THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE URUBAMBA

The Inca heartland

The valley of the Urubamba river was a sacred place to the Incas. Its proliferation of springs, streams and wildlife of all kinds showed the Incas how special this place was to Pachamama, or Mother Earth and the Urubamba itself was held to be an earthly representation of the Milky Way, symbolising the flow of life from the heavens to earth. This is where the Incas built many of their famous towns such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo, and this is the land made famous by the song 'El Condor Pasa' - which you'll hear more than a few times!

This was the heart of the Inca empire in economic terms as well. The sacred valley was the Incas' breadbasket, providing maize and other crops to feed Cusco and an ever-growing empire. The sacred valley is probably the best place to see how the Incas worked in concert with the natural world to develop complex irrigation and agricultural systems that could actually add to the incredible beauty of the landscape around them.

Holidays in the Sacred Valley

Into the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley is a place of oustanding natural beauty, with its snowy peaks, terrace-lined slopes, and the Urubamba sparkling merrily along at the bottom! The Urubamba is actually a tributary of the Amazon and although much of the river is not navigable, you can go whitewater rafting most of the year which means that those of you who don't have the time to make it to the jungle could technically claim to have been rafting on the Amazon... In addition to rafting, the Sacred Valley is also a great place for mountain-biking and this can be an excellent way to see some of the less accessible sites such as the Inca farming centre at Moray and the salt-pans of Maras.

Most people, however, will understandably choose to drive or be driven into the Sacred Valley from Cusco, and we can come up with a great programme to make sure you see all the principal sites such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo in a single day. This is a great way to see the valley and also a great way to prepare for a visit to Machu Picchu.

For those of you who want a little more, why not ask us about some of the government-sponsored 'Interactive Tourism' projects in the Sacred Valley? If you fancy getting some hands-on experience of Andean agriculture at Pumahuanca or actually panning for salt in the famous Salineras de Maras then we can arrange all this and much more for you!

First stop - Pisac!

Variously spelt Pisac and Pisaq, this small town is the first stop in the Sacred Valley as you come from Cusco. There is a terrific market here three times a week, which is a great place to pick up all sorts of local craft items - especially jewellery - but the real treat lies in leaving behind Pisac village and either walking or driving up to the Inca ruins on the slopes above the village. Confusingly, the ruins are also known as Pisac but you'll certainly know the difference once you get up there! The ruins are a showpiece of the Incas' construction abilities and you can see still-working irrigation channels amidst the impressive remains of the grand buildings.

The town was divided into different status areas, with the priests living literally at the top. It's interesting to see the difference in building style and quality between the areas as it illustrates the degree to which Inca society was both highly organised and also highly theocratic.

Next up: Urubamba

The town of Urubamba is a small place today but was one of the main agricultural centres for the Incas and lies just a little further into the Sacred Valley from Pisac. Here you can visit some of the textile workers in the area and also the ceramic works of Pablo Seminario. You can also stay overnight in the Sacred Valley - some great hotels have been built here for people to relax and enjoy the views - the sunsets are legendary and you don't have to get up quite as early to visit Machu Picchu hte next morning!

On to Ollantaytambo

Further along the Sacred Valley lies the town of Ollantaytambo. Legend has it that the name comes from an Inca chieftan named Ollantay who controlled the fortress here. He fell in love with the daughter of the Inca Pachacutec - a strict no-no in Inca society - and they ran off together to the fortress at Ollantaytambo, which was then besieged by her vengeful father. Ollantay's forces were defeated by Pachacutec but the Inca let both of them live as he recognised the beauty of their love. Cynics will say that this story is as old as the Andes themselves (Helen of Troy. anyone?) but the fortress is still there, dominating the Sacred Valley, and there's a statue to Ollanta in the square, so it must be true...

The fortress itself is highly impressive even though it was still under construction at the time of the conquest and so remains unfinished. Even more impressively, the fortress at Ollantaytambo was the only site to successfully withstand Spanish attack in the whole of the Americas! The site also contains an Inca temple, some intact terracing and various funeral monuments but apart from the fortress the real treat is the town of Ollantaytambo itself. Almost all the buildings are built on top of Inca foundations and so it is the only surviving example of Inca town planning. The town is divided up into blocks, which each have a single doorway into a central courtyard, with all the houses built around that courtyard. You can see examples of this just behind the Plaza de Armas.

Chinchero, Andahuaylillas and the rest of the Sacred Valley

We've looked at the main attractions of the Sacred Valley but there are many other lesser-known delights for you to enjoy. You could stop at the village of Chinchero (sometimes known as Chincheros), high up in the valley and rumoured to have been a country retreat for Inca rulers; or have a look at Andahuaylillias, whose church looks very rustic from the outside but on the inside is a treasure trove of Baroque art, with walls and ceiling covered in gold! Then there are Inca sites like Moray, where the Incas were actually experimenting with breeding strains of plants to suit different micro-climates in the valley - you can still see their experimental terraces today. Whatever your interests there will be something in the Sacred Valley for you - let us know what you're interested in and we can sort it all out!

Adventure sports in the Sacred Valley

As well as the Urubamba valley's countless cultural attractions, the area is also one of the adventure sport centres of Peru. When it comes to whitewater rafting and mountain biking it's hard to beat the areas around Cusco and we can help provide you with the thrills and spills you're seeking on your Peru holidays! We run regular rafting trips on the Cusipata river, just a short journey from Cusco. It's a Grade III river for the most part and we think the rafting is better here than elsewhere because the river is clean and the route offers plenty of excitement without any prior rafting experience. When it comes to mountain biking, we run both half and full-day trips, depending on your level of experience, that combine all the fun of all-terrain biking with some cultural highlights as well! Just let us know if you want to add some extra excitement to your Peru holiday!

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