Touring the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley, Peru

Mac & I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to explore the Sacred Valley around Cusco on two separate occasions: the first with E before our Machu Picchu trek, and the second with Mac’s cousin Bree & her husband, Brett. The Sacred Valley is absolutely filled with Incan history & culture and the amount of time we spent exploring the areas was probably not enough to do the area justice.

Urubamba, Las Salinas de Maras, & Moray

Our first introduction to the Sacred Valley was actually during our second day in Cusco – one day before our Wayki Experience. Mac, E, & I got a bus to Urubamba and then after some navigating, we crossed the Pichingoto bridge over Rio Urubamba (the same one that the Inca Trail follows) and started walking a steep uphill to Las Salinas de Maras – aka the Salt Pans.

Because we came from the less common path (more visitors come via tour bus from the other side), we had a lot of the salt pans to ourselves for a while. The salt pans are formed from salt water from a nearby underwater stream which is then divvied up into individual pans where the water is left to evaporate leaving only pure salt behind. The area is still in operation after thousands of years. The production is all done by hand too, which was fascinating to watch.

After we made our way through the (regular) visitors’ entrance, we continued walking uphill (we convinced ourselves this was a practice run for our upcoming Machu Picchu trek!!) towards the town of Maras. Though the guidebook said it was only another 45 minutes or so, we ended up taking almost double that (we also stopped for lunch). That altitude was no joke! We finally reached Maras with no real plan of how to continue onwards. We knew that there were nearby Incan ruins – Moray – but it was a 9km walk away. Um, no thanks. Instead, we found a local that was willing to drive us there and back for a small fee (don’t worry Mom, we asked the nice ladies selling snacks on the side of the road if he was cool. They smiled & nodded “yes”).

When we got to Moray, we found out that it was going to cost us 70 soles (~$24USD) each for an entrance ticket. This is part of a new-ish tourism scheme where different ruins are grouped together and you can buy individual day passes for 70 soles or a 10 day pass for the whole lot (including several other museums) for 130 soles (~$43USD). Since Moray was going to be the only ruin we’d be visiting before Machu Picchu, we didn’t really want to fork over that much money. Instead, Mac distracted the ticket sales lady while E and I snuck behind some parked cars and we were able to see one portion of the site.

Moray is composed of 3 separate depressions which are essentially circular terraces with each new step descending further downwards. They are thought to have been for agricultural purposes with each terrace being used to test the effects of altitude on the crops. Each step is said to have its own microclimate. The one that we were able to see was the biggest of the three, so we were satisfied with our lack of payment. After that, we admired the surrounding view before we hopped back in the car and got our driver to take us right to the highway where we caught another bus back to Cusco.

Practical Information

We caught a combi (collectivo) bus from east Cusco (near the Maxi Market) towards Ollantaytambo – and we asked to be dropped off at Urubamba.

Time: ~1 hour. Cost: 6s ($2) each.

In Urubamaba, we got a mototaxi to take us to the bus terminal (the combi bus dropped us off on the other side of town). From the terminal, we took another bus to “el puente” (say you’re going to Salineras and they’ll know where to stop).

Time: 15 minutes total. Cost: ~1s each (we paid 2s total for the mototaxi, and 2s total for the bus).

Cross the bridge and take the trail uphill towards the salt pans.

Time: 45 minutes. Cost: 10s each (~$3.50) for the trail entrance.

After the salt pans, walk to Maras & then try to get a cab to Moray. After Moray, see if the cab can take you past Maras to the highway where you’ll be able to catch another combi bus to Cusco (it’ll drop you off at Plaza San Francisco in Cusco).

Time: 15 minutes to Moray. 45 minutes back to Cusco. Cost: 70s (for the day pass), 10s ( cab from Maras –> Moray –> highway), 5s (back to Cusco) = 85s (or 15s for what we did) ($5USD pp)

Tambomachay, Puka Pukara, Q’enqo, & Saqsayhuaman

Our second Sacred Valley adventure was with Bree & Brett and involved a lot less walking! The four sites we visited are located along the road that leads from Cusco to Pisac. Similar to Moray, you need a ticket to get in. Mac had bought the 10 day ticket already, and Bree & Brett also had the same ticket from their Machu Picchu tour that they did the previous day. I was able to just buy the 70 soles ticket and it was good for all 4 sites.

We set out on our adventure mid-afternoon. We caught a bus headed towards Pisac and asked to get dropped off at Tambomachay. This area was HUGE! We picked a random path and followed it wherever it led us. We got to see some amazing views of the surrounding mountains & valleys. We even found a cave! (And Mac honed in on his modelling skills). The clouds started rolling in, and thunder started booming and we were scared that we’d get stuck in the middle of a rain storm, but luckily the clouds held out and we stayed dry!!

After Tambomachay, it’s just a short 5 minute walk down the road to Puka Pukara. Though smaller, and a bit less impressive, this ruin was still fairly spectacular. With similarly excellent views, we ate a snack lunch overlooking the city below.

We then stood on the side of the road and got a bus back in the direction we had just come from. This time, we asked to be dropped off at Q’enqo. It is definitely possible to walk from site to site (it’s about 6km between Puka Pukara & Q’enqo), but since it was already getting late in the afternoon, we didn’t have the time. Q’enqo is thought to have been a temple and amphitheatre. Contrasted with the other Incan sites we’ve seen where the stones are cut to precisely fit together, Q’enqo demonstrates in-situ carvings.

From Q’enqo, it’s just a short walk to the most popular of the 4 sites – Saqsayhuaman (pronounced: sexy woman. More or less. That’s definitely how we all pronounced it!). This huge site overlooks all of the city of Cusco. Unlike Q’enqo, there are enormous stones (weighing up to 130 tons!) that fit together perfectly to make up the walls of this massively impressive site. It’s thought to have been a temple where people could make offerings to the sun.

The four of us spent quite a bit of time here before the sun started to set and we decided we should head back to the city. There is a nicely stoned walkway that leads from Saqsayhuaman (you just said ‘sexy woman’ in your head… didn’t you??) down to the Plaza de Armas. The path runs by the San Christobal church which sits impressively on top off the hill. Shortly after the church, there’s a pedestrian only street that more or less leads down to the Plaza. As long as you keep going downhill, you’ll find downtown eventually.

Practical Information

The bus to Pisac can be caught at the bus station on the outskirts of town on Av Tullumayo. Buses leave when full.

Time: 20-30 minutes from Cusco to Tambo Machay. Cost: 2s pp.

Hailing a bus on the side of the road at Puka Pukara to Q’enqo is easy, and they come by pretty frequently.

Time: 5 minutes to Q’enqo. Cost: we just gave the driver 1s pp.