Sacred Valley Full Day Tour — Chinchero Route

Experience the complete western Sacred Valley on this private full-day tour. Starting with a traditional textile demonstration in Chinchero, continue to the Inca agricultural laboratory at Moray, the ancient Salineras de Maras salt mines, and the magnificent fortress of Ollantaytambo — one of the best-preserved Inca sites in Peru.

Why Choose the Chinchero Route?

The Chinchero route takes you through the western corridor of the Sacred Valley, combining cultural immersion with archaeological discovery. In Chinchero, local women demonstrate the full textile process — from shearing alpaca wool to preparing natural dyes with cochineal and mosses to weaving on traditional backstrap looms. At Moray, you descend into circular terraces the Incas used as an agricultural laboratory. At the Salineras de Maras, you walk among over 3,000 salt pools that have been harvested since before the Inca Empire. The day finishes at Ollantaytambo’s fortress — site of the famous 1537 battle where Manco Inca defeated the Spanish.

What to Expect

Your guide picks you up from your hotel between 7:00 and 7:30 AM and drives approximately 40 minutes to Chinchero at 3,762 meters for the textile demonstration and Inca ruins. From there, you continue to Moray and the Maras salt mines before a lunch stop in the Urubamba Valley. The afternoon is spent exploring the terraces and temples of Ollantaytambo, one of the few places where the Incas defeated the Spanish in battle. You return to your hotel in Cusco by approximately 6:00 PM.

Add a Traditional Pachamanca Feast

Turn lunch into the highlight of your day. Just outside Chinchero you can add an optional Pachamanca experience — an 8,000-year-old Andean tradition. You are welcomed with song and dance, watch a feast of meats and Andean vegetables sealed into a fire-heated earth oven and buried to roast, walk to a nearby lagoon over a glass of traditional chicha de jora, and sit down to the banquet with your hosts. Vegetarian and vegan options are available. It is offered as a $55-per-person add-on — see the full Pachamanca experience.

Tour Highlights

• Traditional textile weaving demonstration in Chinchero with local artisans
• Moray’s circular Inca terraces — an agricultural laboratory with 15°C temperature gradients
• Walk among 3,000+ ancient salt pools at the Salineras de Maras
• Explore Ollantaytambo’s fortress and Temple of the Sun
• Option to add a traditional Pachamanca earth-oven feast near Chinchero
• Private guide and vehicle — flexible pace throughout the day