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Sacred Valley

Historic sites ·Santiago ·Open now
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#7Historic sites in PeruMost reviewed in SantiagoTravelers' Choice 2025
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About

Sacred Valley, also called the Urubamba Valley, is an Inca farming valley in the Andes north of Cusco, between Pisac and Ollantaytambo.

More photos 11

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Sacred Valley — Apu Linli's rugged peaks rising above the Pisac valley

Sacred Valley — Apu Linli's rugged peaks rising above the Pisac valleySacred Valley — Green valley settlement framed by steep Andean mountainsSacred Valley — Terraced farmland spread across a wide mountain valleySacred Valley — Cusco region villages and fields along the valley floorSacred Valley — Andean valley with fields and a winding riverSacred Valley — Sacred Valley farmland viewed from above in bright sunlightSacred Valley — Green fields and distant mountains across the Cusco regionSacred Valley — Valley ruins and fields beneath steep mountain slopesSacred Valley — Snow-covered mountain looming above an Urubamba villageSacred Valley — High Andean terraces beneath the surrounding mountain peaksSacred Valley — Moray area farmland and mountains in the Sacred Valley region

Why go

  • The agricultural terraces, called andenes, climbing the valley's hillsides, the most visible Inca sign
  • The Sacred Rock, a stone in the valley that draws the eye to the mountain horizon
  • Huchuy Qosqo, the estate of Viracocha Inca, overlooking the valley
  • Machu Picchu, the valley's most famous archaeological site, at the far end of the wider valley

Opening hours

Today00:00 – 23:59Show all
Monday00:00 – 23:59
Tuesday00:00 – 23:59
Wednesday00:00 – 23:59
Thursday00:00 – 23:59
Friday00:00 – 23:59
Saturday00:00 – 23:59
Sunday00:00 – 23:59

Know before you go

  • Open 24 hours a day, every day of the week.

Tips for your visit

  • The valley is generally taken to run from Pisac to Ollantaytambo; a wider definition runs about 100 km to Machu Picchu.
  • Machu Picchu, the valley's most famous archaeological site, drew 1.6 million visitors in 2019.
  • Altitude drops along the river, from 3,000 metres at Pisac to 2,050 metres near Machu Picchu.
  • Look for the Maras salt pans: several hundred small terraces on the flank of a gorge, worked by Maras farming families.

Best time to visit

  • Rain falls mostly from October through April, about 527 millimetres a year.

Interesting facts5

1/5

  1. The river is called Willkamayu in Quechua, meaning the sacred river.

    Sacred Valley - Wikipedia

  2. The valley was originally deep, then widened by sediment, in places by over 3 km.

    Valle Sagrado - Wikipedia
  3. 3,500 metres

    The qiwiña tree is among the highest living trees, growing above 3,500 metres.

    Vallée sacrée des Incas - Wikipedia

  4. Maize was made into chicha, a fermented drink served at many ceremonial feasts.

    Sacred Valley - Wikipedia

  5. The cultivated valley floor is about 1 km wide on average.

    Sacred Valley - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

The Incas then prized the valley for its geography, climate and fertility. It became the main maize-producing area of the Inca heartland, and they built irrigation works across it to counter uneven rainfall. Inca rulers kept estates here. Most archaeologists believe Machu Picchu was built as an estate for Pachacuti.

  1. from around 800 BCEThe Chanapata people first farm the valley, drawn by its rich soil.
  2. 900–1420The Killke civilization flourishes in the valley until the Incas absorb it.
  3. 1438–1471The estate of Pachacuti stands at Pisac.
  4. 1493–1527Quispiguanca, an estate of emperor Huayna Capac, survives as sparse ruins.
  5. 1537Manco Inca Yupanqui wins the Battle of Ollantaytambo against a Spanish army.
Show all
  1. After 1537The area comes under Spanish colonial control after Manco withdraws.

Sources: Sacred Valley - Wikipedia · Valle Sagrado - Wikipedia · Vallée sacrée des Incas - Wikipedia · checked 26 Oct 2026

Where
Cusco Region

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Is the Sacred Valley open 24 hours a day?

Yes, the valley is open at all hours, seven days a week.

Where is the Sacred Valley and how high is it?

It lies in the Andes of Peru, north of Cusco, between Pisac and Ollantaytambo. The valley averages about 2,800 metres above sea level.

How long is the Sacred Valley?

The core stretch runs from Pisac to Ollantaytambo along the Urubamba River. A wider reading takes it about 100 km further, to Machu Picchu.

When does the rainy season start in the Sacred Valley?

Most rain comes between October and April, roughly 527 mm a year.

How many people visit Machu Picchu from the Sacred Valley?

About 1.6 million people visited Machu Picchu in 2019, the valley's most famous archaeological site.

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