Why Honeymoon in the Sacred Valley
Couples who skip the Sacred Valley usually regret it. This is the Andes at their most livable. At roughly 9,400 feet around Urubamba, the air is easier than in Cusco, the afternoons are warm enough for lunch outdoors and you sleep better from the first night.
The Inca sites here are major in their own right. The terraces of Pisac climb a mountainside above the town, Ollantaytambo's temple fortress overlooks a village still laid out on Inca streets and the concentric rings of Moray look like an amphitheater carved into the plateau. Few of them feel crowded after mid-afternoon.
The valley also has the best hotel scene in the region, with properties that have room for gardens and views that a city lot cannot match. Add fresh trout, corn with kernels as big as your thumbnail and good pisco. Three or four nights pass very quickly.
When to Go
May through September is the dry season. Expect bright days in the low 70s and cold, starry nights that fall close to freezing in June and July. This is the most reliable window for ruins, hikes and the train to Machu Picchu.
April and October are excellent shoulder months. The valley is greener, crowds are lighter and showers tend to pass quickly in the afternoon. Hotel rates soften too.
Rain sets in from November and peaks between January and March. The landscape is at its lushest then, but trails turn muddy and the occasional landslide affects roads or the railway.
June is festival season across the Cusco region, with Inti Raymi in Cusco on June 24 and smaller celebrations in valley towns. Pisac's market runs daily but is busiest on Sundays, when farmers from surrounding villages come in to trade.
Where to Stay
Most couples base themselves near Urubamba, in the middle of the valley, which keeps both Pisac and Ollantaytambo within about 45 minutes.
The area has several well-established luxury options. Belmond Rio Sacred Valley has adobe casitas on the riverbank. Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba sits on a working farm with mountain views. Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection resort, has a spa and its own train platform for Machu Picchu. Sol y Luna, a Relais & Châteaux member, is known for colorful bungalows and Peruvian Paso horse shows. Explora Valle Sagrado runs on an all-inclusive model built around daily guided hikes.
For something stranger, Skylodge Adventure Suites hangs transparent pods on a cliff face above the valley, reached by via ferrata. It is a single night most couples remember.
Ollantaytambo itself has small guesthouses within walking distance of the station, a good fit for an early train.
Romantic Things to Do
Start with Pisac. Go to the market in the morning for textiles and fruit, then drive up to the ruins and walk down the terraces at your own pace.
Spend a day on the plateau above Urubamba. At Moray, the Inca built circular terraces that create small temperature differences between levels, possibly as an agricultural laboratory. At Maras, thousands of salt pools fed by a warm spring step down a ravine, white and pink against red earth. Many couples cycle between the two with a guide.
In Chinchero, a weaving cooperative will show you how wool is spun, dyed with plants and insects and woven on backstrap looms. It makes a far better souvenir story than a shop in Cusco.
Finish at Ollantaytambo in late afternoon, when the day groups leave. Climb the temple terraces and look across at the granaries built into the opposite cliff.
Getting There and Around
Fly into Cusco (CUZ), then drive down into the valley. It is about 1 to 1.5 hours to Urubamba depending on the road you take, by way of Chinchero or Pisac. Most good hotels arrange private transfers. Many itineraries skip Cusco on arrival entirely to start at lower altitude.
The valley is spread out, so a private driver or guide is the easiest way to get around. Tour operators in Cusco can arrange a car for the day. Taxis run between towns, but drivers are harder to find at the ruins later in the day.
Ollantaytambo is the main departure point for trains to Machu Picchu, about 1.5 hours to Aguas Calientes on PeruRail or Inca Rail. Tambo del Inka has its own station in Urubamba with service on some departures.
Plan your return to Cusco for the end of the trip, once you have adjusted to the altitude.
Food and Drink
The valley produces much of what Peruvian chefs cook with: native potatoes in dozens of shapes, giant white corn, quinoa, river trout and the purple corn used for chicha morada.
The headline restaurant is Mil, from chef Virgilio Martínez of Lima's Central. It sits on the rim above Moray and serves a tasting menu built from high-altitude ingredients, paired with views across the terraces. Book well ahead.
Hotel restaurants are generally good. For a local experience, look for a pachamanca, a feast of meats and potatoes slow-cooked underground on hot stones. Some haciendas and community tourism projects prepare it for guests.
In the villages, look for chicherías marked with a stick and a red plastic bag or flower on a pole. They sell chicha de jora, a mildly fermented corn drink that is the Andean version of a village pub. Try a small glass; it is an experience more than a beverage.
Honeymoon Tips
- Sleep here before Cusco. Beginning at lower altitude makes the rest of the trip far more comfortable.
- Buy the Boleto Turístico, the regional tourist ticket. It covers Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray and Chinchero, while Maras charges its own small entry.
- Bring cash in soles for markets, salt pans and small restaurants. Card machines are unreliable outside hotels.
- Pack layers. Mornings start chilly, noon can feel like summer and evenings drop sharply once the sun goes behind the peaks.
- Visit the big ruins in late afternoon. Day tours from Cusco usually leave by then.
- Spend at least three nights. Two days barely cover the main sites. The hotels here are worth enjoying.
- If you want a quiet hike together, ask your hotel about the trail to Huchuy Qosqo, a small Inca site above the valley.
