Schedule: Full day · Hotel pickup at 06:30 · Returns approx. 18:30
The Sacred Valley of the Incas (Valle Sagrado de los Incas) stretches along the Urubamba River between Cusco and Machu Picchu and was the agricultural heartland of the entire Inca Empire. On this full-day circuit you visit six distinct sites — descending from high-altitude plateau villages (3,762 m) all the way down to the warm valley floor (2,792 m) — covering a remarkable diversity of Inca culture, engineering, and landscape within a single day.
Programme
06:30 — Hotel pickup in Cusco
Your guide and private transport collect you from your hotel. Have breakfast before pickup — the first stop is approximately 45 minutes away. The early start allows you to reach Chinchero and Moray before the main volume of day-tour coaches, making for a calmer, more intimate experience at each site.
07:30 — Chinchero — Andean Weaving Village · Altitude: 3,762 m / 12,343 ft
Chinchero is an active Quechua community on the high plateau between Cusco and the Sacred Valley, surrounded by spectacular Inca agricultural terraces and framed by snow-capped mountain peaks. The village is renowned across Peru for its extraordinary textile tradition.
Visit the local weaving cooperative where Quechua women demonstrate the complete natural dyeing process: extracting vivid reds from cochineal (a tiny insect farmed on cactus), yellows from local plants, and blues from minerals — all techniques unchanged for five centuries and passed down through generations of women in the same families. Watch the weaving process on traditional backstrap looms. Authentic, fair-trade handmade textiles are available to purchase directly from the artisans at transparent prices.
Also explore the colonial church of Chinchero, built directly on the foundations of an Inca royal palace — the original Inca stone walls are clearly visible at the base, and the interior contains extraordinary colonial-era murals.
09:15 — Moray — Inca Agricultural Laboratory · Altitude: 3,500 m / 11,483 ft
Moray is one of the most remarkable and thought-provoking sites in the Inca world. A series of circular concentric terraces descend up to 30 metres below the surface of the plateau in enormous bowl-shaped depressions. Archaeological and scientific research has shown that each ring of terraces maintains a distinctly different microclimate — with a temperature difference of up to 15°C between the uppermost and lowest terrace levels.
Scientists and archaeologists believe this was the Inca Empire’s agricultural research station — a living laboratory where crop varieties were tested at different simulated altitudes, helping the Incas develop resilient food systems for every region of their vast empire. The circular geometry is breathtaking from the rim; walking down into the terraces gives a completely different perspective.
10:30 — Maras Salt Ponds (Salinas de Maras) · Altitude: 3,380 m / 11,089 ft
The Salinas de Maras are one of the most visually extraordinary landscapes in all of Peru — and one of the most photographed. Over 3,000 small terraced salt evaporation pools cascade down the hillside above the Sacred Valley, fed by a natural saline spring emerging from the mountain. Salt-laden water flows through a system of channels into each pool, evaporates under the Andean sun, and leaves behind crystalised salt — now often with a pale pink hue from trace minerals.
These salt ponds have been in continuous use since before the Inca Empire and are still actively operated by the local community today. You can observe workers harvesting salt by hand using the same wooden paddles and techniques used for 600 years. The views across the valley from the pond terraces are spectacular.
12:30 — Urubamba — Lunch break · Altitude: 2,871 m / 9,419 ft
Descend to the valley floor town of Urubamba for a lunch break at one of the local restaurants. Most establishments in Urubamba offer a generous buffet lunch featuring traditional Andean dishes — quinoa soup, roast chicken, cuy (guinea pig), local potatoes, and more — for approximately 45–60 Soles per person (not included in the tour price). The lower altitude here provides welcome relief after a morning above 3,500 m.
14:00 — Ollantaytambo — The Living Inca City · Altitude: 2,792 m / 9,160 ft
Ollantaytambo is one of the great wonders of the ancient world and the crown jewel of the Sacred Valley. The site served simultaneously as a royal estate, a religious centre, and a strategic military fortress — and it is the site of one of the few Inca military victories over the Spanish, when Manco Inca successfully defended it against Hernando Pizarro in 1537.
The upper Temple of the Sun features massive pink granite monoliths — each weighing dozens of tonnes — transported from the quarry of Kachiqhata on the opposite mountain face, across the river, and up the steep terraced hillside. The engineering achievement remains extraordinary by any standard.
Below the ruins, the streets of Ollantaytambo are the only surviving example of intact Inca urban planning in the world. Local Quechua families still live inside the original Inca blocks, using water channels, irrigation canals, and stone walls built over 600 years ago. Walking these streets feels genuinely unlike anywhere else.
16:00 — Pisaq — Archaeological Complex · Altitude: 2,972 m / 9,751 ft
Pisaq sits at the northeastern gateway to the Sacred Valley, 33 km from Cusco. The upper archaeological complex is one of the finest examples of Inca terraced agriculture in the entire valley — sweeping tiers of perfectly constructed andenes (agricultural terraces) descend the steep mountainside, still clearly visible after centuries of Andean weather.
The site was a major strategic fortress, astronomical observatory, and ceremonial centre for the Inca Empire. Views from the upper platforms extend across the entire width of the Sacred Valley, with the Urubamba River visible far below and the surrounding mountain peaks — some above 5,000 m — forming a dramatic backdrop. Temperatures here range from 14°C to 20°C (57°F–68°F) — pleasant for late-afternoon exploration. If time allows, the Pisaq artisan market at the base of the ruins offers high-quality local crafts and textiles.
~18:30 — Return to Cusco
Private transport returns you to your hotel in Cusco by approximately 18:30, depending on road conditions and time spent at each site. End of the 3-day programme.
Sites visited on Day 3
- Chinchero — Weaving village and Inca terraces (3,762 m)
- Moray — Inca agricultural laboratory (3,500 m)
- Maras Salt Ponds — 3,000 terraced evaporation pools (3,380 m)
- Urubamba — Lunch stop in the valley (2,871 m)
- Ollantaytambo — Living Inca city and fortress (2,792 m)
- Pisaq — Archaeological complex and valley gateway (2,972 m)
