The Sacred Valley Trek is unique to Zephyr Adventures -- we set it up ourselves with our local Peruvian partners. The Sacred Valley runs from Pisac, just outside Cusco, along the Urubamba River to the town of Ollantaytambo and beyond. Most people simply take a bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, missing all the beauty. We have set up an incredible three-day hike through this valley, which in our opinion rivals Tuscany in Italy for its scenery. We visit Incan ruins, small towns, and a weavers village. The terrain is moderate but the hiking distances are slightly longer than on our other treks. We camp en route, our gear is carried on horses, and the trek ends at Piscaycucho (KM 82 of the railroad), the start of the Classic and Royal Inca Trail Treks. You can choose to spend three amazing days hiking through the Sacred Valley of the Incas or combine it with our Classic or Royal treks to make one longer journey from Cusco all the way to Machu Picchu, just like the Incan rulers did before you and like almost no one else does today.

PRIVATE ALA CARTE TREK:
Your choice of dates (minimum two people)
$800 per person* / 3 days & 2 nights
Single Supplement: $200 (always optional)

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Moderate

INCLUDED: double occupancy lodging in tents, camping gear (except sleeping bags), all meals, professional and knowledgable guides, horses for carrying gear, initial shuttle from Cusco to start of trek, and transportation back to Cusco or as detailed below.

NOT INCLUDED: transportation to and from Cusco, gratuities to guides and porters, sleeping bag rental ($75 optional but free if you also sign up for the Classic or Royal Inca Trail treks), alcoholic beverages, and personal expenses.

*optional third night of camping to combine with the Royal or Classic Inca Trail Trek is $100 more per person.

DAY 1 :: We meet you in Cusco early in the morning and transfer (avoiding two big uphills at high elevation) a short 45 minutes to Chinchero, a weaver's village where we visit the market and Incan ruins, and on to Allpachaca on a ridge above the Sacred Valley where we begin our hike. We hike through beautiful scenery to Huaypo Lake for lunch. We continue in the afternoon past terraces and fields to the Incan ruins of Moray, an agricultural laboratory, where we camp for the night. Hiking time is about six hours and 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) with rolling terrain and a 1000-foot elevation loss.

DAY 2 :: After breakfast we visit the Moray ruins and then hike downhill to the Maras salt mines, an unbelievable system of pools the Incans designed to collect salt that are still in use today. We then hike downhill from the plateau through an amazing cut in the hillside to the valley floor, cross the Urubamba River at Puacarbamba Bridge, and continue along the valley to our campside within the native community village of Cachiccatta. We camp and eat dinner here with hot showers available. Cachiccatta is home to almost all the porters who help us with our treks, so if you continue on the Royal or Classic Inca Trail trek, you might meet some of your porters here. Total hiking time is about seven hours or 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) with a net altitude loss of 2000 feet when dropping down to the valley floor.

DAY 3 :: We hike along the left bank of the Urubamba River, passing the native communities of Sillki and Primavera, before reaching Chillca and our lunch spot. After lunch we complete our trek by hiking along an incredible, mostly-unvisited section of the original Inca Trail to Piscaycucho, Kilometer 82 of the railroad and the start of the Classic and Royal Inca Trail treks. From there you can spend the night if you are continuing your trek the following day ($100 extra per person) or we will transport you to the train station, to Ollantaytambo, or back to Cusco. Trekking time is about 7.5 hours or 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) along a mostly-flat route with some substantial rolling hills towards the end.