Best things to see and do in the Sacred Valley of the Incas

The Sacred Valley in the Andes of Peru isn't as well-known as the nearby city of Cusco or the mountaintop ruins of Machu Picchu. Yet for many who travel to the region, the Sacred Valley of the Incas ends up being the favourite part of their trip!

You can look forward to seeing alpacas and llamas in the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is a big valley with many historic towns, traditional Quechua villages, Inca ruins and hiking trails. So there's plenty to see and do for several days. But most of you will doubtless not have the luxury of that much time in the area, so we want to suggest what we feel are the eight most memorable experiences.

The Quechua people have lived in the Sacred Valley for millennia

In this way, you don't need to worry about doing a whole lot of research into the valley yourself. Just read this post to get a feel for what's on offer, and plan your visit accordingly!

But first, we just want to show you the layout of the valley and its position in relation to Cusco, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu ...

Map of the Sacred Valley of the Incas

As you can see in the map above, if you head to the Cusco region of Peru, the Sacred Valley of the Incas is right there in the middle. Whether you trek or catch the train to Machu Picchu, you'll pass through the Sacred Valley as both have their entry points in the far west of the valley.

The section of the Urubamba River in the west of the Sacred Valley near Ollantaytambo is very popular for white-water rafting.

Here, you can enjoy a half-day outing where you tackle family-friendly rapids and drift past farms, villages, lagoons and Inca ruins.

The Urubamba River, a tributary of the Amazon, was considered sacred by the Incas

The first section of the river journey is fairly easy going with just level one and two rapids. However, after an hour or so you encounter some level three rapids that offer exciting waves, holes and technical moments.

The Urubamba River runs from the Sacred Valley down past Machu Picchu

A great thing to do when in the Sacred Valley of the Incas is to delve into the unique fabric dying (using natural materials) and weaving traditions of the Quechua people at an awana wasi (weaving house). 

One of the Chinchero ladies demonstrating traditional Quechua weaving

These weaving demonstrations are more interesting than you might at first expect. Also, if you're interested in sustainable tourism, you'll be glad to know that these demonstrations offer a much-appreciated additional source of income to the mostly agrarian communities that host them.

Natural ingredients are used to dye alpaca and llama wool

Weaving demonstration are offered in more than one village in the Sacred Valley, but we take clients to Chincheros. This historic town is 3,160 m in elevation and sits on the Anta plains overlooking the Sacred Valley. Its origins are believed to go back millennia, but its the more recent Inca and Spanish histories that are naturally most accessible.

Entrance of the Colonial Church of Chincheros which was completed in 1607

The split-level plaza and church, for instance, were built on the foundations of the palace of Inca monarch Tupac Inca Yupanqui. The beautifully aged catholic church built by the Spanish is one of the oldest in all Peru; do pop your head in if you have the time and take a look at the many old murals.

Much of Chincheros consists of adobe homes, and the vast majority of its inhabitants are Quechua. If you visit on a Sunday, the market is a must-visit as it's one of the more authentic ones remaining in the Sacred Valley.

The Quechua town of Chincheros

At Moray there are three concentric depressions in the landscape. The Incas used the terraces to trial different crops, because the each one offers a slightly different micro climates. In fact, the top and bottom terraces can vary by 10℃!

The Incas created Moray's concentric terraces to trial test different crops

Looking down to the Moray terraces

The site is very atmospheric. It's also only by standing there yourself that you can appreciate the full extent of the engineering prowess of the Incas.

It's believed that the Incas grew around 250 different crops! Little wonder the Sacred Valley was so revered – it was the bread basket of the empire in the Cusco region.

Walking up to the viewpoint

We encourage visitors to climb the nearby hill where you can see all three depressions and appreciate a truly unique sight.

We're all about adventure at Follow Alice, so we love that you can explore some of the Sacred Valley of the Incas on an exciting quad bike or horse ride!

A quad bike tour in July 2023

If you choose to do a quad bike trip, you'll zip along in the fresh air on the Alta plains above the valley floor and see incredible panoramas of fertile farmland, remote villages, cold lakes and soaring mountains.

A quieter option is to go on a horse ride and enjoy the views from atop your noble steed!

Horse riding is a fun way to explore a portion of the valley

The Salineras de Maras (Maras Salt Flats) just to the south of the Urubamba River are an iconic feature of the Sacred Valley.

Some of the thousands of salt flats near Maras

Salty, mineral-rich water from a hot spring further up the valley are channelled into thousands of shallow salt flats (or pans), then left to evaporate to produce salt. Visitors are invariably fascinated to watch local women in traditional garb engage in this time-honoured activity.

The viewpoint for the salt pans

At Follow Alice we like to clients to enjoy a traditional lunch cooked and served in a local home in the rural community of Misminay, home to just over a hundred families.

Potatoes, quinoa, corn and other worldwide favourites come from the Andes

As you likely already know, the Andes is the origin of some of the world's best-loved foods, like chilli peppers, corn, potatoes, quinoa and certain beans. Yet many of the local varieties aren't well-known outside of the country, so you expect to enjoy unusual varieties of familiar foods at your lunch, like purple corn or dehydrated potatoes.

Moreover, those who enjoy meat can also anticipate trying one of the local delicacies, like cuy (guinea pig) or llama. And of course everything will be beautifully seasoned with local spices and herbs like huacatay (Peruvian black mint).

Wholesome whole foods are great at helping your body adjust to high altitude

Your hosts will teach you about local foods and customs, and so this is a wonderful cultural experience to really induct you into local Quechua culture.

If you're interested in learning more about the traditional foods of the region, you might like to check out Culinary Cusco – the best foods and restaurants.

At the top of the Sacred Valley (where the Vilcanote River becomes the Urubamba River) is the town of Pisac and its incredible Inca ruins.

Ruined Inca citadel of Pisac

Pisac is divided into two parts:

A baby llama in the town of Pisac

While you can catch a ride up the citadel, we encourage you to hike there if you can, imagining as you do how the Incas and conquering Spaniards would have had to reach it the same way.

The ruins themselves are massive, and so you want to give yourself at least an hour or two to explore them, whether with a guide or on your own. The site was multifunctional, and you will see the farming terraces, water channels, hidden chambers and more.

The Inca's farming terraces in Pisac

Needless to say, the views of the jagged peaks above, the surrounding ruins and the town and valley below are just breathtaking!

Ollantaytambo stands at the narrow end of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where the land steepens before the river flows into a gorge. This is also where folks catch the train to the trailhead of the Inca Trail or to Machu Picchu Town.

Ollantaytambo and its Inca terraces

When in historic Ollantaytambo, we recommend you make time to:

Ollantaytambo is small and compact, making it an easy town to explore on foot.

Ollantaytambo is a great example of Inca town planning, as the historic streets are still in use, and some of the original homes still stand too! The town was arranged in canchas (communal blacks), each of which was home to a few families.

Some of the streets and gutters are from Inca times

Not all Sacred Valley markets offer the same authentic experience. The market in Pisac, for instance, has lost much of its charm since it started targeting tourists. But the Ollantaytambo market remains a great touchpoint of Quechua commerce and culture.

Ollantaytambo still has a wonderfully authentic market to visit

The Andean Centre for Technology and Culture of the Communities of Ollantaytambo (CATCCO Museum for short) is a great place to see Inca artworks as well as artefacts arranged in eye-catching displays.

What's more, CATCCO is also the workshop for local weavers, ceramicists and artisans, so you can admire their work and support them if you see something you fancy in the museum shop.

Alternatively, you can support local artisans by visiting one of the souvenir shops

The Ollantaytambo ruins have a storied past. The fortress that sits above the steep terraces protected the army of Manco Inca against the Spanish and it was here that the colonial army saw its first defeat by the Incas!

The incredible Ollantaytambo ruins

The ruins sit just above the town, so they're easy to access, though of course you're going to have to put in some effort if you want climb up the terraces to the fortress! But it's well worth it to see the town and valley below. You can also imagine what it must've felt like to be besieged up there with Spanish army champing at the bit below!

The Inca storehouse of Pinkuylluna above Ollantaytambo

So those are our recommendations of the best things to see and do in the Sacred Valley of the Incas! Feeling inspired??