The Sacred Valley day tour will let you know the area of settlement to the Incas. Its agreeable climate and fertile plains make a rare and fruitful combination for the high Andes. It was also the route to a jungle and therefore an area with access to fruits and plants of tropical lowlands, being the principal farmer from Inca Empire. 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.
During the Sacred Valley tour from Cusco to Ollantaytambo you will visit Písac, a picturesque village located in the foothills of the Intihuatana hill (place where the sun is moored), has the best andean system achieved by the Incas in all the Andes. The complexity and beauty of the Inca constructions and the contemporary people, the immense agricultural complex, great administrative and social center, religious and military, is considered by many scientists and historians as one of the most important living museums in the world
The tour of Sacred Valley also includes a visit to Urubamba, one of the most important cities in the valley today, a city that was born during the colony and is considered the world capital of corn. At the end, you will visit Chinchero, which has important archaeological sites, a beautiful colonial church of the seventeenth century canvases of the "Cuzqueña School", and a typical market where you can still carry out barter.
No doubts the highlights of Sacred valley tours from Cusco is by archaeological sites of the area and traditional towns where abounds the artisans.
07:30 We pick you up from your hotel
08:10 Start the Sacred Valley tour from Cusco to Pisac
09:00 Explore the Pisac market by yourself or in the group
09:10 Guided tour in Pisac Ruins
10:00 Driving to the Calca town
12:00 Buffet Lunch in Urubamba (Included vegetarian)
13:40 Driving to the Ollantaytambo town
15:00 Guided tour of the Ollantaytambo archeological site
16:30 Continue to Chinchero
17:30 Guided tour of the Chinchero temple
18:00 Return to Cusco
19:00 Arriving to Cusco.
Interesting Information
In the morning, we pick you up from your hotel to start the Sacred Valley from Cusco, a lush agricultural region, created by the Urubamba River and an important source of food for the Incas that keep supplying the city of Cusco with a majority of its production until nowadays!
After 1 and half hour driving, the first place we will visit is Pisaq. There we first visit its ruins of a large Incan city situated above the today´s Pisaq Town. Then, we descend by our bus to the modern Pisaq to visit its famous traditional handicraft market.
At midday, we drive to Urubamba town, and have a buffet lunch in one of its lovely tourist restaurants offering traditional Andean cuisine, before continue the Sacred valley tours from Ollantaytambo
Then, we continue our Sacred Valley tour from Cusco to later visit the still alive Incan town of Ollantaytambo, where our Tour Guide guided us around its Incan fortres and explains us about its purpose and history. The town and fortres are strategically located overlooking the beautiful valley! This major ruin site is known as the best surviving example of the Incan urban planning and engineering. It is admired for its huge steep terraces guarding the Incan fortress and for being one of the couple places where Spaniards lost a major battle during their conquest!
In the afternoon we start returning to Cusco making a last stop to visit the archaeological site of Chinchero that served as an astronomical center and Moon worship during the Incas times.
We reach Cusco around 7 pm.
The fascinating Sacred Valley day tour has daily and special departures from the city of Cusco and can be the perfect complement to your visit to Machu Picchu.
Know in detail what to take to fully enjoy Sacred valley tours:
Here is everything you need to know about Cusco Sacred Valley tour
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is located 35 kilometers from Cusco, and about 600 meters below the level of Cusco. It covers the part of the basin of the Vilcanota river between the towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo.
Altitudes in Sacred Valley tour from Cusco to Ollantaytambo
The origin of the name "Pisac" comes, probably, from Quechua word "p'isaqa", which means partridge (abundant in this place).
The word Ollantaytambo is made up of two words: "Ollantay", which comes from Aymara and means to observe, to look from above, and "Tambo", which comes from Quechua and means shelter, resting place. Therefore, the meaning of Ollantaytambo would be: "resting place from where you can look out"
Is it possible to do the Sacred Valley day tour on my own?
There are two direct roads that connect Cusco with the Sacred Valley and connect the towns of Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo. To reach the Sacred Valley of the Incas, you must first reach Cusco; generally all Sacred valley tours from Cusco will begin in the town of Pisac and continue through the city of Urubamba to then visit the beautiful town of Ollantaytambo.
