Your epic Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour begins with an early morning transfer from your hotel in Cusco. We will be embarking on a 45 minutes drive to Chinchero in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Chinchero:
Home to renowned Andean textile weavers, here we will begin our visit with a short stop at a local weaving center. You will witness the extraction of wool from Llamas and Alpacas and then how they process the wool to knit their renowned handicrafts.
After witnessing this, we will be giving you a guided tour of the Inca site here where a white washed church stands today. During the Inca civilization, Pachacutec the Inca emperor, built his summer palace here which was torn down on Spanish conquest and the church that stands today, was built on its remains.
Among all sites in the Sacred Valley of the Icas, Chinchero has the most fertile soil. You will also get an insight into the Incas innovative farming methods here.
Moray:
Our next stop on this tour will be in a nearby village of Moray.
Home to the circular farming terraces dug in the ground. These terraces have different levels and each level has different temperatures.
The Incas used this as an agricultural laboratory to determine the best weather condition needed to grow a crop.
Maras Salt Mines:
Continuing our Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour, we will be visiting the renowned and the most photographed Salt mines. These geometric pools are built on a slope of a hill and have been existing since the Pre Inca times.
Salt farmers here continue the traditional Solar Evaporation method. They let in natural spring water from the neighboring hot springs into these pools and wait for it to evaporate. When it does, it leaves behind crystals of salt which are manually scrapped out.
Salt here is pinkish in color and has a distinct taste.
Urubamba:
Once you have had the fill of these alluring sites, we will be driving to Urubamba. Here, we will be stopping at a local restaurant to relish a buffet lunch. Restaurants here are owned and managed by local farmers so you can be assured to relish a farm fresh meal for lunch.
Ollantaytambo:
After lunch, we will be driving you to Ollantaytambo, former administrative capital of the Incas. This beautiful town is snuggled between two hills, each home to an Inca ruin. We will be visiting the temple of the Incas here.
This architecturally stunning place was sacred to the Incas. We will be visiting the remains of the main plaza and some ceremonial sites here. This was the very place where the infamous battle of Ollantaytambo was fought between Manco Inca and Hernando Pizarro the Spanish conquistador in 1531.
Although the Incas won the battle, fearing for a much stronger attack they abandoned this place and seeked asylum in Vilcabamba, jungle in Peru.
Aguas Calientes:
After the Sacred Valley tour, we will be driving you to Ollantaytambo train station. Here you will be boarding the tourist train to Aguas Calientes.
The one and a half hour ride offers staggering views of snow capped peaks as the train would snake down through the remote villages to Aguas Calientes in the Amazon.
Once in Aguas Calientes, our representative will meet you on arrival and will accommodate you in an ensuite hotel room for the night.
