Most people meet the Sacred Valley through a van window. A stop, a photo, back in. And that’s fine, honestly. It’s a beautiful drive.

But the valley was a web of footpaths long before it had roads. Walk even a few of them and the place starts to make sense in a way it just doesn’t from a seat.

Down to the salt

Start with Maras. From the village, a path drops into a gorge to the salt pans, about an hour on foot. Thousands of small pans step down the slope, fed by a salty spring that has been used since before the Incas. Families still own and work them, and ownership passes down through generations. In the dry months the pans crust over white and glitter. Walk down slowly, and ask before you step onto anyone’s pan.

A circle in the earth

Moray is close by. Deep, round terraces, stepped like an amphitheatre, thought to have been a kind of farming experiment, with crops tested at different heights. It gets busy by late morning, so go early, or come at it on foot from the villages around it. You see it differently when you arrive on your own two legs.

Above Ollantaytambo

Look up from the town and you’ll spot rows of stone storehouses cut into the mountain. That’s Pinkuylluna. The Incas stored crops there, and the buildings were designed to catch the wind to keep things dry. The climb is steep and short, an hour or so, with a rough path and a few places where you’ll use your hands. Worth it for the view back over the fortress.

Want more? Pumamarca is a half-day walk up the Patacancha river, following an old aqueduct to a hillside Inca site. It’s quiet, and the path is mostly in the sun. Bring a hat.

Little Cusco

Huchuy Qosqo means exactly that: «Little Cusco.» It sits at around 3,600 metres above the town of Lamay, and it was probably a royal estate under the emperor Viracocha. Reaching it takes a proper walk, and finishing it means a long descent into the valley. This one is for when you’ve had a few days to settle at altitude.

The weaving villages

Higher up, in the valleys above Ollantaytambo, communities like Patacancha and Huilloc have kept their textile traditions alive. The colours are striking. If you visit, go with someone the community knows, ask before taking photos, and buy directly from the weavers. It’s a small thing that matters.

A few honest tips

• Give yourself time to acclimatise first. The valley floor is lower than Cusco, but several of these walks climb well above it.
• Go early. The light is better and the paths are calmer.
• Dry months (roughly May to September) make for easier footing. In the rainy season, expect mud.
• Take a guide. Some paths aren’t clearly marked, and a good one is worth more than any map.

How we see it

This is the kind of walking we love building days around: lesser-visited paths, then a proper dinner and a comfortable bed at the end. No camping, no rush.

Tell us how much you like to walk, and how high you’re happy to go. Write to us, and we’ll set up a video call to plan your days in the valley.

Here’s the question nobody likes to say out loud before a trip to the Andes: will the altitude get me?

Honest answer? It might give you a bit of a wobble. It rarely ruins anything, though, and with some planning it usually barely registers. Let’s go through it properly.

The numbers, quickly

Lima sits near sea level. Cusco is around 3,400 metres. The Sacred Valley is lower, roughly 2,800 to 2,900 metres in towns like Ollantaytambo and Urubamba. And Machu Picchu, which surprises people, is lower still at about 2,430 metres. So the city is the high point, not the famous ruins.

It isn’t about fitness

This is the part that catches strong, active people off guard. Being fit doesn’t decide who gets altitude sickness, and being less fit doesn’t doom you either. Marathon runners get headaches. Plenty of people who never exercise feel fine. The one thing that does seem to matter is whether you’ve had it before. So if you have, tell us.

Go down before you go up

The best trick is also the simplest: order. Instead of landing in Cusco and heading straight into town, many travellers start in the Sacred Valley first, sleeping a few hundred metres lower, then come up to Cusco once their body has had a little time. The CDC notes that spending two to three nights at moderate altitude, around 2,450 to 2,750 metres, before going higher is markedly protective. The valley sits a touch above that, but the idea holds: climb in steps, not in one jump.

Your first day, the easy way

Slow down. Really. Walk like someone with nowhere to be, because you are.

• Drink water, more than feels necessary.
• Eat light. A big heavy lunch can sit badly up here.
• Go easy on the wine the first night. It’s tempting. Wait a day.
• Rest in the afternoon, even if you feel great.
• Coca tea is a local habit and many visitors find it comforting. It’s no substitute for pacing yourself, though.

What it feels like

Mostly a headache, a bit of nausea, some dizziness, feeling tired, sleeping badly. Often you notice it first thing in the morning. If that’s you, don’t go higher. Rest, drink water, tell your guide, and let your body catch up. For most people it fades within a day or two.

The signs that matter

Rare, but worth knowing. If someone becomes confused, can’t walk in a straight line, gets short of breath even while resting, or develops a wet, persistent cough, that isn’t «just altitude.» It means getting down to a lower height and seeing a doctor, soon. Don’t wait it out. A good guide knows this and won’t hesitate.

A word about medication

Some travellers use a prescription medication such as acetazolamide to help their body adjust. It isn’t for everyone, and it’s not something to borrow from a friend. If you’re thinking about it, talk to your own doctor before you leave, especially if you have a heart, lung or other health condition.

How we plan around it

We start gently. The first days are built around easy walking, good sleep, and a proper dinner, nothing that asks your lungs for too much too soon. Some Cusco hotels can also arrange extra oxygen in the room, which is worth asking about.

So, tell us about yourself. Past trips at height, health conditions, and how you usually feel at altitude. Write to us, and we’ll set up a video call to shape a plan that fits you and gets you to the good part of the trip feeling well.

Most people come to Cusco for the stones. The walls, the ruins, the trails above the valley. Fair enough. But somewhere around day two, someone at the table goes quiet over a bowl of soup, and you can see the trip change shape for them.

Because the food here isn’t a side note to the history. It is the history, just warmer, and usually served with a little chili sauce on the side.

It starts with the potato

The potato began its life in the Andes, around Lake Titicaca, thousands of years ago. Today you’ll find them in every colour you can think of: purple, yellow, speckled pink, some no bigger than a thumb. Nobody agrees on the exact number of native varieties. Estimates run from three thousand to more than four thousand, and that alone tells you something.

Then there’s chuño. Potatoes get left out to freeze on cold Andean nights, trampled to squeeze out the water, then dried under the sun. Sounds rough, and it is, but it kept families fed through hard years. You’ll meet it in hearty soups and stews.

Corn, and what goes with it

Cusco corn has big, plump kernels. Boiled and served with a slab of fresh cheese, it’s a simple snack you’ll end up craving. Alongside it comes chicha, which is really two drinks. Chicha de jora is fermented corn and mildly alcoholic. Chicha morada is sweet, made from purple corn, and has no alcohol at all. Easy to mix up, so ask.

Pachamanca: dinner in the ground

The name comes from Quechua. Pacha is earth, manka is pot. Earth pot, that’s literally it. Stones are heated in a fire, then the food goes into a pit with them, gets covered with earth and is left to cook slowly. In the Cusco version you’ll usually find pork and mutton, potatoes, corn and humitas, seasoned with herbs like huacatay.

It takes time and a lot of hands. For many families it’s also a way of saying thank you to Pachamama, Mother Earth. If someone invites you to one, say yes.

Chiri uchu, the cold plate

Chiri means cold, and yes, the dish is served that way, on purpose. It belongs to Corpus Christi in June, and it piles onto one plate things from the coast, the highlands and the jungle: guinea pig, chicken, dried meat, sausage, corn cake, cheese, seaweed, fish eggs. A lot going on. Mostly a festival dish, so June is when you’ll find it everywhere.

And the guinea pig, since you’re wondering. Cuy is a celebration food in the Andes, not an everyday lunch. Curious? Try it. Not your thing? Nobody will mind.

Go to the market hungry

San Pedro market, close to the old centre, is where all of this comes together. Juice stalls, bread, cheeses, bowls of hot soup, piles of fresh herbs. Go in the morning, go hungry, take your time.

One tip for the first day

Cusco sits at around 3,400 metres, and your appetite can act strangely up there. Eat light, drink plenty of water, and save the big feast for when you’ve settled in.

How we think about it

When we plan a walk, the table matters as much as the trail. We send guests to restaurants that we, and our past clients, have tested ourselves. A long day on foot deserves a proper dinner at the end of it.

Tell us what you like to eat and what you don’t. Write to us, and we’ll set up a video call to plan your days in Cusco, on the trail and at the table.

Ask ten people when to trek Cusco, and most will say «dry season». They’re right, but it’s only half the story. The month you choose changes the light on the ridgelines, how cold the mornings feel, how many other walkers share the path and, if Machu Picchu is on your list, whether a permit is still available.

Here is how the year actually unfolds.

The short version
May to September is the driest stretch. April and October sit in between, with a good balance of sun and green. November to March is the rainy season: quieter, lush, and a little less predictable.

January to March: green, quiet, unpredictable
Rain tends to arrive in the afternoons, often after clear mornings. The valleys are vivid and the trails are calm. Downpours can occasionally disrupt roads and rail, so build in a spare day. February is the month to note: the classic Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance, though Machu Picchu itself stays open. The trail reopens on 1 March.

April: the turning point
The rains ease, the hills are still green, and the skies clear more often. Visitor numbers are building but haven’t peaked.

May to June: crisp and clear
Dry weather settles in, with bright days and cold nights. Demand rises quickly, and permit dates for the classic trail are among the first to go. One date to remember: on 24 June, Inti Raymi fills Cusco, so hotels book well ahead.

July and August: dry and busy
Skies are dependable and the midday sun is strong, but nights at altitude can fall to freezing, so layers matter. This is peak season around Cusco and Machu Picchu, and Peru’s national holidays on 28 and 29 July bring domestic travellers too.

September and October: a balanced choice
Crowds thin, the days stay mostly dry and the air warms. The first showers usually appear late in October. Many walkers find the balance right here.

November and December: the rains return
Showers build gradually, the countryside turns green and visitor numbers stay lower, until Christmas and New Year, when demand and prices rise.

A word on permits
Only the classic Inca Trail needs a trail permit. Places are capped at 500 a day, and roughly 200 of those go to trekkers; the rest are for guides and porters. Permits for each year usually go on sale in October of the year before, and dry-season dates can sell out months ahead. Machu Picchu entry is separate, with timed tickets, and Huayna Picchu needs its own. Rules shift from year to year, so confirm current details with your operator before fixing dates.

Our own walks follow lesser-visited routes around Cusco, which gives you more freedom in choosing your month. It’s the classic Inca Trail add-on that calls for early planning.

One thing that applies every month
Cusco sits at around 3,400 metres. Whatever the season, give yourself a couple of days in town before the longer walks.

Choosing your month
If you want dependable skies, pick June to August and pack warm. If you’d like more space and greener hills, aim for late April, May, September or early October. Tell us roughly when you’re thinking of travelling, and we’ll suggest a route and hotels to suit the season. Write to us, and we’ll arrange a video call to plan your walk.