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.
