Cusco : Sacred Valley VIP, Maras, Moray and Lunch Buffet

After transporting for about 1 hour, we will arrive in the town of Chinchero. Chinchero is a small indigenous Andean village located high in the windswept plains of Anta at 3765 m, about 30 km from Cusco. There are beautiful views of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with the Vilcabamba Range and the snowy peak of Salkantay dominating the western horizon. Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow. Its main claim for tourism is its colorful Sunday market, which is much less tourist-oriented than the Pisac market. The village consists mainly of mud-brick houses (adobe), and the locals still go about their business in traditional dress. The village may have been an important village in the times of the Incas. The most striking vestige of this period is the huge stone wall of the main square which has ten trapezoidal niches.

After half an hour of transportation we will arrive at our next destination, Moray; everywhere you look in Cusco, you can see how advanced the Incas were in their agricultural techniques, such as the terrace system and irrigation by aqueducts. In Moray, for example, they used circular terraces that demonstrate the high level of culture that Inca civilization achieved. Moray is 4.5 miles from the city of Maras and 39 miles from Cusco. The main feature that impresses travelers is its system of circular agricultural terraces, which are up to 330 feet deep. They are built using retaining walls connected by an irrigation system. Moray can be considered a cultivation laboratory: they used the terraces to create microclimates and grow various products.

After half an hour of transportation, we will now reach the salt mines, or the famous "salt pools" of Maras are located in the rural community of Pichingoto. This site is highly recommended for photography lovers due to its stunning landscape that extends in all its glory. It is also perfect for hikers and mountain bikers, as this trail connects the salt mines with the villages of Tarabamba and Pichingoto. Highlights of this area include the archaeological site of Moray, a kind of amphitheater formed by several circular terraces. It is also worth visiting the Sanctuary of Tiobamaba, a colonial church built in adobe that houses paintings of Cusco such as The Last Supper.

After approximately 45 min of transport, we will arrive in the city of Urubamba, where we will have a period of rest and lunch. We will taste a firm lunch with a variety of national dishes and also typical local dishes, all accompanied by soft Andean music.

After 1 hour of transportation we arrive at the village of Ollantaytambo is a charming village that preserves the designs of the Inca buildings located at an altitude of 9160 feet in the province of Urubamba. Among the most impressive attractions of this place are the ceremonial temple in water worship and a fortress guarding the entrance to the valley to repel any invasion. The temple has a set of terraces on top of each other that visitors climb through a steep staircase. The fortress is a stone colossus that was built between two mountains to protect the valley. The area is also home to the Temple of the Inti (sun god), Incamisana, the baths of the Ñustas (princesses), the Cachiccata funeral towers and a group of stepped and very steep terraces on the side of a hill.

The fascinating stone block walls of Pisac show a balanced proportion, from its size to the perfect joints of each stone, forming a wonderful architectural complex that captivates visitors in the Sacred Valley. The word Pisac has a Quechua origin that means partridge, a bird that looks like a chicken that lives in the area. According to theories, this complex was slightly similar to the "Real Estate" of the Inca Pachacutec, so it has a variety of facilities such as terraces, a ceremonial hall, palaces, walls and towers, all connected to each other, without any amalgamation. Known as the most important ceremonial and religious site in Pisac, it has buildings made of sedimentary rocks.