Things to do in Sacred Valley
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Sacred Valley
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Shoulder sweet spot: green landscapes, mild weather, fewer crowds than mid-year.
Peak dry season: clearest views, all trails open; book hotels and restaurants ahead.
Wet season: afternoon rain, muddy trails; sites stay open but the Inca Trail closes in February.
What's on
- Inti Raymi 24 June
Festival of the Sun reenactment in Cusco; valley hotels fill, book ahead.
- Virgen del Carmen, Paucartambo mid-July
The valley's biggest traditional festival, days of dancing.
- Fiestas Patrias 28-29 July
National holidays; domestic travel peaks across the region.
Best things to do in Sacred Valley
Ollantaytambo
The great terraced fortress and Temple of the Sun; the valley's mightiest Inca stonework.
Pisac Archaeological Park
Vast terraces, temples and the largest Inca cemetery, high above the town.
Pisac Market
The valley's best artisan market; textiles and jewelry, busiest on Sundays.
Terrazas de Moray
The circular amphitheater terraces, likely an Inca agricultural laboratory.
Salineras de Maras
3,000 active salt pans cascading down the mountainside; S/20 at the gate.
Chinchero
Weaving cooperatives, Inca terraces and a 1607 church on a palace foundation.
Qosqo Ayllu
Ollantaytambo's living Inca quarter; original streets, doorways and water channels.
Where to stay in Sacred Valley
Ollantaytambo
Machu Picchu connections and ruins at dawn
Urubamba
all-round exploring base
Yucay / Huayllabamba luxury strip
splurge and spa days
Pisac
market mornings and a quieter, artsy stay
Think twice about
- Cusco for valley days
An hour each way over the pass plus 700 m of altitude; you spend the trip commuting.
- Maras village
Pretty but almost no hotels or restaurants; a stop, not a base.
- Calca
Working town with limited dining and lodging; Urubamba does everything better.
Best restaurants in Sacred Valley
El Albergue Restaurant
The valley's destination farm-to-table restaurant at the train station.
El Huacatay
Inventive Peruvian cooking with French technique; the food-lover pick.
Puka Rumi
Mexican-Peruvian comfort food; big burritos after the fortress climb.
UCHUCUTA Restaurant
Solid Peruvian and Latin menu in the old town at fair prices.
Ima Sumac Cafe Pizzeria
Clean, good-value pizzeria near the center for an easy night.
Restaurant Doña Clorinda
Fresh, generous Peruvian cooking in a garden setting.
La Ruta - Restaurant Gourmet
The nicer Pisac dinner; Peruvian-Latin cooking above the plaza-café level.
Urubamba Market
Market food counters with menú del día; the cheapest real lunch in town.
Best coffee in Sacred Valley
Cafe Mayu
El Albergue's station café; good coffee and box lunches for the train.
Ulrike's Cafe
Plaza café with big breakfasts and good coffee before the market.
Outdoor things to do in Sacred Valley
Pisac Archaeological Park
Hike the terraces up from town or walk down from the top entrance.
Salineras de Maras
The main stop on the Maras-Moray bike and ATV back-road routes.
Urubamba River
Class II to III rafting on the river running the length of the valley.
Best hotels in Sacred Valley
El Albergue Ollantaytambo
Family-run 15-room hotel at the train station with gardens and a sauna.
Pakaritampu Hotel
Comfortable mid-range base well placed for the station and the fortress.
Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa
The valley's only hotel with its own private train station to Machu Picchu.
Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado
Reliable central mid-range stay close to Urubamba's restaurants.
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba
Hacienda stay on 100 acres with organic gardens and Earth-to-Table dining.
Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel & Wellness
17th-century hacienda with pool, spa and an on-site museum.
Sol y Luna
Bungalows with mountain views, spa and riding from the property.
Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel
Luxury villas with big windows over the river valley.
Is Sacred Valley expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | PEN 300 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | PEN 750 a person |
| Splurge | PEN 1,800 a person |
| No limits | PEN 3,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Urubamba River: a few days ahead
- El Albergue Ollantaytambo: weeks ahead
- Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa: weeks ahead
- Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba: weeks ahead
- Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel & Wellness: weeks ahead
- Sol y Luna: weeks ahead
- Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel: weeks ahead
- Explora Valle Sagrado: weeks ahead
- Boleto Turístico needs no advance booking; buy in person at the first site.
- El Huacatay and El Albergue: reserve dinner ahead in high season (June to August).
- Machu Picchu trains from Ollantaytambo: book weeks ahead; morning departures sell first.
Is Sacred Valley safe?
- One of Peru's safest tourist regions; crime is petty and concentrated in Cusco. Watch bags on collectivos and in markets. Real risks are sun, altitude and dehydration on hikes. Emergency: 105.
Sacred Valley travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Websites claiming to sell the Boleto Turístico online; buy in person or the ticket may not work.
- Roadside weaving stops on big-bus tours are high-pressure sales rooms; genuine Chinchero cooperatives demo first.
- Alpaca-wool claims at Pisac market are often synthetic blends; buy from cooperatives.
Getting around Sacred Valley: public transport and more
- Collectivos run constantly between Cusco, Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo; cheap and frequent.
- Agree taxi prices before getting in; a private driver for the day is the efficient way to do Maras, Moray and Chinchero.
- Two days self-guided beats one rushed day on a big-bus tour from Cusco.
- Machu Picchu trains leave from Ollantaytambo; many valley tours end there so you can board directly.
Who Sacred Valley suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Sacred Valley your trip
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