Top 9 Must-See Attractions In Sacred Valley, Peru

Most tourists visiting Cusco choose to go on a Sacred Valley tour, which includes the top must-see attraction in the famous Inca Valley. 

I feel like a lot of foreigners (including myself before visiting Peru) are a bit confused about how to visit the Sacred Valley and what the stops should be. 

After doing a complex road trip in and around Cusco, Peru, I can share some of my personal insights and tips on how to organise your trip in Sacred Valley. 

How to visit Sacred Valley in Peru?

You can choose to hire a driver with a car for the day to get you to one or more of these stops. 

The Sacred Valley is close to Cusco, so you can theoretically make a day trip from Cusco to one of these places in Sacred Valley. 

Note that the traffic can get worse on some days, so travel time will always be uncertain. 

Also, know that each of these spots will require a visit of at least 1-2 hours (with or without a guide), and then you will probably want to stop for lunch, too. So that’s why it will take a full day for one or two stops. 

That’s the reason most people will choose a two or three-day trip in Sacred Valley with or without a tour guide so that they don’t need to get back to Cusco at the end of the day. 

The Sacred Valley is one of the most touristy places in Peru, and there are plenty of hotels and restaurants to suit all kinds of budgets. 

Another option is to rent a car and organise your own itinerary. I recommend this option if you like being more independent. 

I did just this – I rented a car and went everywhere I wanted around Cusco and in Sacred Valley. I actually drove all the way to Lake Titicaca, Rainbow Mountain, and then close to Machu Picchu in a rental car, and I had a blast. 

I also find that driving in Sacred Valley is actually not bad at all, roads are generally ok, some are dirt roads and there aren’t that many cars to cause you troubles. 

Tickets for Sacred Valley attractions

Most of these attractions in Sacred Valley can be visited using the combo ticket. If you want to visit more than 2 or 3, then it makes sense to get that ticket. 

The Combo ticket is offered at any of these attractions, and it’s valid for ten consecutive days for the rest of the attractions. Payment has to be in cash. 

Here’s the complete list of attractions included with the Combo ticket: 

1. SAQSAYWAMAN 
2. Q’ENGO
3. PUKA PUKARA
4. TAMBOMACHAY
5. PISAQ
6. OLLANTAYTAMBO
7. MORAY
8. CHINCHERO
9. TIPON
10. PIKILLAQTA
11. MONUMENTO A PACHACUTEQ
12. CENTRO QOSQO DE ARTE NATIVO
13. MUSEO DE SITIO QORIKANCHA
14. MUSEO DE ARTE POPULAR
15. MUSEO DE ARTE CONTEMPORÁNEO
16. MUSEO HISTÓRICO REGIONAL

In April 2024, when I visited Cusco, the combo ticket for all these places was 130 Soles per person (paid in cash). I got my ticket during my stay in Cusco when I visited the Saqsaywaman fortress (which is a must-see place in Cusco, Peru). 

Top 8 attractions in Sacred Valley, Peru

The Sacred Valley in Peru is rich with must-see destinations, offering stunning landscapes, Incan ruins, and vibrant culture. 

Here’s the ultimate list of must-visit places in the Sacred Valley:

1. Pisac – Famous for its impressive Incan ruins and vibrant market, Pisac combines archaeological wonders with cultural experiences. The terraces and the hilltop ruins provide fantastic views of the valley.
2. Ollantaytambo – This well-preserved Inca town features impressive ruins, including a large fortress and ceremonial site. Ollantaytambo is also one of the main departure points for the train to Machu Picchu.
3. Moray – Known for its circular agricultural terraces, Moray is believed to have been an Inca agricultural laboratory. It’s a fascinating site that offers insights into the advanced farming techniques of the Incas.
4. Maras Salt terraces (Salineras de Maras) – These ancient salt terraces have been in use since Incan times and are still harvested today. The sight of thousands of small salt pools cascading down a hillside is stunning.
5. Chinchero – A small Andean village famous for its traditional weaving techniques, Chinchero is home to beautiful Inca ruins, a colonial church, and lively markets.
6. Urubamba – A central town in the Sacred Valley, Urubamba serves as a hub for visitors to explore the valley. While not as touristy as other spots, it’s known for its scenic beauty and has a range of restaurants and accommodations.
7. Yucay – This lesser-known town in the Sacred Valley is peaceful and surrounded by lush green mountains. It has some smaller Inca ruins and a traditional charm that offers a quieter alternative to busier sites.
8. Huchuy Qosqo – This remote Incan archaeological site is perched high above the valley and requires a challenging hike, but it rewards visitors with panoramic views and ruins that few tourists visit.

These sites give visitors a deep dive into the Inca civilization, stunning natural beauty, and cultural richness that the Sacred Valley has to offer.

I want to point out that you shouldn’t stress too much about visiting all these places, because it might get boring after a while. 

Sure, all places in Sacred Valley are magnificent and deserve a visit, but if you were to visit all of them in a short amount of time, you would begin to notice how they are actually very similar to one another, and it’s mostly all about huge stones and agricultural practices. 

The issue is that the Incas didn’t leave a written testament, and that’s why most of the stories shared by tour guides in Peru are mostly based on speculative history. 

I think you should only plan to visit all of these places if you are extremely obsessed with the Incas. 

Most tourists going to the Sacred Valley in Peru choose to visit the Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray and Maras salt terraces. 

I only visited Ollantaytambo and Moray. 

Alpaca farm in Sacred Valley

A bonus location to visit in Sacred Valley is the Awana Kancha alpaca farm. (Google Map location here). 

You’ll find a lot of llamas and alpacas everywhere you go, and locals dress up in traditional clothes and walk around with an alpaca so that tourists can take pictures with them and give them tips. 

I’m against animal exploitation, so I didn’t do that, but if you want to visit a farm to learn more about this gorgeous animal and also buy objects made from their fur, then choose an alpaca farm. 

Inca Fortress Of Ollantaytambo, Peru 

Ollantaytambo is the famous Inca village located in the popular Sacred Valley near Cusco, Peru. 

This place is one of the most visited Inca settlements in Peru, and that’s because it is one of the best-preserved sites to exist today in Peru. 

I made it to Ollantaytambo, Peru, just half an hour before closing, which was great because we didn’t have to deal with the usual crowds. 

I think it would have been better to arrive up to two hours before closing times, but I had a full schedule that day, driving back all the way from Hidroelectrica (the closest you can drive to Machu Picchu village). 

During the day, this place is crazy crowded, huge groups of tourists climb up and down the terraces, the small village is full of cars and the parking lot is always full. 

That’s why I think it’s better to plan your trip for the second part of the day when the tourist buses start leaving for Cusco. 

I assume that a lot of tourists don’t rent cars or hire private drivers, so that’s why they all visit with a tourist bus, and that means they all come and go at the same time. 

I really love to take my time and have the place mostly to myself, so this is a big tip if you are also renting a car in Peru and want to visit Ollantaytambo without the crowds. 

While the visit was short, we were able to explore the place and actually see the structures that the Incas left testimony. 

I think that Ollaytantambo is definitely the best place to visit in Sacred Valley. 

So, if you only have time for one stop in Sacred Valley, then it should be Ollantaytambo. 

I have a dedicated visit to Ollantaytambo on my YouTube channel if you want to see what it looks like:

Moray

This was our last day in the Sacred Valley around Cusco and Peru.

We woke up early, had breakfast at our hotel and then decided to visit one last attraction in the Sacred Valley before returning to Cusco and heading to the airport.

On our last day in Sacred Valley (we had a plane departing from Cusco late in the afternoon), we decided to visit Moray. We chose it because it was only a short detour from the main road. 

Moray is a unique archaeological site located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Cusco, Peru. 

It’s unlike anything you’ll see elsewhere, featuring a series of large, circular terraces that descend into the earth like giant bowls. 

These terraces were likely used by the Incas as an agricultural research centre, allowing them to study the effects of different microclimates on crops. Each level of the terraces experienced slightly different temperatures, which allowed the Incas to simulate various growing conditions. 

This experimentation helped them adapt crops such as maize and potatoes to different altitudes and environments across their empire.

Visiting Moray offered another glimpse into the ingenuity and scientific understanding of the Inca civilisation. The site’s design is both functional and visually stunning, with the terraces descending in perfect concentric circles. 

At its deepest point, the largest terrace reaches about 30 meters, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding landscape. The experience is made even more surreal by the peaceful, remote setting, which adds to the sense of awe and wonder.

While sites like Machu Picchu often steal the spotlight, Moray offers a more intimate and fascinating insight into the empire’s agricultural advancements. 

It’s also less crowded, giving you more time to soak in the atmosphere and marvel at the ancient engineering. 

You can add Maras after the Moray visit Moray

One other stop you can make after Moray are the Maras salt terraces. 

The road wasn’t paved in April 2024 when we made this trip, so we skipped it before we didn’t want to arrive too late in Cusco, given that we had to be at the airport in just a few hours. 

But most tours and trips from Cuscu include the two stops – Maras and Moray.  

Tips for visiting Sacred Valley

Most people tend to book everything before they arrive in Cusco.

I’d say that except for the ticket for Machu Picchu, which definitely needs to be purchased one or two months in Advance, you can book other services closer to your arrival date or even after you have landed in Cusco.

For instance, a lot of people are concerned about booking a tour guide for any of these places.

The reality is that no place in Peru requires you to visit with a tour guide. You can simply show up, buy a ticket and visit the place.

But since all of these places in Sacred Valley are super touristy, you will find a tour guide right around the entrance.

They will see you are a tourist and ask you if you want to hire them to explain more about the spot.

The reality is that there aren’t any explanations at the sites, so unless you are already an expert or have a printed guide with you, you might not know what you are looking at.

But if you have an internet connection, you can Google the spot and read from Wikipedia. Most likely, that’s what the guide will also share.

Some guides are more knowledgeable than others, and English-speaking guides are more expensive than Spanish-speaking guides.

In the end, it is up to you. If you want to hire a guide, I’d suggest you do that on one of the most popular sites and then skip them to the other locations.

For an internet connection, I recommend Airalo eSim. It works really well in all these locations.

Drive back to Cusco

I preferred to start driving back to Cusco at about 2 PM because traffic can be unpredictable, and my plane was departing at about 6:30 PM. 

But we got hungry on the way to Cusco and stopped at one random restaurant on the side of the road, as it was lunchtime. 

This is what these restaurants look like, and you’ll find them all over Peru, or at least around Cusco. We ate at places like these before, and we knew it was going to be good and affordable. 

Because it was lunchtime, the entire space in front of the small restaurant was full of cars. We had to wait a bit for our food to be ready because it was full, but it was worth it because it was tasty. I think it was less than 40 soles (~$10)  for two plates full of food. 

We even had time to stop at a gas station and clean the car a bit before returning it to the rental company (because it was full of mud). I wanted to get it washed, but all serviced car wash places were closed (it was a Sunday). 

As I arrived in Cusco, the traffic was a bit hectic, so I was right to hurry because I wasted a lot of time in traffic. 

The staff at the rental company was very nice and accommodating, and they were very quick with all the paperwork for returning the rental. They even drove us back to the airport, although it was only a 5-minute walk from the office. 

I was right to want to arrive early at the airport, but it turned out our flight reservation had an issue, and we needed more than one hour to solve everything and eventually get on the plane. 

I organise all my travels by myself, and I now have a sense of when things might not go as planned. Of course, it wasn’t my fault.

But the lesson was to always give yourself plenty of time around airport departures and always have an internet connection so you can check if everything goes according to plan. 

I always use Airalo eSims on my phone when travelling to have internet access everywhere I go. And in this case, it literally saved me.