These are the best tourist destinations in the Sacred Valley You can't miss them!

Cusco and Machu Picchu are the most visited tourist destinations in Perú, but the Sacred Valley does not get left out. The majority of travelers that come to visit the seventh wonder of the world also visit this magnificent valley, where the Incas chose to build their cities and agricultural areas. The excellent climate and geography also called Urubamba Valley make it one of the most fertile territories in the country. 

5. Chinchero and Ruins 

Chinchero is a traditional town where many ancestral customs are still conserved such as trade/bartering and the use of traditional garments. In its narrow streets you can observe textile centers where they practice spinning and weaving in the same way as the incas did; and in the market on Sundays, the local stores still trade their products. There are also archeological ruins in Chinchero and a colonial church that was built over what was left of the Incan palace Tupac Yupanqui. 

4. Pisac Market and Ruins

History tells us that from the age of the Incas, the people of the Sacred Valley gathered in the plaza in Pisac to sell and trade their goods and products. When the spanish arrived the tradition stayed in tact and even today it is possible to witness. A good panorama is to visit Pisac on a Sunday when the main plaza is full of artisans and local farmers who sell woven alpaca goods, silver jewelry, ceramics, and fruit and vegetables from the area. Before visiting the market, pass by the ruins in Pisac, formed by 40 crop platforms on the steep hillside, they include “pucaras” or watch towers, and one of the largest pre-colombian cemeteries in the Américas.   

3. Maras Salt Mines

To the east of Cusco, 3.300 meters above sea level exists the town of Maras and its salt mines. 3000 wells of natural salt, where pink salt is extracted and dates back some 110 million years. The best time to visit the salt mines is at sunset, when the pink light of the sun reflects on the pools, making the perfect postcard for your Instagram. 

2. Moray Ruins 

When you arrive to Moray the first thing you see is a deep oval hole 150 meters down in the earth. Made up of platforms each 1.80 meters high, it emulates the form of an enormous amphitheater, that, according to historians was an agricultural laboratory of the Incan empire. Each platform is constructed with its own irrigation canal, and each one has a distinctive microclimate, with a difference of 15°C between the first and final platform. This means that in each platform they planted different crops. 

  1. Ollantaytambo and Ruins 

This inviting traditional town is full of history, important ruins and a cosmopolitan vibe similar to Cusco but smaller. During the Tahuantisuyo, Ollanraytambo was the home to the incan royalty and an administrative center, used for military, agriculture and religion. In its stone ruins you can see watch towers (which served as protection from the jungle ethnic groups), agricultural deposits and stone carvings dedicated to the worship of water. Besides its ruins, Ollantaytambo is an obligatory stop to board the train to Machu Picchu, and for this reason there are a variety of good restaurants, comfortable hotels, artisanal beer and a picture-esq artisanal market amongst other tourist attractions.