What is the Sacred Valley?
The Sacred Valley (Valle Sagrado) is a fertile stretch of the Urubamba River valley running roughly 60 km between Pisac and Ollantaytambo, in the Cusco region of Peru. Shielded by high Andean peaks and sitting at a lower, warmer altitude than Cusco, it was the Inca Empire's most productive agricultural region and home to some of its most important religious and administrative centers.
Why it mattered to the Incas
The valley's microclimates and terraced hillsides allowed the Incas to grow crops — maize especially — far more productively than at Cusco's altitude. Sites like Moray functioned as agricultural laboratories, testing seed varieties across engineered temperature zones, while Ollantaytambo and Pisac combined military, religious and residential functions, guarding the approaches to Cusco and, eventually, to Machu Picchu.
A living landscape, not just ruins
What sets the Sacred Valley apart from a typical archaeological site is that it's still inhabited and farmed the way it has been for centuries. Chinchero's weavers still use pre-Columbian techniques, Maras's salt pools are still worked by local families, and Ollantaytambo's streets follow the exact Inca grid where residents live today. Visiting isn't just seeing history — it's walking through a culture that never stopped. If you're weighing whether to dedicate a full day to it, see is the Sacred Valley Tour worth it?
Ready to see it for yourself? Choose the Sacred Valley Classic Tour for the traditional route, or go Sacred Valley + Moray & Maras to add the agricultural terraces and salt mines to the same day.
