Ollantaytambo ruins
Climb the terraces of a living Inca village where the streets and water channels still run as they did five centuries ago.
Cusco & the Sacred Valley
Inca terraces beneath Andean snow
Best time
May – September
Gentle pace
4–6 slow days
Ideal for
Culture seekers · Families with older kids · Hikers
Cusco was the capital of the Inca world, and the Sacred Valley the breadbasket that fed it — a river valley of terraced hills, adobe villages and old fortresses, running between snow-capped peaks toward Machu Picchu. It is the gentle, acclimatising heart of any Peru trip, and a wonderful place to slow down.
With children, base yourselves in the valley rather than high Cusco — Ollantaytambo or Urubamba are lower, warmer and easier. Spend days at the ruins, the markets and the salt pans, and ride the train up to Machu Picchu from here.
Worth lingering over
Pisac market & ruins
A market town of weavings and silver, with Inca terraces above — go on market day for the full colour.
The train to Aguas Calientes
A scenic ride along the river to the base of Machu Picchu — half the adventure for children.
Hidden gem
The salt terraces of Maras
High above the Sacred Valley, three thousand white evaporation pools spill down a hillside in a patchwork of cream and amber, fed by a salty spring since Inca times. Most visitors rush past on the way to the ruins; come at the end of the afternoon, when the pools glow gold in the low light and the families who work them are closing up, and you will have one of Peru’s most extraordinary sights almost to yourself.