SACRED VALLEY + ATV TOUR (Pisac + Moray + Maras + Ollantaytambo)

We will pick you up from your hotel at 7:30 am with our private van and head to the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Our first stop is the Manos de la Comunidad, which has a variety of Camelids that are indigenous to Peru, including the llama, alpaca, guanacos and the Vicuna that produces very fine wool and can only be shorn every three years. At the farm you get to pet, feed and take pictures with these adorable animals. Additionally, we find local women dressed in traditional clothing, demonstrating the weaving process using the wool from the camelids. As you exit, you will pass through a museum and souvenir shop. The workers are always around to answer any questions, but you never feel pressurized to buy anything.

Then, we stop at the Mirador of Taray to enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the Urubamba valley, which accents the surrounding mountains and the gushing Urubamba river. Next, we head to the Pisac archaeological site, where you can see the biggest Inca cemetery with more than 2,000 tombs lining the mountain side. Rediscover the agricultural importance of this site by exploring the many Inca farming terraces, food storage warehouses at the top of the hill and the water channels built for irrigation purposes.

Then, we start driving towards Urubamba for lunch, passing small farming towns like Coya and Calca before stopping at the foot of Urubamba for a delectable buffet lunch. The restaurant has an impressive spread and is vegan and vegetarian friendly. It offers a variety of fresh vegetables, salads, protein dishes, desserts and tea and coffee.

On our way to the ATV camp, the guide covers the correct use of the ATVs so we are ready to get going as soon as we arrive. We take our ATV through secluded indigenous villages to the Salt Mines. Enjoy this incredible historical site, that has been mined pre-Inca and continues to be the bread and butter for this small community. The salt stream above feeds the thousands of salt pans, once the water has evaporated the salt is collected and sold. The salt mines are one of the few left in the world that produce a natural pink salt and have not adopted any modern techniques for mass salt mining. The locals have full mining rights and all the salt sold on site belongs to the locals. It still supplies Peru with over 90% of its salt. A great place to grab another souvenir.

Back to our ATVs, we are on our way to the archaeological site of Moray which is an agricultural laboratory from the Inca time, where they created various micro-climates for growing food.These levels of terraces were carved before the Incas took control of the Sacred Valley and then used by the Incas to research optimal growing conditions for their crops. The Incas brought in different soil samples from other regions, to optimize their research. The locals were still using it for growing their crops, until the 1970s when it was preserved and protected for tourism. After our guided tour of this incredibly unique site, we get back on our ATVs going through the Maras Moray area back to the ATV camp. There we leave them behind and head to Ollantaytambo by private van, our last stop.

Then, we drive to Ollantaytambo to explore this quaint Inca village and the amazing Inca Ruins on the hilltop above. These ruins are where the Incas fought their last battle with the Spanish conquerors, before they had to retreat and flee into the dense jungle. Most of the structures were unfortunately incomplete. There is a section with a number of boulders that were carved, but didn’t make it to their destination. Another possibility, is that the battle was so intense, it caused a lot of damage to this massive Inca site

After our tour ends in Ollantaytambo, we drive you back to Cusco arriving at around 6:30pm.

• Please note : It is possible to end your tour in Ollantaytambo if you wish

Places you visit with ORANGE Nation Peru on the Sacred Valley + ATV Tour

• Camelid Farm : get up close to alpacas, llamas and vicunas
• The spectacular viewpoint of the Sacred Valley (Mirador of Taray)
• The extensive Pisac Inca ruins, which has many impressive examples of Inca architecture
• A quick stop in Urubamba for lunch (not included in price)
• The Moray Archeological site where you can learn about Incan agricultural experimentation
• The famous Pre-Inca Salt Mines of Maras where naturally salty spring water is gathered in the same way it has been for hundreds of years
• The magnificent archeological site of Ollantaytambo and amazing views of the valley

No other travel agency except Orange Nation visits all of these sites in their Sacred Valley Tour with ATV tour included!