Best time to visit: April – November
The Sacred Valley today is home to a vibrant blend of cultures. In most town markets, transactions are still conducted in the ancient Quechua language, while Spanish influence is clearly visible in the architecture of colonial-era constructions. The Sacred Valley, spiritual heartland of the Incas, is a landscape of meandering rivers, precipitous peaks, and terraced valleys. From pre-Columbian times to the present, generations have inhabited this visually stunning environment and, in the present-day, Andean villages thrive among the ruins of a once-mighty civilization.
Topographically, the Sacred Valley is a stretch of agricultural fields and rocky gorges that follow the course of the Urubamba River, flowing past important sites such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray; Small villages and bustling towns dot the valleys, connected by ancient footpaths and modern roadways to Cusco and to Machu Picchu, the two most important sites in Inca history.