Sacred Valley guide

What to see in the Sacred Valley

Q: What to see in the Sacred Valley in one day?

The five essential sites are Chinchero, Moray, the Maras salt mines, Ollantaytambo and Pisac. All five fit into one day on the Sacred Valley VIP tour; the Classic swaps Moray and Maras for the Taray viewpoint.

Five unmissable places between the plateau and the Vilcanota river, and how to see them all in one day from Cusco.

5 essentials

The places you should not miss

Moray and Maras are on the VIP route only; the other three are on both.

Classic & VIP

Chinchero

Weavers, a colonial church and terraces at the highest point of the route.

3,762 mRead guide →

VIP only

Moray

Circular terraces believed to have worked as an agricultural laboratory.

3,500 mRead guide →

VIP only

Maras Salt Mines

More than 3,000 salt ponds worked by families from the community.

3,385 mRead guide →

Classic & VIP

Ollantaytambo

Temple-fortress, Sun Temple and an Inca town still lived in today.

2,790 mRead guide →

Classic & VIP

Pisac

Terraces, the Intihuatana and a stop at the artisan market with silver workshops.

3,250 mRead guide →

Two altitudes, two landscapes

The Sacred Valley makes most sense on two levels. Above is the plateau, between 3,300 and 3,800 m, with open fields and the sites of Chinchero, Moray and Maras. Below runs the Vilcanota river, under 3,000 m, with Urubamba, Ollantaytambo and the town of Pisac.

The VIP route covers both levels in a single day: it starts on the plateau and finishes by the river. The Classic route stays mostly on the valley floor and closes in Chinchero.

Where to start?

If you have one day and want all five places, the VIP tour is the most direct way. If you prefer a calmer pace, the Classic covers three of them plus the Taray viewpoint. Compare both on Classic or VIP.

Sacred Valley of the Incas

At a glance

Altitude, route and ticket

Place	Altitude	On the route	Ticket
Chinchero	3,762 m	Classic & VIP	Tourist ticket
Moray	3,500 m	VIP only	Tourist ticket
Maras Salt Mines	3,385 m	VIP only	Community fee
Ollantaytambo	2,790 m	Classic & VIP	Tourist ticket
Pisac	3,250 m	Classic & VIP	Tourist ticket

Tickets not included in the tour price · See tickets

What to see

Questions about what to see

The five essential sites are Chinchero, Moray, the Maras salt mines, Ollantaytambo and Pisac. All five fit into one day on the Sacred Valley VIP tour; the Classic swaps Moray and Maras for the Taray viewpoint.

It depends what you are after: Maras and Moray are the most photogenic, Ollantaytambo impresses with the scale of its fortress, and Pisac with its terraces above the river.

The five main sites, yes, in a day of about 12.5 hours. To take in markets, towns and hiking trails at a slower pace you would need more days.

Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Moray are entered with the tourist ticket; the Maras salt mines charge a separate community fee.