Sacred Valley Day Tour
Chinchero, Moray, Maras, Ollantaytambo and Pisaq in one day
- 1 day
- 3,762 m max
- Easy
- Cusco to Cusco
Twelve hours down the valley and back — the weaving town of Chinchero, the circular terraces at Moray, the salt pans at Maras, the fortress at Ollantaytambo and the hilltop ruins of Pisaq, with a buffet lunch in Urubamba.
The Sacred Valley is where the Inca did their best agricultural work, and a good day in it is the difference between understanding Machu Picchu and just photographing it.
Five sites in twelve hours. Chinchero for the weaving and the Inca walls, Moray for the terraced laboratory, the Maras salt pans for a landscape nothing else resembles, Ollantaytambo for a town still laid out and plumbed as the Inca left it, and Pisaq on its ridge at the end.
It is also the easiest day at altitude you will have in the Cusco region. The valley is lower than the city, the walking is light and the vehicle does the distance — which is why so many people put it first in their week.
What you'll see
Five sites, not the usual three
Most valley day tours do Pisaq, Ollantaytambo and lunch. This one adds Chinchero and the Moray–Maras pair, which are the two most interesting things in the valley.
Moray
Concentric terraces sunk into the ground, each ring at a different temperature. The Inca appear to have used them to trial crops brought from the coast and the Amazon.
The Maras salt pans
Thousands of shallow pools fed by a salt spring, worked by the same families for generations and harvested by hand.
Chinchero and its weavers
Inca walls, a colonial church built on a palace, and a town where the textile tradition is still a working craft rather than a display.
Lower than Cusco
The valley floor runs between 2,800 and 3,400 m, below the city. If you are still adjusting to the altitude, a day down here helps.
You can finish at Ollantaytambo
If you are catching the train to Machu Picchu, tell us in advance and we will arrange the luggage so you do not have to come back to Cusco.
Sacred Valley Day Tour: day by day
Times are what we actually aim for, not a best case. Traffic into Cusco and the train timetable move them by a little.
Day 1
Down the valley and back, the long way round
About twelve hours door to door, almost all of it easy. The route runs through the upper valley first and works back towards Cusco, which keeps you ahead of the coach traffic for most of the day.
- 06:30We collect you from your hotel or flat in Cusco. Pick-ups run until about 07:00.
- 08:15Chinchero — the village, its Inca walls, the colonial church and the weaving.
- 10:00Moray, and the circular terraces dropping into the ground like an amphitheatre.
- 11:15The Maras salt pans, on the hillside above the Urubamba.
- 12:45Buffet lunch in the Urubamba valley, with vegetarian options as standard.
- 14:15Ollantaytambo — a living Inca town and the terraced fortress above it.
- 16:30Pisaq, the hilltop complex with its terraces and ceremonial plazas.
- 17:15The drive back to Cusco, reaching your hotel early in the evening.
- Meals
- Buffet lunch
- Night
- Not applicable — you sleep in Cusco
What the price covers
Transport and guiding
- Collection from your hotel or flat in Cusco between 06:30 and 07:00
- Comfortable round-trip tourist transport with a professional driver
- A certified bilingual guide, English and Spanish, at every site
- Support from our team throughout the day
Meals
- Buffet lunch in the Urubamba valley, with vegetarian options
Not included
- The Cusco Tourist Ticket, bought at the first stop in Chinchero — about 70 soles for the valley circuit, or 130 soles for the ten-day ticket covering sixteen sites
- The Maras salt pans entrance, about 20 soles, which the tourist ticket does not cover
- Breakfast and dinner
- Travel insurance
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
What to bring
Papers and money
- Your original passport
- Cash in soles for the tourist ticket and the salt pans — cards are not accepted at the sites
- Any medication you take
What to carry
- A small daypack
- A refillable water bottle
- A camera and a power bank
Clothes
- Comfortable walking shoes, already worn in
- Layers — cold at Chinchero in the morning, warm in the valley by noon
- A light jacket or jumper
- A rain poncho between December and March
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream
- Sunglasses with UV protection
- A wide-brimmed hat or cap
Questions we get asked
Do I need the tourist ticket, and which one?
Yes — Chinchero, Moray, Ollantaytambo and Pisaq are all on it, and you cannot get into them without it. The partial ticket, about 70 soles, covers the valley sites on this tour. The general ticket, about 130 soles, is valid for ten days across sixteen sites and is the better buy if you are also doing the Cusco city tour. You can buy either at Chinchero, our first stop.
Are the Maras salt pans on the tourist ticket?
No, and this catches people out. Maras charges its own entrance of about 20 soles, paid in cash at the checkpoint, because the pans are worked by the local community rather than run as an archaeological site.
How much cash should I bring?
Enough for the tourist ticket, the salt pans and anything you buy at Pisaq market — two hundred soles in small notes covers the day comfortably. None of the sites takes cards.
Is it suitable for children or older travellers?
Yes. It is graded easy and there is far less walking than any mountain day trip. The sites involve uneven Inca ground and some steps, particularly at Ollantaytambo and Pisaq, but the vehicle covers all the distance.
Will the altitude bother me?
Less than Cusco does. The valley floor is between 2,800 and 3,400 m, lower than the city. The highest point of the day is Chinchero at 3,762 m, first thing in the morning, and after that you are going down. Many people use this trip as their acclimatisation day.
Can I end the day at Ollantaytambo to catch the train?
Yes, and plenty of people do — it is the obvious way to start a Machu Picchu trip. Tell us when you book so we can sort out where your luggage goes, because otherwise it is on the vehicle heading back to Cusco.
Why does this tour do the valley backwards?
Because starting at Chinchero and finishing at Pisaq puts you at each site slightly out of step with the coaches, which mostly run Pisaq first. It also means the highest and coldest point comes at the start of the day.
Can I do it privately?
Yes — your own guide, vehicle and timings, which on a twelve-hour day is worth more than it sounds. Private departures are quoted against your dates and party size.
Ask us about Sacred Valley Day Tour
Tell us your dates and we'll come back with availability, the circuit we'd recommend, and a firm price. No deposit to ask, and we answer within one working day.