Machu Picchu might be the most famous Inca site in the world, but it’s certainly not the only one. There are quite a few archeological sites around Cusco, and one of the best places to go if you want to visit Inca ruins is the Sacred Valley. Agencies in Cusco offer whirlwind day trips to 4 sites + the salt mine Las Salinas, but I highly recommend visiting on your own and taking 2 days. This way you actually get to see and enjoy the ruins, rather than just rushing through and snapping a quick pic. Visiting the Sacred Valley on your own isn’t hard, and with this guide, you’ll have all the information you need to plan your trip.
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Table of Contents - Cusco: How to visit the Sacred Valley on your own
- What is the Sacred Valley?
- Where to buy tickets for the archeological sites in the Sacred Valley?
- How to get to the Sacred Valley from Cusco
- Where to stay to visit the Sacred Valley
- Visiting the Sacred Valley without a tour: A 2-day itinerary
What is the Sacred Valley?
Together with Cusco and Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley (or la Valle Sagrada in Spanish) formed the heart of the Inca empire. Here you’ll find archeological Inca sites, colonial towns, a colorful indigenous culture, and even a salt mine.
The Sacred Valley is actually the starting point of the famous Inca Trail and the train to Machu Picchu leaves from the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley as well.
Where to buy tickets for the archeological sites in the Sacred Valley?
The 4 most famous sites in the Valley are Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and Moray. Just like the archeological sites closer to Cusco, the sites in the Sacred Valley require a ticket in order to be able to enter the grounds. You can visit all four on the same ticket: The Circuit 3 ticket. You can buy your ticket on the spot, at the first site you visit. Tickets cost S/. 70 (about 20 USD, at the time of writing) and are valid for 2 consecutive days. If you’re going to be in Cusco for a while and want to see it all, you can buy the full ticket as well. This ticket cost S/. 130 (about 36 USD, at the time of writing) and is valid for 10 days. The full ticket gives you access to all sites in the Sacred Valley, Cusco, and the Southern Valley. For more info on the different tickets and their up-to-date prices, click here.
How to get to the Sacred Valley from Cusco
You can easily get to different towns in the sacred valley from Cusco by public transport. There are colectivos ((also called minivan or minibus) that go to Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero. Moray is the only place of this itinerary that requires a taxi to get there.
Where to stay to visit the Sacred Valley
Since it’s the easiest to visit the Sacred Valley starting in Cusco, I recommend staying here the night before and after your visit of the Sacred Valley. There are many nice and social hostels in Cusco, from chill ones to the big party hostels like Wild Rover and Loki. I stayed at Blacky Hostel, which is one of the cheaper options and good value for money. While I’m updating this post, it looks like the hostel got revamped and improved since I stayed here and got even better! Hostel Supertramp is another nice and social hostel in Cusco.
In the Sacred Valley, I recommend staying in Ollantaytambo, due to the location. This way you can best divide your time over the two days.
Visiting the Sacred Valley without a tour: A 2-day itinerary
This 2-day Sacred Valley itinerary includes all 4 archeological sites. I didn’t visit the salt mine and didn’t include it in this itinerary, but it’s easy to do so.
Make sure to leave most of your stuff in Cusco. This itinerary follows a circular route and you’ll need to bring everything you took with you to the Sacred Valley to the archeological sites. Meaning you want to have as little with you as possible. Just a daypack.
Day 1 - Pisac + bus to Ollantaytambo
Getting to Pisac from Cusco
Leave early in the morning, so you can make the most out of your day today. With this 2-day Sacred Valley itinerary, you’ll certainly have more time to visit the sites than on an organized tour, but it will still be 2 full days if you want to really take your time and enjoy your visit.
Take a colectivo (also called minivan or minibus) from Puputi Street for about S/. 4. The stop is marked on the Maps.me map and is about 25 minutes walk from Plaza de Armas, Cusco’s main square. Colectivos leave when full and take 45 minutes to 1 hour to reach Pisac. Ask the driver to drop you off just after the bridge when arriving in Pisac. The next street on your right will lead to the entrance of the Archeological site of Pisac.
Entering the Pisac ruins from this side, means you’re starting with a steep hike up. If you’re not up for walking, you can take a taxi to the other entrance, on the other side. This is where tours enter as well. I recommend taking the walk though. Just take it easy and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. There is no reason to rush anyway.
The archeological site of Pisac
Pisac is the biggest site of the four you’ll visit on this trip and it was my favorite. So take all the time you want and need today to visit this awesome place. Walking up to the ruins, you’ll pass Pisac’s Plaza de Armas where you’ll find a market. You can go for stroll here and pick up some snacks if you haven’t brought any.
Remember the walk is a steep one, so take your time. Especially if you’re not acclimatized to the elevation yet. You’ll notice paths on each side of the canyon. Both sides lead to the ruins, so you can pick one and head back down via the other side if you like. Tours don’t generally visit this part of the ruins, meaning you’ll hardly see any other people around. So enjoy having this part of the place (almost) to yourself!
Once you’re ruined-out for the day, make your way back down the same way, or take a taxi from the parking lot. Grab lunch here in Pisac if you’re hungry, or go for a stroll around town if you’re not tired yet before hopping on the bus tot Ollantaytambo.
Pisac – Many people recommended me to stay in Pisac, so I did. I wasn’t a fan though, and it meant I had very little time the next day, to visit the other 3 Archeological sites. So I recommend sleeping in Ollantaytambo instead. If you do want to spend some time here, Wolf Totem is the place to be, but there are cheaper places in town that are nice too.
Getting to Ollantaytambo from Pisac
Unfortunately, there is no direct transport, as Ollantaytambo lies a bit outside of the circuit. Take a bus or colectivo to Urubambo instead, and ask to be dropped of at the terminal where you can change buses.
You can wave down a bus to Urubambo from the same road where the colectivo from Cusco dropped you off, at the corner of Espinar Street where the hospital is located. This should cost you about S/. 2.50 – S/. 3 and the drive takes 45 min to 1 hour. At the terminal you’ll find colectivos to take you to Ollantaytambo for S\. 1.50 which take about 30-40 minutes. So count on about 2 hours and 4-5 S/. in total. The colectivo might not go to the terminal, but the driver will point you in the right direction if not.
Drop your stuff at your accommodation for the night and go for a wander around town. You’ll notice Ollantaytambo is a rather expensive town, as this is where the train to Machu Picchu leaves from. The Inca trail starts from just outside of Ollantaytambo as well. If you end up arriving super early, you could even visit the Ollantaytambo ruins today, but it will probably be quite late for that. So just enjoy the town for the evening. Tomorrow is another day.
Day 2 - Visit the sites of Ollantaytambo, Moray and Chinchero + bus back to Cusco
The archeological site of Ollantaytambo
I’d say this one takes the most time out of the 3 places to visit today, so don’t worry too much about the time you spend here. Do check out of your accommodation before going, so you don’t need to worry about this anymore. You can ask if you can leave your bag at the accommodation though if they have a place for it and pick it up before heading to Moray if you brought a little too much. If you’re getting hungry, grab something to eat here before heading to Moray. Moray is a couple of km away from the nearest town, so your next best place for food is Chinchero.
Getting to Moray and las Salinas de Maras from Ollantaytambo
Unfortunately, there is no public transport to Maras or Moray. The cheapest way to get here is to take a bus/colectivo heading to Cusco and ask to be dropped off at the exit to Maras. Colectivos leave Ollantaytambo from the parking lot behind the square where you were dropped off when you came from Pisac. If there is no direct transport, you can change at Urubamba as well. The ride should cost around S/.2-3 and take about 40 minutes if going directly from Ollantaybambo.
From the intersection, you’ll need to take a (shared) taxi. To Moray and/or Las Salinas. There will be taxis waiting there to offer their service. There will be people offering tours from Ollantaytambo as well, but this will be more expensive than doing the first part by bus.
Make sure to negotiate the rate for a taxi. I was offered one for S/.40 to Moray, and got it down to S/.20 for a return. You can probably get it down even further as taxis are shared and locals just pay a few coins. If you really want to, it’s possible to walk as well, but it’s a long and boring walk over a dusty road without shade. So I recommend taking a taxi.
The archeological site of Moray
Before stepping out of the taxi, agree on a pick-up time with your taxi driver to take you back to the bus stop. I Agreed on 45 minutes, which I’d say is the minimum you need here. I’d ask to be picked up in an hour or an hour and 15 minutes.
Moray is a very different archeological site and is made up of circular terraces. It is thought that they served for agricultural experiments.
Las Salinas de Maras – I didn’t worry about Las Salinas myself, as I was short on time (I had stayed in Pisac for the night, so my day started with a 2-hour trip to Ollantaytambo) and I had seen a salt mine in Colombia already. I was much more interested in the ruins. If you do want to visit the salt mine, you can negotiate a rate with your taxi driver to bring you to both Moray and Salinas, and back to the bus stop. Note that Salinas has an additional entry fee, it’s not included in the sacred valley pass.
Getting to Chinchero from Moray
Easy! The taxi will drop you off at the same bus stop where you got dropped off. Just take a colectivo heading to Cusco and get off at Chinchero. This leg should cost about S/. 2-3 soles as well and takes about half an hour.
You’ll find restaurants and a market in town, so if you haven’t eaten yet and are getting hungry you can find somewhere for lunch or a snack here.
Finding the path to the ruins is a little trickier here compared to the other sites. The bus will drop you off along the main road. From here, take the street to the market and the church and you’ll get to the ticket office. If you’re not sure, just ask a local to point you in the direction of ‘ las ruinas’ (the ruins) or ‘el mercado’ (the market).
The Archeological site of Chinchero
I found Chincheros the least impressive of the four archeological sites of this itnerary. It mostly consists of terraces that I found less impressive than at the other sites and it is used as farmland. It is a nice place to just enjoy a walk tough.
Getting back to Cusco from Chinchero
Again, very easy! Just head back to where you were dropped off and take a colectivo heading to Cusco for S/. 5-6. This should take about 40 minutes up to 1 hour depending on traffic.
Note that the stop for the Chinchero/Ollantaytambo colectivo is different than the one that goes to Pisac. So make sure to keep some battery on your phone so you can find your way back easily.
The stop is a 15-minute walk from the main square, la Plaza de Armas.
This was Cusco: How to visit the sacred valley on your own
If you want to spend some more time in the Sacred Valley, you can spend a couple of nights in Pisac. Many people really enjoy the town. Do visit the ruins on your last day here, as the Circuit 3 ticket is only valid for 2 consecutive days. Or you can choose to visit the other archeological sites on a day trip from Pisac.
If you prefer to stay in Ollantaytambo for a few days, change the itinerary around, but return to Ollantaytambo on day 2, instead of Cusco. The Sacred Valley is also home to the Lares trek, which is actually a set of trails, so you can do some hiking here as well and further explore the native cultures from this beautiful part of Peru.
When visiting the Sacred Valley on your own, it’s you have complete freedom to stay here for as long as you want and adding more off-the-beaten-track places to your itinerary as well.