The Sacred Valley in Peru


Our Peru walking Holidays
Peru highlights tour, Inca trail, Titicaca and Nazca
Taste Peru's diverse landscapes and fascinating culture
Peru walking and cultural holiday
Trek the cultural sites and mountain scenery of Peru
Hiking the Inca trail holiday
An unrivalled combination of history and spectacular scenery
Inca trail & Amazon Rainforest holiday
Inca Trail, Machu Picchu & rainforest
High Inca Trail trek in Peru
Machu Picchu, Inca fortresses and cloud forest
Alternative Inca trail trek in Peru, Salkantay Trek
Salkantay trek - an alternative Inca Trail adventure
Classic Inca Trail holiday, 10 days
10-days: Lima, Cusco, 4-day Inca Trail & Machu Picchu
Peru trekking tour, tailor made
Exhilarating Walking Experience in Peru's legendary sights
Inca Trail walking tour, Peru
Customisable holiday including comfort service Inca Trail
Peru holiday, Machu Picchu, Cusco & Lake Titicaca
Tailor made amazing Andean adventure and cultural heritage
Peru and Inca trail small group holiday
Travel from the Andes to the Amazon
Mountaineering Courses in Peru
Improve your mountaineering skills on this 6 day course.
Inca Trail extension holiday
Conquer ancient pathways on the historic Inca trail hike.
Rainbow Mountain trek in Peru
Gorgeous high altitude trekking near Cusco, Peru
Highlights of Peru holidays
Discover the real Peru. Includes Inca Trail Trek
Peru walking holiday, small group
Discover the Peru in the the lost land of the Incas
Trekking holiday in Peru, Mount Ausangate
Ausangate 5 day high altitude llama trek.
Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu
Hike the second most popular tour to Machu Picchu
Trekking holiday in Peru
Seldom-visited Andean villages, Inca and pre-Inca ruins
Machu Picchu small group holiday
Hike, bike, raft and zip-line your way to Machu Picchu.
Inca Trail trekking holiday in Peru
Trek the legendary Inca trail
Peru adventure holiday, Sacred Land of the Incas
Discover a land of contrasts
Southern Peru tailor made holiday, Alternative Inca Trail trek
Alternative Inca Trail to Machu Picchu without camping
Inca Trail trek with homestay
World-famous Inca Trail and an active, cultural twist.
Peru small group tour
Its all in the name, Peru and Machu Picchu are calling
Peru trekking holiday, Cordillera Blanca
Stunning high mountain trek through Peru's Cordillera Blanca
Cordillera Ausangate Lodge trek, Peru
Eco-lodge trek through stunning Ausangate range, Peru
The Sacred Valley, what we rate and what we don’t
A little local knowledge goes a long way in the Sacred Valley. Here’s what we, and our Peru specialists rate, and what we don’t.
Day hikes
The Sacred Valley’s ‘other’ villages
Maras salt mines
Incan ruins
Ollantaytambo
Pisac ruins
Local guides
Community lodges
Day trips
For Kathy Jarvis, avoiding the standard coach tour day trip is key to a more authentic experience: “ I would avoid all the standard one day bus tours from Cusco as you are herded around and taken to a not very good restaurant en masse with all other bus tours. As an alternative we offer (as do others) one day visits that are a bit different. For example we have one that includes a visit to Pisac Inca site, Urubamba fresh produce market and then a local farm, where you see produce growing in the ground plus animal life, ie chickens, guinea pigs etc and learn about the farming year. You then eat on the farm (a freshly cooked meal from local produce). It’s a lovely experience.”
Pisac market
Fake handicrafts
Aguas Calientes
Our top Peru walking Holiday
Peru highlights tour, Inca trail, Titicaca and Nazca
Taste Peru's diverse landscapes and fascinating culture
2021: 21 May, 25 Jun, 9 Jul, 30 Jul, 27 Aug, 10 Sep, 1 Oct, 15 Oct
2022: 15 Apr, 6 May, 20 May, 3 Jun, 24 Jun, 22 Jul, 12 Aug, 26 Aug, 9 Sep, 14 Oct
Flying into disaster?
As Heather MacBrayne points out, building the airport here has the potential to be as disastrous ecologically as well as culturally. She says: “This is a flat plateau in an otherwise very hilly region. It’s quite unique, and no one really knows what will happen if large international aircraft start landing here.” One thing is for sure, the airport will destroy this ancient landscape, shaped by the terraces and trails of the ancient Incan people. Critics also suggest that planes flying low over nearby Ollantaytambo and its 348sq km archaeological park would cause incalculable damage to the Inca ruins there and completely destroy the peace and beauty of the area.
Additionally, the airport has been built on land previously owned by the Yanacona – one of three traditional communities in Chinchero – who have been the only ones to receive any payment. Others will have to live with the effects of an international airport in close proximity without recompense, and ultimately, with the sale of their land the Yanacona have signed away their heritage and future income.