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Sacred Valley

Travel Guide South America Peru Sacred Valley

Introduction

Mother and child in Ollantaytambo

The Sacred Valley, also known as the El Valle Sagrado or the Urubamba Valley is 20 kilometres from Cusco. The Incas built many cultural and archaeological sites in this fertile valley.

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Sights and Activities

Pisac - Inca ruins and weekend markets
Sacsayhuaman - Inca ruins
Quenco - Rocks
Chincero - Inca ruins and weekend markets
Urubamba - Transport hub on the Rio Urubamba
Salinas - Inca Salt pans
Moray - Inca crop development amphitheatre
Maras - Laid back Valley town
Ollantaytambo - Last train stop before Machu Picchu and Inca fortress.

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Events and Festivals

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Getting There

By Train

Trains run from Cusco stopping at Ollantaytambo through to Aguas Calientes, the last stop before going up by bus to Machu Picchu.

By Car

Taxi's can be hired in Cusco to take you through the Sacred Valley sites.

By Bus

Local buses ply the roads in the Sacred Valley on a regular basis.

By Boat

White water rafting can be done down the Rio Urubamba.

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Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

Local buses ply the roads between the Sacred Valley towns.

By Foot

There is a spectacular trail from the Salinas salt pans down to Urubamba crossing the Rio Urubamba.

By Bike

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Eat

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Drink

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Sleep

Property	Address	Type	Popularity
Apu Lodge	Lari Calle Ollantaytambo	Guesthouse	-
Bakuswasi	Encuentro 119	Guesthouse	100
Casa Hospedaje Inti Pakarina	Chinchero Pongobamba s/n Manuel prado N-10	Guesthouse	-
Hotel Royal Inka Pisac	Carretera Pisac s/n Pisac	Hotel	-
Bed4Less	Av. San Martin 700 Paclamayo Urubamba-Yucay	Hostel	-

Cuzco forms a good base for exploring the Sacred Valley but there are options in other towns like Ollantaytambo.

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

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Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post

Check the Serpost website, the national postal service (a private company), for more information about prices and options regarding the sending of postcards, letters and parcels. The post service is relatively efficient and post offices can be found in most cities and (larger) towns. Post offices generally are open from 8:00am to 8:00pm Monday to Saturday and some are open on Sundays from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Postcards are available from street vendors and shops at any touristy area, and stamps are generally available as well, though sometimes only at the post office itself. It takes at least 10 days to send a postcard to North America and prices start at S/5.5. To Europe it is S/7.8 and it takes even a bit longer, around 2 weeks. For little extra money, you can choose 'expresso' services. For large parcels and quantities, you can use both Serpost or a company like DHL which is faster and offers the same prices, though it is still relatively expensive. UPS for some reason is much more expensive in Peru!