The Sacred Valley of the Incas is a succession of incredible places, each with a special and different charm. In each town and place you will feel a unique and different sensation. And so it is that within this fascinating valley, there are 3 places that you should visit and not miss the incredible experience of knowing them, they are unique places in the world and that will fill all your senses.

• A tour not to be missed
• Unique and incredible places
• Chinchero
• Moray
• Maras

Chinchero, Maras and Moray are three must-see places on your trip to the Sacred Valley of the Incas

A tour not to be missed

Usually the tours of the Sacred Valley of the Incas include the already classic Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, this is due in part to the fact that most tourists only dedicate one day to visit the Sacred Valley, either because of the tight itinerary of their trip or because they take it as simple passing places on their way to Machu Picchu. But this fertile valley, which was chosen by many of the Inca emperors as their resting place, has much to discover.

If your time allows it, dedicate more than one day to visit this beautiful place, and you will be able to discover three incredible places that are usually overlooked: Chinchero, Maras and Moray. To know them you can hire a specific tour from Cusco or hire a private mobility that will take you to these three places. If you are returning from Machu Picchu, you can also do the tour from Ollantaytambo.

Unique and incredible places

Chinchero

Chinchero is the best known of these three fascinating places and is usually part of the regular tours of the Sacred Valley, but with a very fleeting passage, which will not allow you to fully know everything that keeps this ancient town. Chinchero is a town stopped in time, and like in no other place you will be able to observe the living Andean culture, which still remains from the Incan times.

If there is something that draws attention in Chinchero, it is undoubtedly its main square, a beautiful combination of Inca and colonial architecture. Its temple is built on what was the palace of the Inca Tupac Yupanqui, inside it contains beautiful works of art of notable indigenous painters of the Cusco school; it has the particularity that its bell tower is separated from the main structure of the church. In the square there are three large portals, two of them accompany a beautiful Inca wall that contains trapezoidal niches, also at the side of the square you can see the remains of Inca walls and terraces. On Sundays there is a traditional fair where you can experience the ancestral customs that are still preserved.

Colonial church of Chinchero

Moray

If there is something that can surprise you in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, that is definitely the Archaeological Complex of Moray, there is nothing like it anywhere else. It is a set of large structures located on a large plateau and are a succession of concentric platforms that are introduced into the interior of the same to a depth of 30 meters. These incredible basins were used as experimental agricultural stations by the Incas, and as you go deeper into the terraces, the temperature varies at each level, which manages to emulate several microclimates. This allowed them to experiment with different crops, from different zones, in the same place, which was a great scientific advance achieved by the Incas. These colossal structures will leave you wondering if they were really made by the Incas or by some other type of beings.

Inca experimental agricultural laboratory in Moray

Maras

The salt mines of Maras is another of those places that you should not miss on your tour of the Sacred Valley. The more than 3000 salt pools that are excavated in the Qaqawiñay mountain at 3,380 meters above sea level will surprise you. These salt pans are one of the 4 places in the world where you can find natural pink salt and depending on the time of day you visit the place, the white terraces of the salt pans take on beautiful shades that will be a delight for your eyes, as part of the experience you can take a handful of salt extracted by yourself. And if you wish, you can purchase bags of gourmet salt at the local souvenir store.

Salt pools in Maras, where natural pink salt is extracted

As you can see Cusco has many incredible places to discover, but as you know Machu Picchu is the icing on the cake. If you want to know all these incredible places just contact us. For more information about tours or how to purchase your Machu Picchu ticket write us at info@boletomachupicchu.com.

Advice from people who have been there

Sacred Valley

By: Andriana A.

“Excellent scenery!“

“The Sacred Valley of the Incas is full of incredible landscapes. Maras and Moray are places to visit. To get to Moray you go through a visual spectacle, literally a lot of beautiful places. Here we learn more about how advanced the Incas were in all agricultural matters. The salt mines of Maras are another beautiful spectacle. Go in sneakers and be comfortable so you can walk and visit the places quietly.“

By Ticket Machu Picchu – Last updated, July 10, 2024