To start our exciting extended tour of the Sacred Valley, your Peru Spirit Adventure private guide and driver will collect you from the lobby of your hotel in Cusco at 6:30 am and set off on our day trip from Cusco to the Sacred Valley of the Incas by the route that leads to Pisac.

Leaving the imperial city of Cusco, we’ll pass by Saqsaywaman and head over the mountains, enjoying breathtaking sight of the Andes that Cusco offers and stunning welcome views as we drive to Peru’s Sacred Valley

After scenic drive from Cusco in a comfortable van before continuing to Pisac, we’ll make our first stop at Mirador Taray to marvel at the Sacred Valley’s spectacular view, the Andes’ eastern mountain range Urubamba River.

Next, we’ll keep driving to the Pisac Archaeological Site, an ancient Inca settlement located in the upper part of the town with the same name, which boast impressive agricultural terracing of the Incan empire, and see an immense Inca cemetery that houses more than 2000 tombs, as well as impressive Incan architecture built on the slopes of the mountains.

At archeological complex of Pisac, you’ll also enjoy the beautiful views across the valley and around while learning the history of the Inca Empire from your private guide. After exploring the splendid Inca ruins of Pisac located on the top of an important mountain in the Sacred Valley.

We’ll head back to Pisac town to visit its colorful market (optional), where we can browse the array of local artisan work and other souvenirs – which of course you can buy to take home with you. We’ll spend about 20 minutes here.

Onwards, our private transport takes us on a scenic drive through the famous Sacred Valley along the winding Urubamba River, which also goes by the name of the Vilcanota River or the Wilcamayu River towards Urubamba town.

We’ll then turn off the route to western side of the Sacred Valley and head on to the salt pans of Maras, which were the main source of salt for the Incas themselves. At Maras Salt Mines, we’ll find a hundred salt evaporation ponds and salt mines of different sizes and shapes decorated on the mountainside, where locals still farm the salt by hands as the Incas used to do it centuries ago

After exploring the Salt Pans of Maras with your private guide, we’ll head to the Maras town to enjoy lunch (not included). Following lunch, we’ll head to magnificent Moray Archeological Complex, an Incan farming research center.

The archeological complex of Moray or Inca agricultural laboratory boast a series of circular terraces built in the natural hole into the earth like a huge amphitheater, with a beautiful landscape, amazing views of the Urubamba mountain range and surrounded by Veronica, Chicon and Sawasiray snow-capped mountains.

Besides, the Moray terraces have varied microclimates depending on how deep into the bowl they are placed. It is believed they were used by the Incas to research the optimal conditions for their crops.

Afterwards, we’ll continue to the Inca village of Ollantaytambo, the last living Inca town, dating from the late 15th century that preserves its old Inca urban design, and has some of the oldest continuously occupied dwellings in South America.

Once we get to Ollantaytambo town, we’ll visit its impressive archaeological site or an ancient Inca fortress situated high on a ridgeline with sweeping views of the Sacred Valley, including its imposing Temple of the Sun, whose 100 tons of construction rocks were brought from 5 miles away.

Also, this iconic Incan site of Ollantaytambo served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance, where the Incans defeated the Spaniards for several times during the Manco Inca’s rebellion after 1536.

Nowadays, Ollantaytambo, located in what is called the Sacred Valley of the Incas, is an important tourist attraction on account of its Inca ruins, and its location en route to the World Wonder of Machu Picchu and the starting point of the world-famous Inca Trail.

At the end of The Extended Sacred Valley Tour from Cusco 1 day, we drop you off at your hotel in Ollantaytambo or Urubamba (or Train Station), just feel free to let your guide know. If you want to finish the tour in Cusco, we highly recommend you to take our Sacred Valley VIP Package Tour.