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Pachamama Expeditions Travel

Stone – Valley – Continuity

The Pachamama sacred Valley Tour

The Sacred Valley is not approached as a sequence of sites, but as a continuous landscape shaped by water, agriculture, and movement.

1 Day

Trip Highlights

  • Guided visits to Pisac, Moray, and Chinchero
  • Walking exploration integrated into each site
  • Cultural interaction with local textile artisans

Ready to explore? Simply send us your preferred date

The Pachamama Sacred Valley Tour

The Sacred Valley is explored here not as a sequence of attractions, but as a living Andean landscape shaped by rivers, agriculture, stonework, and mountain communities.

The journey follows the natural rhythm of the valley itself — moving beside the Vilcanota River, crossing ancient terraces, and passing through towns where Inka foundations and daily local life continue together.

Along the route, farmers work their fields, women weave using traditional techniques, and herds of llamas and alpacas move across the highlands with local families. Corn remains central to valley life, not only through agriculture, but also through traditions like chicha, the ancestral corn drink still prepared and shared throughout the Andes.

Rather than rushing between crowded sites, the experience allows time to walk, observe, taste local flavors, and connect naturally with the landscapes and people that continue shaping the Sacred Valley today.

At Pachamama Expeditions, we move through the Andes with patience and respect — adapting to the rhythm already present in the land.

There is no fixed rhythm imposed on the valley.

Movement follows the terrain and the distance between places.

Itinerary

Pickup from your hotel begins around 6:30 am, while Cusco and the surrounding mountains are still quiet beneath the first morning light. The route descends gradually into the Sacred Valley, passing cultivated terraces, eucalyptus groves, and small Andean communities already active with daily life.

PISAC — TERRACES ABOVE THE RIVER
The first stop is Pisac, where ancient agricultural terraces rise above the valley floor. Walking through original stone paths, the experience connects architecture, farming, and mountain geography while overlooking the Vilcanota River below.
After exploring the archaeological sector, there is time to visit the lower town, where artisan workshops and local markets continue as part of everyday Andean life.

OLLANTAYTAMBO — THE LIVING INKA TOWN
The journey continues west through the valley toward Ollantaytambo, one of the last continuously inhabited Inka towns in the Andes.
Original stone streets, water channels, and ancient foundations remain fully integrated into local life. Massive terraces rise above the village while the surrounding mountains protect one of the most important historical settlements of the Sacred Valley.
Lunch is shared here in a quiet local setting using regional ingredients sourced from nearby valleys.

MARAS — HIGHLAND VILLAGE & CHICHA TRADITION
In the afternoon, the route climbs toward the quieter highlands above the valley.
In Maras, time is taken to walk slowly through the traditional village, where adobe homes, colonial balconies, weaving families, grazing alpacas, and farmers returning from the fields still shape the atmosphere of the town.
Here, travelers also have the opportunity to taste traditional chicha de maíz, the ancestral corn drink deeply connected to Andean culture and community gatherings.
Nearby, the Maras salt terraces descend across the mountainside — thousands of mineral-rich pools still harvested today by local families using traditional methods passed through generations.

MORAY — CIRCLES OF AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE
The final stop is Moray, where enormous circular terraces descend into the earth like natural amphitheaters.
The site reflects the Inka understanding of agriculture, climate adaptation, and mountain ecology. Surrounded by open skies and highland silence, Moray offers one of the calmest moments of the entire route before returning to Cusco in the early evening.

Details
• Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
• Maximum altitude: 3760 mt /12,335ft
• Walking time: 3–4 hrs (distributed)
• Transportation time: Approx. 5–6 hrs total
• Meals: Lunch
• Pisac: 2970 mt / 9,711ft
• Urubamba: 2870 mt / 9,416ft
• Moray: 3500 mt / 11,482ft
• Chinchero: 3760 mt / 12,335ft
• Cusco: 3350 mt / 10,990ft
• Return: Approx. 6:30 pm

Logistics

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cusco
  • Private transportation throughout the route
  • Pre-departure coordination
  • Entrance tickets (Sacred Valley tourist ticket)

Experience

  • Professional local guide
  • Guided visits in Pisac, Moray, and Chinchero
  • Walking exploration integrated into each site
  • Cultural interaction with local textile artisans

Food

  • Lunch in Urubamba, prepared with local ingredients

Some elements remain flexible, allowing each traveler to adapt the journey according to personal needs and preferences.

Personal Expenses

  • Additional snacks, drinks, or local products along the route

Additional Snacks or Beverages

  • Any extra items outside the planned meals

Tips for the Team

  • All team members receive fair and consistent payment
  • Tips are optional, but remain a direct way to recognize the work of guides, cooks, and muleteers

Trip Info

  • Cusco
  • Cusco
  • Professional local guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cusco
  • 3760 mt /12,335ft
  • Lunch
  • 3–4 hours (distributed)
  • 14 km

What to Bring

Essentials

  • Passport (student ID if applicable)
  • Cash in Peruvian soles
  • Personal medication

Clothing (Layer System)

  • Light jacket (temperature shifts between sites)
  • Comfortable trekking clothing

Footwear

  • Walking shoes or light hiking shoes

Protection

  • Hat 
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen and lip balm

Personal Gear

  • Daypack (20–30L)
  • Water (minimum 2 liters recommended)

Optional

  • Personal snacks
  • Camera

Request Your Date & Join a Group

To ensure the best experience and keep our trips personal, you can submit a non-binding request for your preferred date here. As soon as enough travelers join, we will confirm your trip and get everything ready for your adventure.


Related trips you might interested in

1

Food Experience

Dishes are warm, consistent, and designed to sustain movement across changing environments. Preparation happens within a dedicated kitchen tent, while meals are shared in open space, maintaining a direct connection between team, landscape, and daily rhythm.

2

Safety Approach

Preparation begins before departure with a detailed briefing, where participants can ask questions and understand route conditions, climate, and physical demands.

Guides continuously assess terrain, weather, and group condition. Decisions are made in real time—especially in canyon sections where heat and exposure vary significantly.

The route is managed through awareness, not rigid timing.

3

Philosophy

The route is not designed to accumulate sites, but to move through a landscape that remains active.
Communities continue their work. Fields remain cultivated.

We pass through without altering.
We observe without interrupting.

What remains is the continuity of the valley itself.