We left Cusco early and headed into the Sacred Valley. Our first stop was Chinchero, where we learned how they make the beautiful alpaca textiles. They showed us how they spin the wool and use natural ingredients to dye the threads all those amazing colors. They gave us tea while they showed us the whole process, and of course, we did some shopping before we left. Sweaters, beanies, ponchos... we bought a little bit of everything.

From there we went to Moray, the Maras Salt Mines, and then Ollantaytambo. It was a long day, but such a good one.

That night we stayed at Casa Andina Premium Sacred Valley, which we absolutely loved. The next morning we headed back to Ollantaytambo to catch the train to Aguas Calientes.

Next stop — Machu Picchu!

Chinchero

Chinchero was such a fun first stop. They had a little area set up where we sat, drank tea and watched the women show us how they spin the alpaca wool and make all the different colors using natural dyes. One of the women even sang while she was showing us everything.

Afterward, we walked around all the tables filled with sweaters, beanies, ponchos and so many beautiful textiles. And yeah... we did some shopping.

Moray

At Moray, Ruth explained how the different levels of the terraces create their own microclimates, and how the Incas used them to grow and experiment with different crops.

We walked down through the terraces as far as we were allowed to go. They look big from the top, but once you're down there you realize just how massive they really are.

The views around Moray were beautiful too. This is where we took the picture at the top of the post — we sat for a while and just took it all in.

Maras Salt Mines

Next were the Maras Salt Mines, and seeing all those salt pools built into the side of the mountain was pretty incredible. There are more than 4,500 pools, and they're still worked by local families today. Ruth explained how the salty water flows into the pools and then evaporates, leaving the salt behind.

We walked along the overlook above the pools and just took it all in. It's one of those places where pictures really don't show how big it is until you're standing there looking across the mountainside.

Ollantaytambo

By the time we got to Ollantaytambo, it had already been a long day. And then... more stairs.

We climbed up through the terraces to the ruins and the Temple of the Sun, with these massive stones that somehow made their way up the mountain hundreds of years ago. How they moved them and fit them together so perfectly is pretty amazing.

What I also loved about Ollantaytambo is that it's still a living Inca town. People still live among the old stone streets, walls and waterways that have been here since Inca times. It's not just a place you come to see the ruins — the town itself is part of the history.

We walked around the ruins and took in the views over the town and mountains before heading back down. After a very full day, we were definitely ready to get to our hotel.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Casa Andina Premium Sacred Valley for the night. The room was a little small, but honestly, the rest of the hotel more than made up for it.

The grounds were beautiful, with little buildings spread around the property and mountains all around us. We walked around for a while and loved all the little outdoor areas, especially the fire pits.

The lobby was gorgeous, with this huge fireplace, and the bar and restaurant were really pretty too. We had dinner there that night, and the next morning they had a great breakfast buffet before we headed out to catch our train to Aguas Calientes.

I definitely wish we'd had a little more time here. One night went way too fast.

If You Go...

Give yourself at least one full day. Chinchero, Moray, the Maras Salt Mines and Ollantaytambo all fit into one day, but there's a lot to see. We left Cusco early and didn't get to our hotel until later that day.

Having a guide made a difference. Ruth explained so much along the way — from how the terraces at Moray created different microclimates to the history of the ruins at Ollantaytambo. We would have missed a lot of that on our own.

Bring good walking shoes. You'll be walking over uneven ground, through ruins and up plenty of steps, especially at Moray and Ollantaytambo.

Don't skip Chinchero. Learning how the alpaca wool is spun and dyed with natural ingredients was such a fun part of the day. And if you're anything like us, you may leave with a few more sweaters, beanies and ponchos than you planned.

Stay in the Sacred Valley if you can. We loved spending the night at Casa Andina instead of going all the way back to Cusco. And since we were taking the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes the next morning, it made perfect sense.

Sacred Valley, Peru: From Chinchero to Ollantaytambo