THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS

FULL DAY TOUR

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is located just a short distance from the city of Cusco, at an altitude of 2790 masl. We leave in the morning to see the beautiful views of the glaciers of the Urubamba Mountain range and visit the Inca town of Ollantaytambo and its famous ruins.

After enjoying a delicious lunch at one of the fabulous restaurants located in the valley. we will continue to the town of Maras to visit the salt mines (originating from a spring that runs underground through the valley) and the impressive experimental agricultural terraces found in the archaeological site of Moray.

The last stop of the tour will be the town of Chinchero, an ancient Inca village still maintaining its traditional arts (textiles and ceramics) to this day; in the main square stands an impressive Colonial Church. Traditionally Chinchero is considered to be the birthplace of the rainbow.

Ollantaytambo -

The town of Ollantaytambo is located along an Inca trail linking Cusco to the Amazon Rainforest. Part of the role this Inca city had is in the term "tambo", the city itself bearing the same name, meaning a place to stop/rest. Ollantaytambo was a resting place for travelers passing from the Amazon Rainforest and vice versa, to recover from a hard and long journey.

Maras (Salt Mines) –

These salt mines are located on the side of the Qaqawiñay Mountain, in the Sacred Valley, in the form of small reservoirs. During the dry season the locals wash the pools with natural saline water using a spring that coming from inside the mountain. This water will be evaporated to form the salt. When the pool is fully harvested its deposit is taken to the laboratory for the iodization process. Then the salt is in granular form and sold in local markets for human consumption.

Moray -

The archaeological site of Moray consists of a group of unusual circular agricultural terraces, with a central bottom part about 30 feet deep. It should be noted that the temperature changes from the top level to the bottom one in approximately 15 degree Celsius.

It is possible that the Incas used these terraces in a sense of farming to study and test different climatic conditions and produce different varieties and qualities of crops.

Chinchero –

Chinchero is an Inca village that still maintains its ancient traditions and has passed through the centuries without receiving major changes; retaining its adobe houses (sun-dried mud bricks and straw) and people going about their daily business wearing colorful and traditional clothing. The main square and the church represent the cultural stratification that occurred with the arrival of the Spaniards.