Discover the Sacred Valley

from
$ 230.00

The Sacred Valley of the Incas, in the Peruvian Andes and the edge of the jungle, is made up of numerous rivers that descend through ravines and small valleys; It has numerous archaeological monuments and indigenous peoples from the provinces of Urubamba and Calca.

  • Dificulty
    Relaxing
  • Elevation
    3.300 m /11.152 ft
  • Highest Altitude
    Chinchero 3.762 m / 12.340 ft
  • Lowest Altitude
    Urubamba 2.871 m / 9.419 ft
  • Group Size
    6-12 -16 max (Small)
  • Duration
    Full Day
  • Tour Style
    Culture, History
Discover the Sacred Valley

When you arrive in Cusco

Many people ask about altitude sickness, wondering if it will be a problem. Altitude sickness is caused when there is less oxygen in your bloodstream due to being at a high altitude above sea level. It can cause fatigue or general tiredness or even dehydration, dizziness, vomiting or nausea and loss of appetite. “Periodic Breathing” is common at high altitudes. It involves alternate periods of deep and shallow breathing, and breathing may even cease for between 3 and 15 seconds. When it occurs at high altitudes, periodic breathing is not a medical problem on its own. It is just the body’s physiological response to having lower-than-normal oxygen levels in the atmosphere. Your body reacts to this by making you breathe faster and deeper. This in turn, causes a quick build-up of carbon dioxide in your blood, which feeds back to your respiratory system causing your breathing to slow down or even stop for a short while. When your body senses a further drop in oxygen levels in the blood, it is kick-started into breathing faster and deeper again. And so the cycle continues.

Periodic breathing can interfere with your sleep if the periods of no breathing wake you up or make you sleep restlessly. If this becomes a problem, taking the prescription medicine acetazolamide (Diamox) may help. (ASK YOUR DOCTOR).

We take care of our clients and want you to enjoy your vacation so our agency receives support from a doctor who can advise you if you are feeling any symptoms of altitude sickness.

The best advice we can give is to relax and take in plenty of fluids, walk slowly and avoid heavy food and alcohol for, at least, your first 2 days here. It is best to do short and non-strenuous activities for your first few days until you become acclimatized to the altitude.

OVERVIEW:

  • ELEVATION CUSCO: 3.300 meter /11.152 feet
  • HIGHEST ELEVATIONS: CHINCHERO 3.762 meter / 12.340 feet
  • LOWEST ELEVATION: URUBAMBA 2.871 meter / 9.419 feet
  • CONSIDERED: moderate short walk with some sections being a bit more difficult.
  • STARTING: from 8 am to 6:30 pm. We will pick you up from your hotel and drop you off again when the tour is finished.
  • WHY: To cross it off your bucket list! The sacred valley is characterized by very special conditions, including: an excellent climate, fertile land and waters of the sacred river of the Incas, the Vilcanota (Quechua word meaning sacred or wonderful)
What is included in this tour?Items that are included in the cost of tour price.
  • Private van
  • Professional English-speaking Tour Guide
What is not included in this tour?Items that are not included in the cost of tour price.
  • Lunch. We will stop in Urubamba around 2pm where your guide can offer some recommendations of where to find good local food.
  • Tourist Ticket for archeological sites – This visitor’s ticket costs 130 Peruvian Soles (approx. US$41) or 70 Peruvian Soles for students with an ISIC card (approx. US$22). The ticket is valid for 10 days and can be bought at the OFEC office at Avenida El Sol 103- office 102 (Mon-Fri 8am-6.30pm, Sat 8am-2pm) or at any of the sites.
  1. Day 1 SACRED VALLEY

    You will be picked up from your hotel in Cusco at around 8:00am in a private car. We will then head to some Incan Archaeological sites and fun local markets.

    Our first stop will be AWANAKANCHA where you will get to see native animals such as llamas, vicunas and alpacas in their natural habitat and see how their wool is used to make fabrics. We will then continue towards PISAC, an Incan Archaeological site where you will see towers, military fortresses and astronomical observatories as well as the largest Incan cemetery in the Americas. From here we will go to the main square of the city to see the famous PISAC MARKET, a unique local market with handmade crafts, sweaters, ponchos, bags, etc. Finishing up here at around 2pm we will continue to URUBAMBA for lunch, where your guide will recommend some places to try the delicious local foods. After lunch we’ll drive to OLLANTAYTAMBO where we will walk to the summit of the Incan Archaeological site and see the six huge monoliths, the temples of the Sun and Moon and the water fountains. We will also see how the town of OLLANTAYTAMBO has many modern houses built on the foundations of the ancient Incan village. Heading back to Cusco we will go through CHINCHERO, a small village with many muds brick (adobe) houses and locals in their traditional dress. If we have time, we will visit some local Andean weavers who will demonstrate how they weave and dye the wool using traditional techniques. Our tour will end at approximately 6:30 pm when we will drop you back off at your hotel in Cusco.

What to bring in this tour?Items that are to bring.
  • Your own Tourist ticket (not included in price)
  • Sun hat
  • Sunscreen (factor 35 recommended)
  • Waterproof jacket/rain poncho
  • Water
  • Extra money for lunch- the cost is between 35 and 50 soles
  • Camera and film
  • Extra money for tips