Sacred Valley of the Incas Tour + Maras Moray + Group Service

Detailed itinerary of the VIP Valley Tour (Sacred Valley + Maras – Moray):

06:00 am – 07:00 am Hotel Pickup

After you have breakfast, our transfer team or guide will pick you up from your hotel between 06:20 am and 07:00 am to begin this exciting journey.

07:50 am – Chinchero Archaeological Center – Chinchero Textile Center

We will head north, and in approximately 40 minutes, we will arrive in Chinchero, where you will have a guided tour for about 25 minutes at the Chinchero Archaeological Center, a living city that preserves the original Inca. Then, you will have the opportunity to appreciate the local artisan work, including textiles made with ancestral techniques still used today. You will see a wide variety of Andean textiles that you can purchase directly from the artisans.

09:30 am – Maras Salt Pans: Salt Treasure

We will continue to the Maras Salt Pans, a complex of over 3,000 shallow pools owned by nearly 380 local families. These pools are filled with saltwater flowing from natural springs in the hill called Qoripukiu (Golden Fountain). At the salt mines, you will have approximately 20 to 30 minutes, during which our guide will explain the salt extraction process, and you’ll have the chance to take photos. To complement this information, we will make a second stop at an establishment, where you will learn about the processing of salt, as well as its uses and applications. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to taste and purchase the salts extracted from the mines, known for their many properties.

11:00 am – Moray: Inca Agricultural Experimentation

Our next stop will be in the Moray area, where we will discover a system of circular terraces built to take advantage of the differences in microclimates. These terraces were used for Inca agricultural experiments, such as domestication, acclimatization, and hybridization of plants. Here, the guide will make a single stop of 20 to 30 minutes at the top of the terraces, allowing you to observe them from a panoramic view and take the best photos.

12:30 pm – Lunch in Urubamba

After the morning exploration, we will have 40 minutes to enjoy a delicious lunch at a buffet restaurant in Urubamba. If you want to upgrade your experience and have lunch at the renowned ‘Tunupa’ restaurant, you can add this option during the purchasing process.

01:30 pm – Ollantaytambo: Multifunctional Center

We will continue the bus journey for 30 minutes to reach the archaeological center of Ollantaytambo. This place had various uses during the Inca period, serving as an administrative, military, social, and economic center. It also acted as a control point for the interaction of different ecological zones. We will have approximately 1 hour here. Some passengers prefer to enjoy it from below, while the more adventurous will dare to climb the stairs to explore it from above. Depending on the group dynamics, the guide may accompany them either at the top or at the bottom.

04:00 pm – Pisaq: Smart Agriculture

We will make a final stop at the archaeological site of Pisaq, where our guide will explain its history and the ingenious system of terraces and irrigation channels that made it possible to grow high-quality corn. Depending on the time available in our itinerary, we may enter the lower part of the site or, alternatively, if access to the ruins is closed, we will visit the Pisaq viewpoint, from where you can enjoy a view of the terraces. Finally, we will make a stop at a silver workshop renowned for its artisanal craftsmanship.

Remember that this tour combines two tours in one: Sacred Valley + Maras and Moray. If you want to explore the Pisac ruins in greater depth, we recommend our Full Day Sacred Valley tour in a private format, which will allow you to adapt the visiting times to your own pace.

06:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Return to Cusco

We will return to Cusco between 6:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m., concluding this unforgettable journey with many memories and enriching experiences. The transfer will end the route in the surroundings of Plateros Street (Historic Center of Cusco)

Note: The itinerary times are referential and may vary.

Price of the sacred valley of the Incas includes:

• Transfer from the historic center of Cusco. Sometimes, the selected accommodation could be located on streets with restricted access for tourist vehicles. In these cases, the guide will suggest a nearby point that you can approach on foot, so that they can pick you up from a permitted street.
• Lunch at a buffet restaurant.
• Return to Plateros Street (One block away from the Plaza de Armas in Cusco) (Historic Center of the city).
• Professional guide in English and Spanish (other languages are available on private tours). The guide could be bilingual in English and Spanish

Price of the sacred valley of the Incas excludes:

• Transfer from hotels outside the city of Cusco (for private tours, ask for extra costs to pick up from the Sacred Valley or other places).
• Tips for the guide.
• Beverages.
• Breakfast.
• Tourist ticket (can be purchased as an extra).
• Entrance ticket to the salt mines of Maras (adults and students: S / 20.00)
• Upgrade to Tunupa Restaurant. If you wish, you can add this upgrade to the well-known “Tunupa” restaurant from the “Add-ons” section during the purchase process.

Tourist Ticket:

• The Cusco Tourist Ticket (BTC) allows entry to different attractions. It can be purchased at the entrance of each tourist destination we visit (consider that they only accept payment in cash and in local currency).
• For this tour, you will need the Circuit III – Partial Tourist Ticket, which covers the attractions of Pisac, Chinchero, Moray and Ollantaytambo.
• Prices:
  • Partial Tourist Ticket – Foreigners S /. 70.00
  • Partial Tourist Ticket – Peruvians S /. 40.00

See more information about the Tourist Ticket in this Article.

What to bring to the Sacred Valley of the Incas: 

• Comfortable and optimal footwear for walks, warm jacket, caps or hat, gloves, sunglasses, sunscreen, bottles of water, clothing or rain poncho (especially between November – April).
• Passport or DNI.
• Travel insurance.
• Cash (Local currency / Soles (S/.) In Peru, there is generally a cost to use public bathrooms. We recommend you bring coins or cash for these cases.

What considerations you should have when taking Sacred Valley of the Incas Tour:

What does it mean that the tour is shared?

• It means that you can share the tour with a group of tourists of different nationalities and ages, both from Guru Explorers and from different operators (with approximately 16 people). It is an excellent opportunity to connect with travelers from different parts of the world! Remember that this type of tour is operated by Guru Explorers or our strategic partners who respond to our same standards. If you prefer a tour where you do not share with other people, please ask us for the Private Tour option.
• In the shared tour option, a pick-up time range and an approximate return time will be assigned one day before the tour date. Please consider that since it is a shared tour with other people, punctuality is important so as not to cause delays to other passengers. Also, the duration of the tour may vary depending on the pace of the members of the group. The return time may vary depending on the traffic in the area, so we provide an approximate schedule. Please remember that both traffic and the pace of tourists are not the responsibility of Guru Explorers. If you prefer to take the tour at your own pace, please request the Private Tour option.

Other considerations

• The seating arrangement on the transport is random, based on the order of arrival and pickup
• You can include the tickets to the attractions – as an additional – in the process of contracting the Tour, or purchase it on your own directly at the place with payment in cash and in local currency (the prices of entrance tickets may vary without prior notice).
• Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
• Remember that, since these are outdoor activities, the natural features of the landscape may vary depending on weather conditions and the natural daylight. Each visit is an authentic experience, where nature reveals itself in unique and unrepeatable ways.

According to Peruvian regulations, foreign tourists may be exempt from the local tax IGV (VAT). As a formal and registered travel agency, we are required to submit to the local authorities a copy of the document you used to enter the country, as well as your date of entry. For this reason, a few days before your arrival, we will contact you to request a photo of that document and ask you to let us know the date you entered Peru. If we do not receive this information, we will be required to add the 18% corresponding to the IGV tax.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Cancellation Policy

• More than 30 days in advance: Penalty is 20% of the total amount
• Between 7 and 30 days in advance: Penalty is 40% of the total amount
• Less than 7 days in advance: Penalty is 100% of the total amount

Date changes

• More than 30 days in advance: Penalty is 5% of the total amount
• Between 7 and 30 days in advance: Penalty is 10% of the total amount
• Less than 7 days in advance: Penalty is 100% of the total amount
• Subject to availability.
• There will be no refunds in case of delayed flights, train delays, bad weather, or other external factors.

Force Majeure Policy

• Guru Explorers values your time and makes every effort to follow the itinerary. However, it may be affected by force majeure events such as weather conditions, rain, natural disasters, protests, roadblocks, or other circumstances beyond our control. In such cases, no refunds or compensation will be provided, as these are unforeseeable and unavoidable situations. Nonetheless, we will do everything possible to offer efficient alternatives and solutions for your enjoyment. Any additional costs resulting from changes or alternative activities will be the responsibility of the client and not Guru Explorers.