• Availability: Available now
  • Group size: 2-10
  • Tour Type: Historical/traditional and informative
  • Max. Elevation: 3500 meters above sea level

Sacred Valley of the Incas by Moray

125 USD Per person

Sacred Valley of the Incas by Moray 

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is an inter-Andean valley that rises on the left and right banks of the Urubamba River and the Vilcanota mountain range. This natural environment is surrounded by numerous streams, snow-capped peaks, ravines, hills, small valleys, archaeological sites and ancient towns. In addition, the Sacred Valley of the Incas has an exceptional climate. Therefore, it is cataloged by travelers as one of the best places in the world to explore and visit the Inca city of Machu Picchu. During the height of the Inca Empire, the Sacred Valley was a highly prized place for its geographical and climatic qualities. In its fertile lands the best agricultural products were produced to feed the Inca court. And in its green meadows many rest retreats of the Inca royalty were located. During the Colony, many Spanish conquerors built their residence homes in this fertile sacred valley. IncaGo Expeditions has developed a unique itinerary called: Sacred Valley of the Incas by Moray, which will allow you to explore and visit the most renowned and beautiful places in this beautiful valley.

The first place you will visit, is the textile town of Chinchero, where you will learn the entire process of making the beautiful Andean looms. Then you will go to the beautiful Inca amphitheaters of Moray, Inca structures built in perfect harmony with the natural environment. You will visit the salt mines of Maras, which are perched on the slopes of the Pichingoto mountain and are currently considered one of the best quality in the world. You will explore and go from corner to corner Ollantaytambo, a huge religious, administrative, military and agricultural center. Finally, you will have a guided tour in the ruins of Chinchero, a Quechua town that still maintains the royal constructions of the palace of Tupac Inca Yupanqui. Around 6:30 at night, I will be back in the city of Cusco.

Sacred Valley of the Incas by Moray Trip Overview 

  • Tour localization: Sacred Valley of the Incas 
  • Tour type: 1 day by bus
  • Good for: Everybody, done in small groups or privately
  • Difficulty:Not hiking, but a lot of walking around the inca sites
  • Highlights: Dyeing and weaving demonstration at Chinchero. The fascinating Inca farming amphitheater of Moray, The Maras Salt Ponds. The administrative Inca site of Ollantaytambo and the colonial temple of Chinchero.
  • Language: All our tours are done only in English; If you need a Spanish tour, it must be booked privately and done at the initial booking.
  • Season: All year around

Day 1: Textile Experience – Moray – Salt Mines – Buffet Lunch at Urubamba – Ollantaytambo – Chinchero – Cusco.

Our memorable sacred valley of the Incas by Moray starts with our tour guide coming to your hotel at 7.30 in the morning. Then you will be brought for 30 minutes to the town of the rainbows where the inhabitants of this beautiful city keep alive all the ancestral techniques used to make clothing, uses and decoration, transmitted from generation to generation. The artisans of Chinchero make the garments with ancestral techniques, such as the use of the «away» and the «loom» and use products such as alpaca and sheep wool for their preparation. The craftsmanship displayed by the ladies of Chinchero is not just a regional marvel. The quality of its preparation is recognized worldwide and attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year, and no one leaves without taking one of the colorful, graceful and well-decorated garments that are exhibited there. The secret is in the elaboration process.

Then you will be transported for 30 minutes to the stunning amphitheaters of Moray. The circular units of Moray are made up of platforms in the form of concentric rings. Each circle includes a terrace that overlaps another, forming circles that gradually widen. You can access from one to the other by climbing projecting stones (sarunas), embedded in the wall. Afterwards our IncaGo Expeditions driver will take you for 20 minutes to Maras. The Salineras de Maras have more than 3,000 pools, of different sizes and dimensions, which are fed by salt water that springs from the subsoil of the Qaqawiñay mountain. The intense sun causes the water to evaporate, leaving salt crystals that are then «harvested» with a piece of wood with which the salt is scraped, which is placed in small baskets, to eliminate the excess water. After a few days, the water passage is reopened and the process is repeated.

At midday you will be taken for 30 minutes to Urubamba, where you will have a delicious buffet lunch. After you have digested your meals you will go to explore and tour Ollantaytambo. It is one of the most monumental architectural complexes of the ancient Inca Empire, commonly called «Fortress», due to its huge walls, it was actually a multifunctional town, strategically located to dominate the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The architectural type used, as well as the quality of each stone, worked individually, make Ollantaytambo one of the most peculiar and surprising works of art made by ancient Peruvians, especially the Temple of the Sun and its gigantic monoliths. Finally, you will head to the Inca ruins of Chinchero, a marvelous Inca spot where you will see well-carved Inca walls working like foundations for the modern houses built by locals. You will be arriving to Cusco about 6.30 pm. Our IncaGo driver will leave you right in the door of your hotel.

** Our Sacred valley tour by Moray has a door to door service.

Included on our Sacred Valley of the Incas by Moray

Professional local english speaker Guides: all our super leaders grew up in cusco region and studied tourism for five years at cusco’s university, they are friendly, funny charming, knowledgeable, professional and will care your safety into our sacred valley of the incas 

Permits: As soon as we get your details and deposit, we will purchase your permits for the inca ruins located into the sacred valley of the incas 

Briefing: you should come to our office at least one day prior to your tour to pay the balance, provide exact information about your accommodation and receive some details for the tour. 

Transportation: Incas Path will be providing all transportation for this sacred valley of the incas tour. You will be picked up from your hotel at 8 am, and brought into all the inca sites located in the sacred valley of the incas and then back to your hotel in Cusco. 

Food: During the Sacred Valley tour, we will stop at Urubamba for lunch. Only this meal is included in the tour

Details: We profess that it is the attention to small details that separates us from other travel agencies. Each tourist will recieve an umbrella for rain that you can also use for protection against the sun, due the solar radiation is very high in places located near the equator.

First Aid: Every guide has got training in first aid from a clinic and firemen. We elaborate mandatory training sessions every February on our tours, which every Incas Path tour guide must attend. Your tour leader is going to have always a first-aid kit for basic medical problems.

Not Included on our Sacred Valley of the Incas 

Gratuities for our staff: Incas Path ensures all staff are fairly paid and therefore gratuities are optional and at your own discretion

Travel Insurance: Highly recommended for all tourist

Daypack: We suggest you to use a daypack that not exceed 25L to carry passport, water, sunhat, sunglasses, suncream, bug spray, rain jacket and a warm jacket

Water bottle

Flight tickets

Hotel in Cusco

Prices

We would love to tour the Sacred Valley of the Incas by Moray with you and your loved ones and take care of immortalizing your visit to the lost city of the Incas. 

We can leave any day of the year as long as we meet at least two people, our bus tours can leave any day of the week, twelve months a year.

  • $200 per person

Important Note: This sacred valley of the incas tour is only done privately and our prices are based on a group of two to four; you will travel in a private van.

If your group is larger than four, please ask to an Incas Path representative for a special offer.

Important Note ll: We sometimes offer to combine private tours (with your permission) into small groups with a discount. Let us know if you would like to others joining you.

Student Discount:

  • – $ 10 discount per person

Student discounts apply to anyone who has a valid International Student Card (ISIC) at the beginning of the tour or who is 17 years old or younger. For those who use an international student card or for children under 17, we need to see a copy of their card or passport at the time of booking to receive the discount of Machu Picchu.

Please send everything to info@cuscodigital.com

Packing list

We suggest you to carry lightweight backpack that the is key to feeling good during this sacred valley of the incas 

Essentials:

  • Original Passport ,
  • STUDENT CARD (if you booked as a student)
  • Good daypack (the smaller, the better)
  • Comfortable athletic shoes (lightweight with good soles)

Inside Your Daypacks:

Daypacks can be any size for walking, but we always recommend the smaller, the better. Some items are listed below

  • Sunhat
  • Rain gear
  • Fleece
  • Rain jacket
  • Camera
  • Music (IPhone)
  • Handsanitizer
  • Extra Money for Souvenirs, Drinks & Tips
  • Personal medication
  • Sunscreen
  • Handsanitizer

Journey Info

Arriving to Cusco

The airport in Cusco at the present time is only for domestic flights, so all international travelers by plane must disembark in Lima and go through Customs. Even if your flight to Cusco is the same day by the same airline carrier, you must grab your bags in Lima and then check them back in.

The best way to arrive to Cusco is by air and there are several options in airlines. LATAM tends to be the most expensive, but has the most options and flights. 

Expect delays or flight cancellations; due to the high altitude of Cusco, it tends to be difficult to land and any weather inconvenience will stop air traffic. 

Bus travel is always available and while the trip can be long, especially from Lima, the buses company such as Oltursa, Cruz del Sur, etc, are very well maintained and comfortable; this option is strongly encouraged if coming from a city closer to Cusco, like Puno or Arequipa. 

Luggage Storage

Even though this is an overnight tour by train to Machu Picchu, your luggage allowance is still limited due to restrictions on the train; all bags brought to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) need to be carry on size. 

Any extra luggage you have with you, can be left safely in Cusco at either your hotel or with us at the Incas Path deposit while you enjoy your tour: We will grab the extra luggage from you the morning of your tour and return once you are back in Cusco. 

Make sure your suitcase have some kind of identification on them so they are easy to locate.

Altitude

As soon as people book their trip to Peru, specifically Cusco, they start wondering about altitude sickness. The air at high altitudes contains less oxygen than at sea level and forces your body to work harder to get the oxygen it needs. Over several days at high altitude, your body adjusts to the lower amount of oxygen in the air; that is why we advice you to arrive in Cusco  three days prior your trek begin or taking a tour of easy physical demand.

With altitude sickness, you may first feel like you have the flu or a hangover. You may have a headache, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, trouble sleeping, trouble breathing during exercise. If any of these effects become severe, please contact our representatives and we will help you get to a physician.

Most of the time, these symptoms will be mild. We always recommend easing into activity slowly, allowing your body to adjust, drink plenty of fluids such as water, electrolites or coca tea: coca tea has been used since ancient times to help prevent altitude sickness, leaves from the coca plant contain alkaloids like the globulin alkaloid which helps creating red cells in your body that captures the oxygen faster, so helping your body avoid the effects of altitude sickness. 

Avoid drinking a lot of alcohol it will cause you to urinate more often and become dehydrated, avoid smoking due it will make more difficult for your body to get oxygen and also avoid sleeping pills because it may cause shallow breathing at night, making it more difficult for your body to absorb oxygen while you sleep.

Your healthcare provider may prescribe medicines, such as acetazolamide better know as the brand Diamox and dexamethasone, to help prevent altitude sickness; start medication two days prior you get to a high altitude and continue to take it while you are at high altitude.

Weather

Of course weather is unpredictable. Typically the dry season in Cusco is from April through October, but this does not stop rain from falling in June or the sun from coming out in December, just be prepared; no matter what month you are doing the trek or tour, please make sure that you have rain gear that includes a waterproof jacket, pants, poncho and waterproof gloves.

Travel Insurance

To protect your journey investment, we highly recommend the purchase of travel insurance; acquiring travel insurance before you leave home, is strongly encouraged and very easy.

Vaccinations

The body’s immune system helps protect against pathogens that cause infection; most of the time, it’s an efficient system, it either keeps microorganisms out or tracks them down and gets rid of them.

However, some pathogens can overwhelm the immune system; when this happens, it can cause serious illness.

The pathogens most likely to cause problems are the ones the body doesn’t recognize: vaccination is a way to “teach” the immune system how to recognize and eliminate an organism; that way, your body is prepared if you’re ever exposed.

Vaccinations are an important form of primary prevention; that means they can protect people from getting sick, vaccinations have allowed us to control diseases that once threatened many lives, such as: measles, poliotetanus, and whooping cough.

You may require some additional vaccinations before traveling to Peru; it is adviced you consult to your physician specially if your are taking any trip to the jungle.