A Day in the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley or La Valle Sagrada is a 100-kilometer-long valley between Cusco and Machu Picchu. It has some of the world’s most impressive agricultural terraces, and authentic villages, and is home to countless Inca ruins. The Sacred Valley in Peru is one of the highlights of my trip to Peru.

How to see the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley is a beautiful place where one can easily spend 3-4 days relaxing in the shadow of the Andes mountains. And that’s ok too! But if you are like me, coming from far away and mainly focused on Machu Picchu, you are likely to drive through, halting at several prominent places.

You can visit most of the Sacred Valley in a single day. You can book a taxi from your hotel very easily. I recommend getting your driver to drive you from Cusco through the Sacred Valley. It allows a better degree of flexibility.

A one-day drive through the Sacred Valley usually starts from Cusco, meanders through the valley, and ends at Ollantaytambo.

Along the way, you see some incredible sights.

Moray

Moray is one of the most unusual and mind-blowing places to see in Sacred Valley – where the Incas conducted their agricultural experiments.

These circular terraces at different altitudes offer changing conditions – such as the light angle and temperature at each level. Because each of the terraces has a unique microclimate, with a range of some 15ºC between the highest and lowest points, it’s believed that the Incas used the site to test the growing of different crops and to acclimatize crops for use at higher altitudes. Their experiments are one of the reasons why Peru, nowadays, has over 2000 species of potatoes!

We hung out in Moray and the surrounding villages, talking to the locals and enjoying the sun against our skins.

I had lunch in one of the villages near Moray and took many photos and videos with the locals.

There was a severe language problem. They only speak Spanish and their local language (Quechua), but we still managed some basic communication. And it did not stop me from having the most enjoyable lunch ever!

I am a very picky eater, and I rarely enjoy those tours where you go to someone’s house and eat their local food. For one, it is awkward for me (as an introvert) to go into some stranger’s house and make small talk. Also, the anxiety over the food – what if I don’t like it? How do I stay polite when my delicate tummy starts to protest at the food in front of me?

Thankfully Peruvians are not like us Indians (who like to force more food on the plate in the name of hospitality). They brought in bowls full of food (all vegetarian to cater to my taste) – hearty soups, rice with vegetables – all with minimal spice and maximum flavor. And if I said no (which was hardly ever), they took it with equanimity.

The vegetables in Peru are generally excellent – very fresh, and organic farming is a regular practice in rural areas. So, the food naturally tastes delicious. I loved my thick potato soup and rice with corn and vegetables. I was so hungry and tempted by the food that I didn’t even pause to take a quick photo!

Ollantaytambo

After Moray, we got back into the car to continue the rest of the tour. Unfortunately, our car broke down along the way, and we wasted a lot of time waiting for a spare vehicle. We wasted a lot of time waiting, so I couldn’t visit this fantastic place – the salt mines of Maras.

Instead, we waited along the road for someone to pick us up and bring us to Ollantaytambo. Here, we spent a couple of hours happily exploring the Inca ruins and roaming the local market before heading off to our hotel for some rest. For more about Ollayantaytambo, check out this blog post.

The next day would be Machu Picchu – which required an early start and a pretty strenuous day. We were happy to put up our feet in our hotel rooms and call it an early night!

By now, my jetlag was also starting to hit. And I never even bothered about dinner; I just hit the bed as soon as possible!

All in all, the Sacred Valley was an unforgettable experience. It was a great build-up to the trip’s highlight – Machu Picchu.