The Sacred Valley of the incas

A few kilometers north of Cusco, the beautiful valley of the Urubamba river stretches out. It is called the Valle Sagrado de los Incas or the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

The valley is about 2700 meters above sea level but you can already feel the influence of the nearby Amazon basin. The climate is warmer and more humid than Cusco, which is only an hour away by car. This protected region is perfect for agriculture and was the major source of the Incas civilization at higher altitudes. Although the valley has become a major tourist area, agriculture is still abundant. The fertile fields and tropical flowers make a sharp contrast to the stark mountains of the Andes. Because the valley is narrow, a sophisticated system of terracing on the mountains slopes was used by the Incas to utilize all available productive land. These terraces remain to this day and are still in use by locals farmers.

The area is also a center for a number of important Inca Ruins: Pisac, the largest fortress city complex of the Incas, Ollantayambo, site of an great battle between Manco Inca and the Spanish in 1536, Yucay where you can find the remains of Sayri Tupac´s palace and where the impressive terraces behind the village remain completely intact.