Sacred Valley of the Incas
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is the Sacred Valley of the Incas and where is it?
This is the fertile valley of the Urubamba River in the Peruvian Andes, north of the city of Cusco. The Incas kept it as the main granary of their empire - corn was grown here, and it was not for nothing that the river itself was called Vilcamayu, that is, sacred.
At what height is the valley?
Depends on the point: near the town of Pisac, it is about 3000 m, and closer to Machu Picchu, the valley drops to 2050 m. The surrounding mountains reach much higher - Veronica peak reaches almost 5900 m.
What is worth seeing here?
The Inca towns of Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo with their terraces and ruins, and the valley itself is a natural road to Machu Picchu, where more than one and a half million people reached in 2019.
When is the best time to come?
During the dry season, from May to September. It rains here mainly from October to April, so if you don't want to knead the mud on the paths to the ruins, plan for the winter of the southern hemisphere.
Why did the Incas cling to this valley so much?
It was gradually taken over sometime between 1000 and 1400, royal estates and an extensive irrigation system were built. Warmth, water and fertile soil gave a stable corn harvest - for the mountain empire it was gold.
