Sacred Valley Tour with Salt Mines

Description of the place we will visit

The Sacred Valley is known as the area where the high technological development that the Incas achieved in agriculture can be appreciated and magnified through systems of terraces (cultivation terraces or retaining walls of land) that are currently in full production. , accompanied by sophisticated designs and hydraulic engineering works that were used for irrigation. Also worthy of note are the centers of worship of the Pachamama (mother earth), which are located in this extensive and fertile valley.

The Sacred Valley is the Urubamba Valley, between the towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, located a short distance from the city of Cusco where livestock farming areas and beautiful towns were concentrated from the incan era. The valley is flanked on the right bank of the Urubamba River by the Cordillera de Urubamba, which is covered with high, snow-capped mountains such as the Veronica and Sahuasiray mountains.

The valley is characterized by having very special conditions, excellent climate, an incredible scenic beauty as well as having very fertile lands and the waters of the sacred river of the Incas el Wilcanota or Vilcanota (Quechua word that means sacred or important thing), which upstream , in the town of Urubamba, changes its name to the Urubamba River. The Sacred Valley is included between the towns of Písac and Ollantaytambo, it has wonderful Andean landscapes, where its inhabitants, natives of the Quechua ethnic group, preserve many customs and ancient rites, as well as the traditions of Sowing, harvesting and coexistence. corn and potatoes also raise minor animals such as guinea pig. 

Why to choose this Tour?

We will take advantage of the whole day visiting the entire beautiful Sacred Valley.

It is a recommended tour for people who want to start learning about the culture of the Incas.

We will visit places of high importance such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo.

The places to visit are considered the most important outside the city of Cusco.

You don’t need very good physical condition to do the tour any more without a good acclimatization.

You cannot miss the most classic tour outside the city and get to know it in a better way on an organized tour.

You will enjoy a delicious lunch in Urubamba.

You will know the most important archaeological centers in just one day.

QUICK ITINERARY:

06:30 am Pick up from the Hotel or indicated meeting point.

07:00 am we will depart from Cusco to Chinchero.

08:00 am Arrival to Chinchero and we will make the visit.

08:45 am we will continue to Moray

09:30 am We will visit the archaeological center of Moray

10:15 am We will continue to the Salinas de Maras

10:45 am We will start with the visit of the Salt Mines of Maras

11:30 am We will continue to Urubamba.

12:30 pm – 13:15 pm Lunch in Urubamba.

13:15 pm we will continue towards Ollantaytambo

14:00 pm start of the visit to the archaeological center of Ollantaytambo.

15:00 pm We will continue towards Pisac.

17:00 pm visit of the archaeological center of Pisac.

17:45 pm return to the city of Cusco.

ITINERARY:

Our service begins with the pick up from your hotel in our tourist transport to go to the upper part of the sacred valley at 06:30 am, this tour will begin by visiting the archaeological center of Chinchero and we will visit the picturesque town of Chinchero, where the remains of the royal hacienda of the Inca «Túpac Inca Yupanqui». You will admire its well preserved Inca Wall in the main square and visit the beautiful colonial temple with interesting frescoes in the portico, built on the bases of an Inca building and then continue the visit to the Moray archaeological center and continue to the Salineras de Maras. and to visit this beautiful place of ancient Inca traditions on the way our guide will give us the information of the area we are visiting as well as we will be able to appreciate from the vehicle the lagoons of Piuray and Huaypo also the snowy mountains of La Veronica and Sahuasiray, we will continue the visit heading to Urubamba, We will visit a local restaurant in the Sacred Valley to taste delicious local dishes which are mostly buffet-style that make it faster and better to taste different dishes from our region. After lunch we will continue to Ollantaytambo and visit the Ollantaytambo Fortress and Citadel, built to guard the entrance to this part of the valley and protect it from possible invasions by the inhabitants of «Antisuyo». We will have the opportunity to walk through the small streets of the town and thus have a clear idea of ??what this military, religious and cultural center was like during the Inca Empire.

On the way back to Cusco it will be through Pisac in the beautiful valley after the Inca citadel of Pisac we will visit and tour the Inca terraces and visit the most important points then we will take the vehicle again to continue and we will finish this beautiful day around 18: 45 pm.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACES WE WILL VISIT:

Chinchero

Chinchero is 28 kilometers from the city of Cusco. It is one of the points of the sacred valley, located at a higher altitude: 3,772 meters above sea level, 12,375 feet high. There was built the palace of the Inca emperor «Túpac Yupanqui», which was destroyed by the Spanish and later populated by them and the construction of a plaza and the colonial church of Nuestra Señora de Monserrat began. This church built in the 17th century includes canvases from the «Cusco School». The town is also famous for its artisan market where you can still carry out the local barter tradition and well known for its art in textiles in which the traditional fabrics and dyes used anciently with local products such as flowers, are still kept. roots, leaves and insects, as well as different minerals to be able to dye the balls of wool used in the fabric, in addition to using the designs that identify this sector.

Moray

Moray comes from the Quechua word Aymoray which is related to the cultivation of corn, it is located about 7 km southwest of the town of Maras and is a unique archaeological group of its kind in the region, It is gigantic depressions or natural holes on the surface of the land that was used to build terraces or agricultural platforms with their respective irrigation channels, it is therefore a prototype of a greenhouse or a biological experiment station quite advanced which was built in the time of the Incas to be able to acclimatize different plant species to sectors that they were not used to, as well as improving the genetics of some plants in the region.

Maras

Located to the west of Cusco at 3300 meters above sea level, the Urubamba mountain range and the snow-capped mountains of «La Verónica» 5682 meters above sea level and «Chicón» 5530 meters above sea level can be seen. Their occupation began when the Incan cusqueños were stripped of their palaces in the Cusco and they had to go out to settle in other small towns like Maras and places in the sacred valley, this town has a church made of adobes, typical of small-town religious architecture, inside the church canvases of the Cusqueña School of the Colonial times and the town is full of gates with rock carvings and coats of arms of important people who lived in this sector.

Pisac

The archaeological center of Pisac is located 33 kilometers from the city of Cusco (it is known as the door to the Sacred Valley). Its name comes from the Quechua word that represents a bird that lived in the area known as Pisaqa, which is a kind of partridge. which makes this sound when fleeing from its natural enemies, In addition that the archaeological center has the shape or the outlines of this bird giving itself the toponymic name to this area. It is world famous for its artisan market which caters to visitors every day and its impressive archaeological remains, located in the upper part of the town. This town is important for its location and fertile land, as well as the production of local products such as potatoes. Its Inca and colonial buildings are admirable and recognized for being a place of great importance at the time of the Inca. In addition, Pisac is famous for being an ideal place for spiritual retreats and stands out for the cultivation terraces that cover the mountain and are built in places that were inaccessible, but these resolved and managed to plant and produce on the slopes of these hills, in addition to serve as protection covering almost the entire mountain.

Urubamba

Urubamba is one of the most important cities in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This city was born during the colony and is considered the world capital of corn. This is possible thanks to the fact that it is watered by numerous rivers that are born in the peaks of the glacial mountains located at the top of this town, such as the Verónica snow-capped mountain and the Ipsay snow-capped mountain. All this territory was appreciated by the Incas due to the fertility of their lands and the warm climate that it has. It is one of the best places to relax and to also be able to taste the fruits of the area such as the capulí, Durazno or the quince which can be found depending on the time of year. There you will see many foreigners who decided to leave their countries and stay there because it is a quiet and wonderful area as well as being the fucking starting point for a walk to the Lares valley or also a connection to Machupicchu.

Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo archaeological center is located 97 kilometers northeast of the city of Cusco.

The name Ollantaytambo comes from a Legend that the town has about the story of an Inca commander and warrior who starred in a great battle in the sector and is also the protagonist of the Ollantay play in which they tell this beautiful story. The name also states that this was a stopping or resting point in which people or residents of Antisuyo or the warm and lower areas could take a short break before arriving at the cities of Cusco. During the Inca period it was a fortified city with temples, defense walls, as well as urban and agricultural sectors. It is known that it served as an administrative control post for entering the city of Cusco. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Peru and South America for the type of construction it has and the size of the agricultural walls and terraces, as well as the town is known as the «living Inca» city for keeping the city with the structure left by the Incas and stay until today.

INCLUDED:

  • Tourist transport.
  • Professional guide
  • Buffet lunch at a tourist restaurant in Urubamba.

NOT INCLUDED:

  • Water.
  • Snack.
  • Entrance Tickets (BTC) to Archaeological groups
  • BTC (Cusco Tourist Ticket, allows entry to Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and 13 other attractions include museums and 4 archaeological groups that are visited on the City Tour) S /. 130.00 or USD 47.00.
  • BTPIII (Sacred Valley Partial Tourist Ticket, allows entry to Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero). S /. 70.00 or USD 23.00 only these three places.

WHAT TO PACK:

  • Light clothing for walking and comfortable shoes.
  • Sunscreen.
  • Water.
  • Money in Soles (shopping).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What to bring to the tour?

For this tour we recommend bringing light clothing for walking and comfortable shoes, sunscreen, water, money in soles (to shop), camera – camcorder – batteries, rain poncho and sunscreen will also be important since the weather in the Sacred Valley varies very fast in the rainy season between December and April. Do not forget to bring warm clothes as we will return to the city of Cusco at night.

What is the difference between the Sacred Valley in shared and private service?

The Sacred Valley in the shared service includes transportation and a guide for a group of diverse people (up to 19 people). In the case of the private service, it is a special service for a closed group from 2 visitors who can follow a different itinerary or according to the pace that people have on the tour.

What is altitude sickness?

Known as soroche or altitude sickness, this is a problem with altitude or acclimatization with the city located at a very high sea level as the city of Cusco.

How to avoid altitude sickness?

The recommended natural remedy is the Coca Leaf that can be consumed resting in hot water, which is recommended to take upon arrival at the hotel in Cusco to improve acclimatization. In addition to this we recommend drinking plenty of water. Being at rest or not doing very demanding activities.

If all this did not work, it is best to rest and let the body get used to it.

If you want to prevent you could also take the medicine that is well known for altitude sickness which is Soroche Pills which helps a lot with acclimatization (you can consult your doctor)

Are there any places in the sacred valley that were not mentioned on the tour?

If in this tour the market of Pisac is not mentioned that is not visited in the shared tour due to lack of time since we will visit many more places at the beginning we will visit the local market in Chinchero, in the case of the private tour you can visit this point or If you are interested in others, we recommend that if you choose the private tour, inform what places of interest you have and thus be able to improve your visit creating an ideal package for you.

Could you choose the restaurant where I want to have lunch in the Sacred Valley?

 If you only need to coordinate with us and be able to see the difference in rates, we would recommend the buffet service more since the time in the group tour is limited in addition to seeing where the restaurant is located or we could recommend other restaurants of a higher category and report the difference. In the rate, in the private service there are no problems since the guide will manage the times.

Excellent
Based on 151 reviews
Fernanda L
Fernanda L
2023-09-01
Mariela es muy especial! Fue todo perfecto! Mariela es increíble y hizo todo para que nuestro viaje fuera inolvidable. La dedicación de Mariela por su trabajo y por su familia también son muy bonitas. Eso hace todo aún más especial.
Michel
Michel
2023-06-30
Cusco Visitei Cusco em Junho/2023 e reservei todos os passeios com a Qorianka. Equipe muito atenciosa, todos os passeios foram ótimos e bem organizados.
Da F
Da F
2023-06-23
Perfeito!!!!! Quando fui planejar a viagem para Cusco pesquisei muito os locais que queria conhecer e as empresas que faziam os passeios, encontrei a Qorianka Tours entrei em contato e fui super bem atendida pela Mariele que esclareceu todas as minhas dúvidas. Quando estamos planejamento uma viagem sempre surgi o medo de não ser o que esperávamos, mas falo com vocês que foi melhor do que eu esperava, me surpreendeu o comprometimento, a atenção de toda a equipe que esteve comigo e com meu marido no período da viagem. Vou detalhar um pouco como foi, quando chegamos no aeroporto já tinha uma pessoa esperando para levar até o hotel, nos dias de buscar para os passeios foram todos extremamente pontuais, os guias sempre alegres e com toda atenção explicavam as histórias dos locais, os locais de café da manhã e almoço muito bom e agradáveis e no fim da viagem também nos buscaram no hotel e levaram até o aeroporto. Ficamos 9 dias em Cusco, foi uma viagem maravilhosa, um sonho realizado. Agradeço toda a equipe da Qorianka Tours que conseguiram transformar minha viagem em algo mais surpreendente do que eu espera. Se vc estiver planejando super indico a Qorianka Tours, não tem nenhum ponto negativo para reclamar. Podem confiar.
Solange Puga
Solange Puga
2022-09-27
AGÊNCIA CONFIÁVEL!! A agencia é confiável, fiz a reserva pelo Brasil,só paguei uma pequena reserva,em um banco no Brasil,fiz o resto do pagamento diretamente com a Mariella em Cusco. Eles são honestos,mas meio informais. . No city tour,eles atrasaram, logo após 20'' de atraso eu liguei,esqueceram de nós,mas logo Mariella resolveu o problema e mandou um carro para nos levar até o grupo. Adoramos os guias de cada passeio,Aidê,Roni,Ivan e Mari,são eficientes,educados e divertidos . As Vans eram confortáveis. O hotel do pacote em Aguas Calientes,,era bom e bem localizado,foram nos buscar na estação.
Silvia P
Silvia P
2022-09-04
7 lagunas con Diego Go!! La mejor experiencia!!! desde inicio hasta al final... cuentan con servicio de desayuno, almuerzo típico delicioso? Además de conocer y hacer amistades de otros países? y lo más importante el guía quién nos orienta e explica durante todo el trayecto.... totalmente agradecida y muy feliz Guía: Diego Suna Quispe
Rocio O
Rocio O
2022-09-04
TOUR 7 LAGUNAS CON DIEGO GO! La mejor experiencia de la visita a las 7 lagunas además de contemplar su belleza natural fue que el guía Diego nos dejó tomarnos el tiempo necesario para captar las mejores fotografías y hacer videos, ya que estas imágenes quedarán guardadas por siempre para el recuerdo. También agradecer por la alimentación que estaba deliciosa con ingredientes propias de la zona. Un consejo para las personas que deseen aventurarse en este tour (o alguno otro, ya que el guía es experto en muchos tours) no se arrepentirán en tomarlo como guía a DIEGO GO! ( como lo bautizamos ???) su nombre real es DIEGO SUNA QUISPE
Rafa Rodriguez
Rafa Rodriguez
2021-04-26
Todo el viaje valió la pena El viaje fue súper cansador pero llegar a la montaña de colores compensó todo el cansancio! Además con el guía Ronald aka Picasso hizo esta experiencia mucho más gratificante y hermosa!
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