Sacred Valley: Ollantaytambo and Pisac

Inca Heartland Valley, Part Of The Historic Sanctuary And Cusco Ensemble. Ollantaytambo Is A Living Inca Town With A Terraced Fortress; Pisac Has A Mountainside Citadel And A Famous Sunday Market; Moray And The Maras Salt Pans Lie Nearby. · Ollantaytambo, Cusco

The Sacred Valley is the stretch of the Urubamba river valley north-west of Cusco that the Incas farmed, fortified and filled with royal estates. It sits around 2,800 metres, noticeably lower than Cusco, which is why many travellers sleep here first and adjust to altitude more gently. Pisac has a terraced citadel high above the town and a handicraft market, biggest on Sunday. Ollantaytambo is the best stop of all, a living Inca town where the stone-lined streets are still lived in, a steep fortress of terraces and enormous stone blocks rises above it, and the train to Machu Picchu leaves from the station. Moray, Maras, Chinchero and Awanacancha fill out a day or two more, and the valley is reached by shared colectivo from Cusco or by a tour. Be honest with yourself: the market towns are touristy, and the real reward of the valley is the ruins, the farmland, the walking and the mountain light, not the shopping. Rain from November to March can bring landslides, and July and August are busiest, so book early.

Urubamba river valley between Pisac and Ollantaytambo, about 15 to 80 km north-west of Cusco, with Inca terraces and fortress towns on the slopes, Ollantaytambo, Cusco, Peru

Open-air ruins are usually open daily from early morning to late afternoon, with the last entry well before closing, and they rarely close except for a few holidays or rain-related safety reasons. The Pisac market runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and Sunday is the big one, busy from mid-morning to afternoon. The Chinchero market is also best on Sunday. Moray and Maras keep similar daytime hours. Train timetables for Machu Picchu start very early, so Ollantaytambo is lively at dawn and quiet after dark.

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