An overview of the Sacred Valley (Valle Sagrado)

The Sacred Valley (in Spanish: Valle Sagrado) is located only around 1.5 to two hours by car from Cusco. Because of the lower altitude, the climate is warmer and therefore it is believed to have been an important spot to the Incas.

The valley goes from Ollantaytambo all the way to Pisac and can be visited in one or two days. 

I marked the spots mentioned in this post in red and two other relevant places in orange, to provide an overview.

We decided to hire a private taxi, to make getting from one place to another easier and more flexible but there are also many daytours offered from Cusco.

First, we decided to make a stop in Chinchero, a small town around an hour outside of Cusco. Chinchero is also home to the new Cusco airport, which is currently being built and is estimated to be finished by 2026. There are some Inca ruins and a small church to see, as well as a modern little museum. All of the entrances are included in the Boleto Turistico, a 10-day pass that provides entrance to different attractions, ruins and museums in and outside of Cusco.

Before we arrived at our next stop in Maras, we spontaneously decided to have some action and took a ride at Sam's Zipline (70 Soles per person for two rides). The guys that administered it were super nice and spoke English really well. I recommend it to anyone on their way to the sacred valley and looking for an adrenaline rush.

Next stop were the Salt Mines of Maras (Salineras de Maras). Here, one can see around 3000-4000 salt wells that are in different stages of drying.

I was really surprised when we've arrived, as I've been here before almost 20 years ago. Back then everyone could walk through the salt mines as they wished, which resulted in them being really dirty and worn out. Nowadays, one can only access different viewpoints overlooking the salt mines and entering the salt mines is only allowed for official workers. At the entrance and exit there are different places to purchase the salt in different forms and flavors. 
The entrance to the salt mines is 10 Soles (around 3 USD).

From Maras it was only a short drive to the ruins of Moray (entrance is also included in the Boleto Turistico). 

It is said that these terraces (the different leveled circles) were used by the Incas to identify the ideal farming conditions for different fruits, vegetables and so on. By taking soil samples, researches have identified that soil has been brought in from other regions. Additionally, the nature of the terraces creates a temperature difference on the different levels, making it a perfect place to test the ideal farming conditions.

Finally, our last stop was Ollantaytambo, a place you will likely cross if you go to Machu Picchu. Right next to the village center, one can find the ruins of Ollantaytambo (also included in the Boleto Turistico). 

These ruins were site to one of the few battles that the Incas won against the Spanish conquistadors. Shortly after the victory, Manco Inca decided to retreat to Vilcabamba, as he knew the Spanish would come back with more people. Read more about this part of the story in my Vilcabamba Post.