Between Cusco and Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley runs 60 km along the Urubamba River — the Inca Empire’s agricultural heartland and the place almost every traveller stops before the train down to Aguas Calientes. The valley sits lower than Cusco (around 2,800 m against 3,400 m), which makes it the better place to spend a first night at altitude.
Ollantaytambo at the western end is the only Inca town still laid out on its original grid; Manco Inca defeated a Spanish cavalry force here in 1537 by flooding the fortress terraces. Pisac at the eastern end has a Sunday market and a terraced hillside fortress with Inca tombs cut into the opposite cliff. Between the two, Moray’s circular agricultural terraces and the salt pans at Maras are the pieces most travellers wish they’d made more time for.
Peruways runs the Sacred Valley loop as a day-trip or a two-day with an overnight in Urubamba — licensed Ministry of Culture guides, hotel pickup, site tickets and lunch included. Visit Peruways to book, or pair it with your Machu Picchu trip as a first day before the train.
