Tour type: Historical and Cultural

Recommended season: All year round

Difficulty: Easy

Highlights: Salt Mine, Pisaq, Ollantaytambo Moray and Chinchero archeological sites.

ITINERARY

We will pick you up at your hotel at 7:00 am, with our private van and head towards the Sacred Valley of the Incas; the first stop with a view will be at the Mirador of Taray. It is an amazing lookout. This spectacular view of the Urubamba valley is laid out before you, with traditional farming communities in the valley floor and mountain peaks rising along the valley.

Pisaq.We drive to the archaeological site of Pisac, where you can see an immense Inca cemetery with many tombs. You will learn about the incredible farming terraces carved into the mountain, having time for exploring the ancient Inca city. These ruins are quite extensive and you will see many examples of original Inca architecture.

Then we head back to the colourful market of Pisac, which we visit for about 20 minutes. Then we drive to Urubamba for lunch where you have the option of a buffet restaurant of delicious Peruvian food, or another restaurant.

Ollantaytambo. The second Inca site to visit on this tour, is considered a living Inca town, where we will explore the archeological site for about 1 hour. For example, Pisac is a very extensive site. You will learn about the incredible architecture of the Sun Temple, admire the water fountains and the impressive storehouses and more.

Salt mine. The Salt Mine (Salineras), close to the colonial town of Maras, is Pre-Inca.

Hundreds of saltpans decorate the hillside and have been used for salt extraction since before the Inca era. A natural spring at the top of the valley discharges a small stream of water heavily laden with salt, which is diverted into saltpans and evaporated to produce a salt that is of very high quality. This is one of the few places in the world where you can find naturally pink salt! This is a shorter walk than Pisac.

Moray. The fascinating Inca site of Moray is also known as “The Greenhouses of the Incas.”

Different levels of terraces are carved into a huge bowl, part of which was further excavated by the Incas. The 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. This is another shortstop.

Chinchero: The last stop on this tour is Chinchero which is another living Inca town where people are mainly artisans that speak Quechua. It also has a pre-colonial archeological site where we will see a catholic church built on the sacred Inca Temple. After this, we will drive back to Cusco city where you will arrive at your hotel at 6pm.

INCLUDED

• A Professional English, Spanish and Quechua speaking guide.
• Service from hotel to hotel
• Private transportation
• Lunch

NOT INCLUDED

• Entrance tickets to archeological sites: 70 soles (1 day pass) which can only be purchased in soles and at the first archeological site.
• Salt Mine entrance 20 soles.

WHAT TO BRING?

• Comfortable shoes
• Hat
• Water
• Sun protection
• Money in soles to purchase boleto turístico and entrance to salt mine, lunch and souvenirs.
• Passport
• If you are a student, take your student ID card (only works for the 10 day boleto turístico)