Sacred Valley guide: Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray and Maras

• Pisac: Huge terraces and a hilltop citadel above a market town known for its craft stalls. Go to the ruins early, then the market.
• Ollantaytambo: A fortress of giant stone blocks above a town that still follows its Inca street plan. The train to Machu Picchu leaves from here.
• Moray: Circular terraces dropping into the ground like an amphitheatre, thought to have been an Inca farming laboratory.
• Maras salt pans: Thousands of terraced salt pools fed by a salty spring, worked by local families since before the Incas. Paid separately at the gate.
• Chinchero: A colonial church on Inca foundations and weaving cooperatives that demonstrate natural dyes. At 3,760 m it is higher than Cusco.
• Urubamba: The valley's main town, with many of its hotels and restaurants.

The valley floor is lower than Cusco, but the classic loop via Chinchero, Moray and Maras climbs back up onto the plateau. If you arrive feeling the altitude, do Pisac and Ollantaytambo first.

Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray and Chinchero are covered by the Boleto Turístico del Cusco, the Cusco tourist ticket. The full version costs about S/130, lasts 10 days and also covers Sacsayhuaman and other sites around Cusco. Cheaper partial tickets cover only the Sacred Valley sites. The Maras salt pans have their own small entry fee. Tours usually include these.

Stay in Urubamba for a central base, in Ollantaytambo if you are catching an early Machu Picchu train, or in Pisac for a quieter village feel.