Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu

The Inca Sacred Valley of the Urubamba River: stay in Ollantaytambo or Aguas Calientes, and see the Maras salt pans, the Moray terraces and "Lost City in the Sky" Machu Picchu.

The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu lie in the Cusco Region of southern Peru. The Sacred Valley is the Inca valley carved by the Urubamba River northwest of Cusco, running west from Pisac through Calca and Urubamba to Ollantaytambo, then descending through the canyon to Aguas Calientes in the cloud forest and Machu Picchu, the "Lost City in the Sky." The valley floor sits at about 2,800–2,900 m, 500 m lower than Cusco, with a milder climate that makes it a good place to acclimatize first. The main sights fall into three sections: in the east, the Pisac ruins and market and the Awanakancha camelid center; in the middle, Chinchero, the Moray terraces and the Maras salt pans on the plateau; in the west, the town of Ollantaytambo with its climbing and ziplining, plus the railway terminus of Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain. There are also highland treks such as the Inca Trail, Salkantay and Humantay Lake. The best season is the May–Sep dry season, with clear skies but cold mornings and evenings; Nov–Mar is the rainy season, with fog and heavy rain, and the Inca Trail closes in February. Getting there: from Cusco it's about 1.5–2 hours by road to the Sacred Valley, then about 1.5 hours by train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, followed by a bus up the mountain. Suggested stay: 3–5 days, staying in Ollantaytambo or Urubamba, and in Aguas Calientes the night before Machu Picchu. Note: Machu Picchu tickets are issued by route, time slot and limited quota, and tickets for Huayna Picchu, trains and the Inca Trail must all be booked in advance on the official website or through a licensed agency. Bring your original passport, a rain jacket, sun protection and altitude-sickness medication.

Top sights

Machu Picchu – The 'Lost City of the Incas' on a ridge at 2,430 meters. Rediscovered in 1911, it is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO…
Ollantaytambo – The only Inca town still inhabited, with a terraced fortress and a Temple of the Sun built from six giant stones. It is also the starting p…
Moray – The Incas' 'agricultural laboratory': three sunken concentric terraces, the deepest 30 meters with 12 levels, with a noticeable temperature…
Pisac Archaeological Park – An Inca hilltop fortress on the ridge at the entrance to the Sacred Valley. Giant curved terraces surround a Temple of the Sun and finely c…
Huayna Picchu – The iconic peak behind Machu Picchu. A steep Inca stairway leads to the summit, which offers a view over the entire ancient city. Daily ent…
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu – A classic 4-day trek starting at Kilometer 82, crossing Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 meters, passing dense Inca ruins along the way, and ente…
Maras Salt Mines – More than 3,000 stepped salt pans cascade down the valley, a practice inherited from pre-Inca times. They gleam white in the dry season, ma…
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) – A river-valley town at the foot of Machu Picchu, the end of the train line and the starting point for the bus up the mountain, full of gues…
Machu Picchu Mountain – The taller main peak south of the ancient city, about 3,080 meters at the summit, with a wider but longer trail than Huayna Picchu, offerin…
Inti Punku (Sun Gate) – The final gateway on the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu, where you first look down on the entire ancient city, and where hikers greet the sun…
Chinchero – A highland town at 3,760 meters, where a colonial church was built on the site of an Inca royal palace, best known for its traditional weav…
Humantay Lake – A glacial lake at about 4,200 meters at the foot of the Humantay snow peak in the Salkantay range, with turquoise water. It is the most pop…
Salkantay Trek – A 4- to 5-day trek circling Mount Salkantay, the highest peak in the Cusco region at 6,271 meters, crossing a pass at 4,600 meters and desc…
Awana Kancha – An ecological centre for South American camelids beside the road from Cusco to Pisac, where you can feed alpacas and watch traditional text…
Manuel Chávez Ballón Site Museum – The official site museum beside Puente Ruinas at the foot of the mountain, displaying artifacts from Machu Picchu, construction techniques…
Huchuy Qosqo – An Inca site on a high terrace reachable only on foot, with views over the valley between Lamay and Calca. It attracts few visitors and sui…
Sacred Valley Via Ferrata & Skylodge – A cliff-face via ferrata and high-altitude zip lines between Ollantaytambo and Urubamba, ending in transparent capsule rooms suspended from…
Machu Picchu Trains (Ollantaytambo Station) – A scenic train runs from Ollantaytambo along the Urubamba Valley toward Aguas Calientes. Its panoramic skylight carriages offer views of sn…
Pisac Market – The Sacred Valley's most famous handicraft market, centered on the main square of Pisac town. Alpaca wool textiles, silver jewelry and pott…

Where to eat

MIL Centro – An extreme-altitude restaurant by Virgilio Martínez next to the Moray ruins, presenting the Andean ecosystem through an…
Chuncho – A restaurant and bar next to the Plaza de Armas in Ollantaytambo, serving traditional Andean dishes made with local Sac…
El Huacatay – An established restaurant in the town of Urubamba, blending local ingredients with Peruvian, Asian, and Mediterranean f…
Mapacho Craft Beer & Peruvian Food – A popular casual restaurant by the river in Aguas Calientes, famous for its craft beer and Peruvian comfort food.

Itineraries

Peru Classic Southern Loop – A gradual altitude-acclimatizing loop from Lima via the White City, Colca Canyon, and Lake Titicaca to Cusco and Machu…
Cusco First Visit Highlights – Old-town churches and the Qorikancha, a Sacred Valley day trip, and a downhill walk past four northern ruins. Three day…
Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu & Rainbow Mountain – Arrive in Cusco and descend immediately to the Sacred Valley to acclimatize, then visit Machu Picchu, and finally climb…
Cusco in Depth and a Machu Picchu Day Trip – Stay all five nights in San Blas, visiting the old-town museums and ruins and the Sacred Valley's salt pans and terrace…
Inca Trail & Tambopata Amazon Rainforest 11-Day Adventure – Trek the classic 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, then fly into the Amazon rainforest to spot macaws and giant river o…
Cusco Highland Hikes: Humantay Lake and Rainbow Mountain – Sightseeing walks, the Sacred Valley, Humantay Lake and Rainbow Mountain, ordered from low to high altitude, with rest…
Peru & Bolivia Highlands Highlights – From Machu Picchu across Lake Titicaca to La Paz and the Uyuni Salt Flats
Galapagos and Machu Picchu – A multi-country route connecting Quito, the Galapagos, Lima, the Sacred Valley, and Cusco, covering the islands and Inc…