Sacred Valley Full Day

Complete tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas: Chinchero, salt mines of Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo and Pisac.

We start our day with the pick up at the hotel at 6:30 a.m., then we leave for the town of Chinchero, located 28 km from the city of Cusco.
In this small town we can see the remains of the royal hacienda of Tupac Inca Yupanqui, a small Inca wall located in the main square and we can observe an old colonial temple (Church of Our Lady of Monserrat – 1607). then the salt mines of Maras and finally, the archaeological site of Moray.

Maras is a town located 48 kilometers from Cusco and is situated at an altitude of 3028 meters above sea level. Maras was an important town during colonization, as it supplied salt to the entire southern highlands.
The salt mines of Maras have thousands of salt wells, where natural salt is extracted from the mountain “Qaqawiñay”. The salt of Maras has been extracted since Inca times to the present day.
Moray is located at an altitude of 3,385 meters above sea level. Moray has huge circular terraces (called Andenes), which take the form of an amphitheater.
These terraces had the function of a great agricultural laboratory, where the Incas experimented and obtained incredible improvements in agriculture, which was the main work activity and the basis of their economic development.
In each of these terraces it is possible to verify different microclimates. In the lower parts of the terraces it is possible to verify the highest temperatures.
Our adventure is just beginning!
We now depart for Urubamba, where we will stop for lunch (lunch included in the tour). On the way to the restaurant we will pass through different types of landscapes, each one more spectacular than the other.
After our lunch we will depart to Ollantaytambo. Located at an altitude of 2792 meters above sea level, the name comes from the word “Ollanta”, who was an Inca captain and “Tambo”, which means city that offers lodging and food to travelers. During the Inca empire Ollantaytambo was a strategic military, agricultural and religious center, which was dedicated to the cult of water.
Upon returning to Cusco we will visit the ruins. We will leave for the city of Pisac, located approximately 33 km from Cusco. Pisac means “Partridge”, the name was given because the base where it is built has the shape of this bird.
The archaeological complex is located on top of the mountain, with admirable sets of terraces that surround the mountains. In ancient times they were used to grow tubers and vegetables.
Our tour ends around 19:00hs.