inca site boasts magnificent views from the top of the Inca terraces.

Final notes

I hope this post helped you get an inside look at the many things to see in the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley is extensive, and there is no infrastructure on the roads that lead to each site. So, plan your trip accordingly based on how much time you have.