Tour Valle Sagrado Full Day

Pisaq: Located about 35 kilometers from Cusco city, we first stop at the Pisac Market, one of the oldest and most impressive markets in the area. It was once a place for the Inca people to interchange products including textiles, ceramics, and jewellery and is still a place offering these same handcrafted items as well as paintings, musical instruments, and clothing made by experienced craftsmen and descendants of the Incas. You can also see many people here that still maintain the culture of times past, wearing the traditional garb in beautiful patterns and typical colors. You can also observe two long-living trees in the plaza known as Pisonay or Ceiba trees with over five centuries of life.

The Pisac Ruins; This was a fortified city on the way toward the Antisuyo or the Amazon jungle that, according to many historians, was established there to protect the great capital from possible enemy attacks. Nowadays you can view the walls that protected this place, in addition to viewing many agricultural terraces that were used to produce food for the Quechuas, some of the houses, and remains of aqueducts and fountains that served to supply the whole area. It is calculated that there had been up to 10,000 tombs on the mountainside which were mostly plundered before modern-day discovery. We can also see many places here such as Amarupunku, the city of towers, Hanan Pisaq, two tunnels, Inca bridge, Intiwatana, etc. It has also been said that the area was a real hacienda that belonged to the ruler Pachacutec. The Pisaq name comes from a partridge bird that abounded in great variety here called Pisaq’to.

Urubamba: Urubamba was one of the principle centers of agriculture during the period of the Incas, located in the center of the Sacred Valley. This is where we will have our buffet lunch.

Ollantaytambo: This word is composed from the Quechua language, Ollanta which is a person’s name, and Tambo (or Tanpu) which refers to a city offering lodge, food and commodities for travellers. According to classic literature, Ollanta was a captain that formed part of the Inca Pachacutec army and was distinguished from others for his courage and great skill. He had a secret love affair with the King’s daughter, and the story ended well and happy, with a daughter born and given the name Ima Sumaq. Ollantaytambo was a royal palace of the Incas and a very important city that served as a place of protection against wars. It is very complete with a comprehensive urban sector, temples, barns and food storage areas, sources of water, a temple with ten windows, and a sun temple built with immense blocks of pink granite. It is a masterpiece of Incan engineering and Tiawanaku architectural style by which some have said could have been constructed by architects from Lake Titicaca.

Chinchero: this place was the real hacienda of Tupac Inca Yupanqui, son of Pachacutec whom at fifteen years old inherited the throne. Chinchero is known as the city of the rainbow, because of its location experiencing frequent rain. The wall’s foundations were made of limestone, of fine workmanship. At one place you can see sculptures of two mountain lions whose heads were once mutilated, and more to the West you can see lots of agricultural terraces where foods were cultivated. There is a main square where at its western end you can see the wall containing big trapezoidal niches that may have been used to stand mummies of the past nobles. In the year 1607 a Catholic church was built over this Incan House.

The principal economic activity of the area is agriculture of livestock, and where many varieties of potatoes are produced, other tubers and some cereals. They also produce beautiful handmade crafts, textiles and fabrics. This place still preserves its history of craftsmanship, and the women continue the trend of wearing multicolored dark red costumes and their hair in a number of very small thin braids.

At the end of the tour we return in our transport to your respective Cusco hotels.

SACRED VALLEY TOUR GROUP SERVICE PROGRAM INCLUDES:

• Professional English / Spanish speaking guide
• Tourist transport
• Entrance tickets (Boleto Turistico) to Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero sites
• Buffet lunch

SACRED VALLEY TOUR PRIVATE SERVICE PROGRAM INCLUDES:

• Professional English / Spanish speaking Private guide
• Private Tourist transport
• Entrance tickets (Boleto Turistico) to Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero sites
• Buffet lunch
• Water bottle