Back

Explore Sacred Valley of the Incas

Sacred Valley

A tour of the Sacred Valley usually includes a visit to the market at picturesque Pisaq village and the ruined Inca temple-fortress at Ollantaytambo.

The Sacred valley of the Incas, just an hour's drive out of Cusco following the river Urubamba towards the Amazon, is a fertile plain once known as the breadbasket of the Incas. Highly populated at the apogée of the Inca Empire, it is now a bucolic paradise of fields bulging with cereals and vegetables, dotted with colonial towns and villages, as well as the ruins of imposing Inca temples and fortresses  

The pretty village of Pisaq in the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas hosts a colourful market 3 times a week, where you can haggle for handcrafted souvenirs and textiles alongside locals bartering for fresh produce. It's also home to an impressive Inca site set high on a hillside spur overlooking the town. Jutting out between two gorges, the large complex consists of temples, observatories and grain stores. Ollantaytambo sits at a strategic point where the river begins its descent to the Amazon jungle. The village has squat colonial houses with Inca foundations and quaint lanes and squares.  Most tours visit both.

Peru
Sacred Valley of the Incas

Holidays Explore Sacred Valley of the Incas

From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.

Sea lion sunbathing on rocks in the Galapagos

Private Journeys

Ecuador & Galapagos Islands / Galapagos Islands / Peru

Value Galapagos and Peru

13 days from £5,000pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

View of mountains on the Ausangate Trek, Peru

Private Journeys

Peru

Active Peru: The Ausangate Trek

11 days from £2,950pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Atacama Desert Death Valley, Chile

Group - Classic

Peru / Lake Titicaca / Bolivia / Chile

Andean Flamingo: Andes laid bare

17 days from £5,636pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Ceviche dish from Peru

Private Journeys

Peru

A Taste of Peru

12 days from £4,410pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Spectacled Bear head

Private Journeys

Peru

From Paddington to Peru

14 days from £3,910pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Sun over Machu Picchu in Peru

Private Journeys

Peru

Luxury Peru: Andes to Amazon

13 days from £9,420pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Boats and houses by Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian side

Group - Classic

Peru / Lake Titicaca

Pelicano: Essential Peru

14 days from £4,087pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Colourful Macaws flying over the Amazon

Private Journeys

Peru / The Amazon

Peru Birdlife: Machu Picchu to Pristine Amazon

12 days from £2,320pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Train passing through greenery in the Peruvian Andes

Private Journeys

Peru

Peru by Rail

11 days from £10,250pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

ShutterStock ©

Private Journeys

Peru / Chile

Signature Peru and Chile: Machu Picchu and Easter Island

15 days from £5,530pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Uros, Lake Titicaca

Private Journeys

Peru / Lake Titicaca

Signature Peru: Classic highlights of Peru

15 days from £3,625pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

ShutterStock ©

Private Journeys

Peru

Signature Peru: The Inca heartland and Amazon Rainforest

10 days from £2,470pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Ollantaytambo

Group - Classic

Peru / Lake Titicaca

Swift: Ultimate highlights of Peru

10 days from £2,790pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Uros, Lake Titicaca

Private Journeys

Peru / Lake Titicaca

Value Peru: Sacred Valley of the Incas to Lake Titicaca

12 days from £1,860pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Papagaio

Your edit for Latin American inspiration

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

View Extraordinary Inspiration
Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Finn Clennett
    Finn Clennett - Travel Expert

  • Carrie
    Carrie Gallagher - Travel Expert

    A former JLA tour leader, Carrie brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience to our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours department.

  • Mary
    Mary Anne Nelson - Travel Expert

    Born in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Mary’s insider knowledge and dry sense of humour make her a highly valued member of the Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tour sales team.

  • Hannah
    Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

    Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

  • Ben
    Ben Line - Travel Expert

    Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

0 1 2 3 4 5