Exploring Sacred Valley and Surroundings of Cusco

This trip is perfect for those returning after visiting the marvelous Machu Picchu citadel and wanting to make the most of their time to enjoy and enrich their knowledge by visiting key sites in the Sacred Valley of the Incas and near Cusco.

Places to Visit

• Living City of Ollantaytambo.
• Located 90 km northwest of the city of Cusco at an altitude of 2,792 meters above sea level. Its straight, narrow, and picturesque streets, along with some colonial-style houses, are built on finely polished Inca walls. Ollantaytambo is the only Inca city still inhabited by local families, preserving the original Inca village’s design and structure.
• Pisac Traditional Market and Archaeological Center.
• The town of Pisac is just 45 minutes from the city of Cusco. Sundays are the best days to visit this beautiful town and its artisan market, where you can find everything from musical instruments to alpaca wool clothing, all crafted by people from nearby communities who come to Pisac in their traditional attire to offer their best products.
• Tambomachay Inca Resting Place and Baths.
• Tambomachay, meaning “place of rest,” is also known as the “Inca baths” or “Ñusta baths.” The dual name is justified by the presence of two aqueducts in the complex that transport clean water to the site year-round.
• Pukapukara “Tahuantinsuyo Migration Control.”
• A military construction located near Cusco, Peru. This fortress consists of large walls, terraces, and stairways and was part of the defensive complex of Cusco and the Inca Empire in general.
• Kenko “Place of Mummification of Leaders.”
• Kenko means a twisted labyrinth with many turns. The name translates to zigzag, possibly due to the small carved channels in a zigzag pattern seen on the rocks, which may have been used to channel chicha or the blood of llama sacrifices. It is located east of Sacsayhuamán at an altitude of 3,600 MASL, on an outcrop of the Yuncaypata limestone formation from the Cretaceous period, about 80 million years ago.
• Puma’s Head or Sacsayhuaman.
• The largest and most impressive of the four archaeological ruins on the outskirts of Cusco, Peru. Its construction began during the reign of Pachacútec in the 15th century; however, it was Huayna Cápac who completed it in the 16th century.