A short guide about Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is located in the Andes Mountains of Southeastern Peru, close to the Inca capital of Cusco. The Spanish name is "Valle Sagrado de Los Incas". It is fed by many rivers which descend through adjoining valleys and gorges, and contains numerous archaeological remains and villages. Machu Picchu is located in the valley of Urubamba in the lowest part of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This area has direct access to the upper jungle and with its complex of fortresses; it defended the Andean lands in the Sacred Valley of any assault from Indian people out of the Jungle, and provided a superb view of agricultural terraces and the valley.
The valley was appreciated by the Incas due to its special geographical and climatic qualities and it was one of the empire's main points for the extraction of natural wealth, and the best place for maize production in Peru. The Sacred Valley is generally understood to include everything between Písac and Ollantaytambo, parallel to the Urubamba River, or Vilcanota River or Wilcamayu, as this Sacred River is called when passing through the valley.
The Urubamba river valley is a beautiful place to visit, starting at Pisac, just 30 km from Cusco, is a typical picturesque Andean town which on Sundays is filled with locals in their colourful traditional costumes, trading goods after a traditional mass and procession, this market is also open on Thursdays. For a walk on the wild side visit the National Reserve of Tambopata, a green world with gigantic trees, beautiful lagoons, winding rivers and wonderful wildlife. Trekking into the canyon jungle to the Mandor waterfall is a 5 hour hike, but worth it to see the mountains of San Miguel and the Putucusi viewpoint, where you can see Machu Picchu on the other side of the Urubamba River. Here is also the best opportunity for bird watching, the most common bird in the area is the 'Cock of Rock' (Peruvian national bird), and a visit the hot springs is a must.
Tourabout has many tours that pass though this Sacred Valley of the Incas combining the Colonial Cusco, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca with the hot, sultry Amazon Jungle to give an excellent overview of Peru’s diversity.