For travelers seeking a comprehensive exploration of Peru’s most spectacular region, the Super Sacred Valley Tour delivers an unparalleled experience that goes far beyond standard itineraries. This Sacred Valley Extended Tour from Cusco combines all the classic highlights with hidden gems rarely visited by tourists, offering a deeper understanding of Inca civilization and contemporary Andean culture. Prepare for an extraordinary journey through history, tradition, and breathtaking landscapes.
What Makes the Super Sacred Valley Tour Different
While standard Sacred Valley tours focus on two or three major sites, the Super Sacred Valley Tour encompasses a more extensive circuit that includes archaeological wonders, traditional villages, agricultural marvels, and natural spectacles. This extended experience typically requires an early start and full commitment to a long day, but the rewards are immeasurable.
The Sacred Valley Extended Tour from Cusco caters to travelers who want to maximize their time in Peru, photography enthusiasts seeking diverse locations, history buffs craving comprehensive context, and adventurous spirits eager to venture beyond the typical tourist path. By dedicating a full day to this expanded itinerary, you’ll gain insights and capture images that most visitors miss entirely.
Early Morning: Chinchero – Where Tradition Thrives
Your Super Sacred Valley Tour begins in Chinchero, a picturesque Andean village perched at 3,760 meters above sea level. This authentic community offers a window into traditional Peruvian highland life that has remained largely unchanged for generations.
Chinchero Archaeological Site and Colonial Church
The village features impressive Inca ruins, including finely carved stone walls and agricultural terraces built by Tupac Inca Yupanqui. The colonial church of Nuestra Señora de Monserrat, constructed in 1607, stands atop Inca foundations, its interior decorated with beautiful murals and ornate paintings that blend Catholic and indigenous artistic traditions.
Traditional Weaving Demonstration
Chinchero is renowned as the weaving capital of the Sacred Valley. At a local textile center, you’ll witness master weavers demonstrating ancient techniques passed down through countless generations. From shearing alpacas to spinning wool, dyeing fibers with natural plant and mineral pigments, and creating intricate patterns on backstrap looms, these demonstrations reveal the incredible skill and cultural significance embedded in every textile.
Many visitors on the Sacred Valley Extended Tour from Cusco choose to purchase authentic weavings directly from the artisans, supporting local economies while acquiring genuine heirlooms rather than mass-produced souvenirs.
Mid-Morning: Moray – The Inca Agricultural Laboratory
The journey continues to Moray, one of the Sacred Valley’s most enigmatic and visually stunning sites. This archaeological complex features enormous circular terraces that spiral downward into the earth like an amphitheater carved by giants.
Understanding Inca Agricultural Innovation
Each terrace level at Moray creates a distinct microclimate, with temperature variations of up to 15 degrees Celsius between the top and bottom rings. Researchers believe the Incas used this sophisticated system as an agricultural research station, experimenting with crop domestication and adaptation to different climatic conditions.
The largest depression descends approximately 30 meters and contains twelve concentric circular terraces. Standing at the edge and looking down into this green bowl surrounded by Andean peaks creates a surreal and memorable experience. The engineering precision required to construct such a complex while maintaining its functionality demonstrates the scientific advancement of Inca civilization.
Late Morning: Maras Salt Mines – A Landscape Unlike Any Other
Just a short distance from Moray, the Maras salt mines present a completely different but equally mesmerizing spectacle. This site adds a distinctive visual element to your Super Sacred Valley Tour.
Thousands of Years of Salt Production
The Maras salt pans consist of over 3,000 individual pools cascading down the mountainside, each only a few square meters in size. A natural spring emerges from the mountain carrying salt-rich water, which is channeled into the pools where it evaporates under the Andean sun, leaving behind salt crystals.
Local families have harvested salt here since pre-Inca times, with ownership of specific pools passed down through generations. The cooperative system governing the salt pans demonstrates sustainable resource management that has functioned effectively for millennia.
The geometric patterns created by thousands of white and golden pools against the brown mountainside create a photographer’s paradise. The Sacred Valley Extended Tour from Cusco typically allows time to walk among the pools, observe workers harvesting salt, and purchase various salt varieties including pink salt rich in minerals.
Midday: Urubamba and a Traditional Peruvian Lunch
After a morning of exploration, your extended tour pauses in Urubamba for a well-deserved lunch. Many Super Sacred Valley Tour packages include meals at traditional restaurants or haciendas that showcase authentic Peruvian cuisine.
Regional specialties often feature locally grown corn, potatoes in dozens of native varieties, fresh trout from mountain streams, and slow-roasted meats prepared in earth ovens called pachamancas. These culinary experiences provide insight into the agricultural abundance that made the Sacred Valley so valuable to the Incas.
Afternoon: Pisac – Archaeological Wonder and Market Treasure
Refreshed and energized, the afternoon segment explores Pisac, one of the Sacred Valley’s most significant archaeological sites and cultural centers.
Pisac Ruins: Terraces Touching the Sky
The Pisac archaeological complex sprawls across a mountain ridge overlooking the valley, comprising multiple sectors connected by ancient pathways. The site showcases some of the finest Inca stonework outside of Cusco and Machu Picchu, with temples, residential areas, and agricultural terraces integrated into the dramatic landscape.
The Intihuatana sector contains a carved rock formation that served as a solar observatory and ceremonial center. The terracing system demonstrates sophisticated agricultural engineering that prevented erosion while maximizing arable land on steep slopes. The cliff-side tombs carved into vertical rock faces remind visitors of the Incas’ reverence for their ancestors and belief in the afterlife.
Walking through Pisac requires moderate physical fitness due to stone stairways and altitude, but the panoramic views and architectural marvels justify every step. Your Sacred Valley Extended Tour from Cusco guide will explain the astronomical alignments, agricultural innovations, and ceremonial purposes of various structures.
Pisac Market: Authentic Andean Commerce
Descending to the town of Pisac, you’ll explore one of the Sacred Valley’s most vibrant traditional markets. Unlike purely touristic bazaars, Pisac’s market serves local communities while welcoming travelers.
The market divides into distinct sections: the handicraft area featuring textiles, ceramics, jewelry, and alpaca products; the food market where locals purchase produce, meats, and staples; and on Sundays, a traditional barter zone where indigenous farmers exchange goods according to ancient customs.
The Super Sacred Valley Tour provides sufficient time to browse quality handicrafts, interact with artisans, and perhaps enjoy fresh bread from traditional wood-fired ovens or sample local fruits. Bargaining is expected and part of the cultural experience, though prices are generally fair and support local livelihoods.
Late Afternoon: Ollantaytambo – The Living Inca Town
The final major stop on your Sacred Valley Extended Tour from Cusco brings you to Ollantaytambo, perhaps the most impressive and best-preserved Inca settlement in Peru.
Ollantaytambo Fortress and Temple Complex
This massive archaeological site served as a royal estate, ceremonial center, and military fortress. The Temple of the Sun, constructed from six enormous monolithic stones weighing over 50 tons each, represents one of the most extraordinary achievements in Inca construction. These pink granite blocks were quarried across the valley, transported down the mountain, floated across the river, and somehow lifted into position without wheels, draft animals, or modern machinery.
Climbing the steep terraces to the temple area requires effort but rewards visitors with spectacular valley views and close examination of precision stonework that has withstood centuries of earthquakes. Water management systems still function throughout the complex, channeling mountain streams through stone canals exactly as intended by Inca engineers.
The Authentic Town Streets
Beyond the fortress, Ollantaytambo’s town maintains its original Inca urban layout. The narrow cobblestone streets, called canchas, follow the ancient grid pattern with water channels flowing beside walkways. Local families still inhabit houses built on Inca foundations, making Ollantaytambo one of the few places where you can experience living Inca architecture.
The town’s authenticity, combined with its dramatic setting surrounded by mountains and overlooked by the fortress, creates an atmosphere that transports visitors back centuries. Your guide will point out architectural details and explain how the town’s design reflected Inca cosmology and social organization.
What to Expect on Your Extended Tour
The Super Sacred Valley Tour typically runs from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, covering significant distances between sites. Transportation is provided in comfortable vehicles, though a considerable amount of walking is required at each location. The extended nature of this tour means less rushed visits and more opportunities for photographs, questions, and genuine appreciation of each site.
Professional bilingual guides bring these locations to life with historical context, archaeological insights, and cultural explanations. The comprehensive tourist ticket (Boleto Turístico) grants access to multiple sites and is usually included in tour packages or available for separate purchase.
Conclusion
The Super Sacred Valley Tour represents the ultimate way to experience Peru’s heartland in a single intensive day. This Sacred Valley Extended Tour from Cusco encompasses the valley’s greatest archaeological treasures, most authentic cultural experiences, and most spectacular landscapes. From the agricultural innovations at Moray to the salt pans of Maras, from the weaving traditions of Chinchero to the living Inca streets of Ollantaytambo, this comprehensive journey creates a profound appreciation for Andean civilization past and present. While demanding in terms of time and energy, the extended format ensures you won’t miss any of the Sacred Valley’s essential wonders. For travelers with limited time in Peru but maximum curiosity, the Super Sacred Valley Tour delivers an unforgettable adventure that captures the essence of this remarkable region.
