Cusco to the Sacred Valley: The Perfect One-Day Itinerary
The Sacred Valley of the Incas strings together the region's finest ruins, markets and salt pans along the Urubamba River — and because the valley floor sits lower than Cusco, it doubles as ideal acclimatization before Machu Picchu. Here is how to spend one full day in the Sacred Valley, with the best-rated tours to book from Cusco.
At a glance
- 1Pisac ruins & Andean market
- 2Moray terraces & Maras salt pans
- 3Ollantaytambo fortress
- 4Chinchero weavers at golden hour
Morning: Pisac ruins and market
Most Sacred Valley tours leave Cusco around 7am and head first to Pisac, where terraced Inca ruins climb a ridge above the valley at about 3,000 m — noticeably lower and warmer than Cusco. Below the site, the Andean market spills through the village with textiles, silver and produce. It is busiest on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, so time your visit accordingly.
Midday: Moray and the Maras salt pans
From Pisac, the classic circuit continues to the concentric agricultural terraces of Moray, an Inca farming laboratory, and the dazzling white Salineras de Maras — thousands of salt pools stepping down the hillside, worked by hand since pre-Inca times. Many full-day tours pause here for a buffet lunch in Urubamba, the low point of the valley and the best spot to eat and rest.
Afternoon: Ollantaytambo and Chinchero
The day usually ends at Ollantaytambo, a living Inca town whose vast terraced fortress guarded the valley. From here the train departs for Machu Picchu, so it makes a natural overnight stop if you are continuing on. Tours that add Chinchero finish at a weaving cooperative, where families demonstrate natural dyeing and backstrap looms at golden hour. Book a day or two ahead in high season.
Book the experiences in this itinerary
Top-rated tours for exactly what this plan recommends in Cusco — prices per person.
