Safari to the Valle Sagrado

the relaxing rural location

Set between the Inca capital of Cusco and its primary religious centre at Machu Picchu, Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley) was the agricultural engine room of the great mountain empire.

The valley is comprised of a beautiful rolling patchwork of fields alongside the Urubamba River, against a dramatic backdrop of scenic snow-capped mountains.

A string of small towns and villages, from Pisac in the east to Ollantaytambo in the west, resonate with the ancient Inca culture and way of life, with many locals still chosing to wear colourful traditional costumes. There are interesting street markets at Pisac and Chinchero in particular.

The valley is littered with the remains of the Inca, with impressive ruins at Pisac and Ollantaytambo, the famous geometric agricultural terracing at Moray and the extensive salt mines at Maras.

Activities include various historic tours, hiking, mountain-biking, horse-riding, quad-biking, paragliding and white-water rafting.

The fact the altitude in the Valle Sagrado is considerably lower (2500m / 8200’) than at Cusco (3400m / 11200’) makes this an ideal place to start a visit to the region, where you can relax into the scene and start to acclimatise to the extreme altitudes.

From here it’s a short and pleasant train journey from the station at Ollantaytambo, west along the valley to Aguas Calientes, where it is usually best to spend the night whilst visiting the famous ruins of Machu Picchu.

Alternatively you can depart from the valley on one of the fabulous mountain treks which lead to Machu Picchu.

The best time to visit the Valle Sagrado is generally considered to be during the Apr-Sep cool dry season.

The area has a subtropical highland climate, which is generally dry and temperate, with two clearly defined seasons.

During the Apr-Sep winter conditions are usually cool and clear, with lots of sunshine. The peak daytime temperatures are usually around 22C/71F and the nighttime lows plunge to 1C/33F, with occasional frosts. Average sunshine is up around 8-9 hours per day, peaking in July.

During the Oct-Mar summer the weather is often cloudy and wet, with rainfall around 100mm (4”) per month. The peak daytime temperatures usually climb to around 29C/83F, with the nighttime lows holding up around 6C/44F. Average sunshine drops to only around 5hrs per day in February.

Like many of the high elevation locations in the Andes, the ultra-violet radiation is extremely high, so sun protection is essential.

Getting there

Valle Sagrado is usually accessed by air from the capital Lima to Cusco, with there usually being several flights per day in each direction. From there it’s a drive of an hour or so down into the valley.

There are also regular flight connections with Puerto Maldonado in the Tambopata area of the south Peruvian Amazon and Iquitos in the north Peruvian Amazon.

The areas of Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lago Titicaca, Colca Canyon and Arequipa can all be connected by guided overland road transfer or by rail (with both regular PeruRail services or luxury Pullman services).

Locations further afield, both in the north of the country and down on the coast are usually reached by air via Lima.

Where to stay

There’s around a dozen good quality places to stay in the Valle Sagrado. Most of these are quite large properties, the best of which feel like rural haciendas and monasteries, the less attractive tending to be more resorty.

The best upmarket options are probably Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba and Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado, whilst the more modest Hotel Sol y Luna is probably our most popular option.

One particularly outstanding property is SkyLodge Adventure Suites, which comprises just three pods which hang off the side of a 300m cliff and can only be reached by means of a via ferrata and zip wires.

visit first for altitude acclimatisation