Pisac Ruins: a look at Inca history in the sacred valley of the Incas

For the history lovers among us, Pisac ruins is the perfect tour for you. The stories of Pisac and the greatest Inca King Pachacutec will amaze and astonish you. Marvel at the location and how the Inca managed to build such a temple in such a remote place. Located high atop a mountain in the Andes, Pisac has the perfect views of the Andes Mountain and the village below. Take in the verdant mountains with their snow-covered peaks and feel at one with the spirits of the high Andes.

History Of Pisac.

Archeologists have concluded that there may have been 2 settlements around the Pisac area around 1200AD, these civilizations were the Ayarmaka and the Pinaguas, remains of these civilizations were found around the Vilcanota river. These civilizations may have constructed something at Pisac as ceramics were found that were pre-Inca. Later it is said they moved closer to what is now Cusco and Urcos as the threat of war retreated.

When the Inca Empire entered the area, they decided to build Pisac on the ridge of the mountain to capture the amazing views of the valley below. The mighty Inca emperor Pachacutec constructed the site in the 1500s. Not much is known as to the purpose of the site but archeologists agree that its use was multifunctional and maybe residential. What we do know that Pisac was abandoned when the Spanish arrived and the Inca Empire was no more.

Purpose

Like most of the other ancient sites in Peru, archeologists are not convinced as to the purpose of the Pisac ruins. They are sure that Pachacutec built the site and the following are some theories of the archeologists as to why it was built.

Multipurpose residence, where the families of the royalty and nobles could relax between military campaigns.

Religious Ceremonies, the location of Pisac lends it self to the theory that it was used for ceremonies and rituals of both spiritual and religious types.

One theory states that Pachacutec built Pisac in celebration of his victories over the Cuyos people, a little excessive but not out of the realms of possibility.

As we can see there are many terraces at Pisac, it was most likely used to grow food for the Inca Empire, this is certain and you will understand when you see the terracing.

But we may never know as despite it size and obvious importance the Inca complex was not noted in the Spanish chronicles which means either the Spanish didn’t know about it or they didn’t think it was important.

What you will see in the ruins of Pisac

Neighborhoods - pisac ruins — Hill Terraces

Hill Terraces

The first thing you will see when arriving at Pisac is the plethora of Inca terracing on the side of the mountain. These agricultural terraces are a wonder and will amaze you with their scale as well as the wonderful views of the valley and rivers below.

Towers

The towers of Pisac are unique to Pisac ruins, the site has over 20 towers which were used as watchtowers to protect Cusco and the Sacred Valley. The towers face Cusco which was a very important military strategy.

The Cemetery

The cemetery at Pisac is the highest and largest Inca cemetery ever found. At the site were over 10000 mummies. This is one of the highlights of your tour to Pisac so don’t miss this.

Neighborhoods

The ruins are divided into neighborhoods, each for different purpose and with a unique style. Make sure that you explore all the different parts but especially do not miss the Intihuatana, this was the home of temples and royal residences with intricate and unique stonework.

Views

The views from the Pisac ruin are some of the best you will see in the Sacred Valley. If you have a love for photography this is the place for you. The green valleys are spectacular complete with high snowcapped peaks, feel the presence of the ancient cultures as the mountain wraps you in its large arms.

How to get to Pisac ruins.

From Cusco there are several ways to get Pisac town.

From Puputi Bus Station (located on the street of the same name, 5 blocks from the main square) The bus trip lasts 1 hour until the town. The bus ticket costs 8 Soles per person.

Pavitos Bus Station (located 7 blocks from the main square). Once there, you’ll have to take a Bus with the “All Sacred Valley” sign.

Or you can take a shared taxi, the cost is 15 Soles and the trip lasts 30 minutes.
Once arrive into Pisac you will have two options to get to the Inca archeological park of Pisac.

Walking

For those with an adventurous spirit, there is a hike to get up to Pisac ruins. This experience is a steep 90-minute walk and will depend on how fit you are. The trek starts from behind the market and goes uphill. The path follows the mountainside and is well signposted making it nearly impossible to get lost. On the trek you will be able to view the different terraces that descend the side of the mountain. This hike is intermediate to advanced level. But without a doubt, the hike is worth it. You will get magnificent and spectacular panoramic views up and down the Sacred Valley and the Peruvian Andes.

The return is a walk will take about 45 minutes, the time can vary depending on how long you walk through the ruins and the type of tour you choose to do.

Taxi

A taxi is a great way to get the start of the Pisac ruins. The cost of the taxi is not expensive and will cost around $5 to $7 from the center of Pisac town. The trip is around 15 minutes. You must negotiate with the driver to take you to the gate not the checkpoint and the price and arrange for him to wait for you. If not, you will have to walk back down which is a walk of around 45 minutes.

Sacred Valley tour

On a Sacred Valley tour Pisac Ruins will be included. The tour also includes Ollantaytambo archaeological park and maybe Moray Inca ruin and Maras Salt Mines. The tour offers transportation, entrance fees, and the service of a tour guide. It begins around 7 or 8 am and finished in Cusco at 5 or 6 pm. This is the most popular way the visit Pisac and the Sacred Valley.

Sacred Valley Tour with Moray & the Salt Mines

The valley between Pisac and Ollantaytambo is known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. On this day tour, we will drive through the mountains of the Sacred Valley, visiting the archeological sites of P ....

From $75 USD

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Sacred Valley Tour, Short Inca Trail & Rainbow Mountain Hike – 4 Days

This is a super exciting itinerary, starting in the Sacred Valley were you visit the extensive archeological area in Pisac, the fascinating sites at Moray and Maras, then Ollantaytambo. You will trek ....

From $777 USD

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Altitude

The elevation at Pisac is 9,751 feet (2,972 meters). This makes the Pisac elevation lower than Cusco, where the elevation is 11,152 feet (3,399 meters).

When is the best time to go?

Pisac and the Sacred Valley offer surprisingly stable temperatures throughout the year. But in the rainy season which runs from November through March, there are frequent rain showers, dark clouds, and damp conditions.

For the warmest, driest and most consistent weather, plan on visiting between June and August. Naturally, this is also the tourist high season, which means crowds will be larger, lines will be longer, the popular tourist sites—particularly Machu Picchu—will be filled to capacity. Still, if you want to maximize your possibility of enjoying your time outdoors, these are the best months to plan your trip.

Opportunistic travelers will find that the shoulder seasons of April and May, as well as September and October, offer an acceptable balance of smaller crowds and good weather.

The town of Pisac

Located below the ruins at Pisac, the town is a hustling and bustling tourist hub. The town features a local handicraft market with colorful souvenirs that provide plenty to buy. Pisac is home to a large expat community which make their presence felt with charming little restaurants and supermarkets that cater to their needs. On the plaza there is a church that has services in Quechua on Sundays.

The ruins at Pisac are without a doubt spectacular, see the views, learn about the history, take in the splendor of this ancient Inca temple, none of which you will forget. Visit Pisac ruin on your tour to Peru.

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slamice

Aug 2026, 2026 · Solo

Excellent experience on 2 day tour

A friend recommended me to Sam’s. It was a great experience. After making it to Cusco they walked me through everything at the office. We were a small group which was great for faster pacing the tour guide Israel was a very nice and knowledgeable guy. He is also very patient and relaxed, which helped a lot. I think he knows every tour guide in Machu Pichu. Everything Sam’s provided, including the food and accommodations was much appreciated. I took the two day Machu Pichu tour. The weather was bad for the 4 -5 day Inca trail but Sam’s made our tour work. 100% would recommend.

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DianaFran72

Apr 2026 · Couples

Great 3-day Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour

Henry shared a wealth of historical and cultural information during our first day in the Sacred Valley. Cristian then guided us patiently and cheerfully on the hike to the Sun Gate and around Machu Picchu. His love for his heritage made two long days especially memorable.

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Elisa Yaeger

Aug 2026 · Solo

Salkantay Trek 4 days

SAME Travel is an incredible tour group. Saul responded to me immediately & took a phone call to answer any questions I had. Jose was my guide & wow was he amazing. The best smile, the most positive attitude, & the most encouraging (especially during the 9 hours of hiking in the snow & rain). I could not have asked for a better guide! The chefs were great & accommodated my vegan needs. & the horseman made sure our luggage arrived safely & dry! & another great aspect of this tour group is that the groups themselves are small, making it feel more personalized. I would definitely book another tour with SAM!

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19_traveler15

Aug 2026· Couples

Short Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu

I contacted SAM Travel directly approx 8 months in advance to book the short Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu for my 50th birthday. The typical tour is a return from Cusco, but we were staying in Ollantaytambo so I requested to join the tour from Ollayantambo and finish in Cusco. Booking went very smoothly and over the coming months both Nicole and Edison were very responsive to any questions I had such as how my main luggage would be collected from Ollantaytambo and be ready for our return to cusco. The night before our tour, our guide Juan contacted me to discuss the logistics for the following day. Upon arrival at the train station Juan recognised us immediately (I sent him a picture of us) and ensured that we were comfortable with the itinerary. We were booked onto a group trip but to it turned out to be just my husband and I. Juan was absolutely amazing, He made our trip an unforgettable experience and we could not have asked for a better guide. During the trek, Juan allowed us to walk at our own pace so that we could enjoy the scenery and manage the altitude. He explained the history of the Incan ruins and Machu Picchu in great detail and was very attentive to our needs. He made sure that our overnight bags were waiting at the hotel in Aguas Calientes for our arrival after the trek and he also ensured that our main luggage was collected from Ollantaytambo and was on the bus with us back to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco, Juan even made sure that we got checked into our hotel ok before eventually we had to say our sad goodbyes. We cannot thank Juan enough for giving us the best experience and we would highly recommend him as a guide. “Tupananchiskama, Juan! Sulpayki por todo” .

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Eleonora T

Aug 2026 • Couples

Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

We did the 3-day and 2-night tour, the first day tour of the Sacred Valley (truly incredible places) with explanations of the various sites of interest, day 2 short Inca Trail, the guide (Israel) was excellent with us, he set a good pace and breaks to explain some little curiosities. Lunch is included and is very good. Finally, the last day visit to Machu Picchu, exhaustive and interesting. The transportation is excellently organized, and the luggage delivery system was also very convenient for us! We highly recommend Sam Travel :)

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Daniel A

Aug 2026 • Friends

Classic Inca Trail

We booked the 4 day Inca Trail during which we unfortunately encountered freak weather with torrential rain meaning parts of the trail were closed by the government due to mud slides after our first day forcing us to turn back the next day. Despite this our guides Ray and Jimmy immediately contacted the office and organised alternative routes, trains, busses, and accommodation allowing us to then complete the alternative trek starting from km 104 on day 3, enter Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate and return on Day 4 for a brilliant guide through Machu Picchu itself by which point the weather was brilliant again.

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Daniel Austin

Aug 2026

What an experience of a lifetime. Our travel guide, Joseph, and our chef, Andres, both went above and beyond to make our trek incredible. Joseph is a true master of the mountain trails. He is articulate, friendly, and encouraging to hikers on his care. He always makes sure you know the plan. A truly fun guy to hang out with, too. When a couple hikers in our group got sick, one of them on Sankaltay Pass trail, he put many extra steps in going back and forth to make sure the fellow hiker got to safety by horse, and he was in total confidence the whole time. You're in good hands with Joseph. Now, regarding food, I am 20+ years vegan, and I fully expected to have a hard time when it came to the catering on the trail. Chef Andres not only fully understood what vegan means, he made every meal a culinary work of art, and the fellow hikers in my group were in awe of the dishes Andres made just for me. And he never made a mistake on vegan ingredients, always confident in what he made. Keep in mind, Andres and his crew made the hike with us every day, which usually kicked our asses, but Andres and his team made incredible dishes 3 times a day after hiking. It was just unbelievable how hard this crew works and how passionate they are about their work. It was a great fortune to have booked through Sam Travel and to have gotten Joseph and Andres taking care of us out there.

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Yasamin Vafai

Aug, 2026

Elias Usca was an amazing guide for our 4 day hike for our honeymoon. Originally we were going to do the Inca Trail, but then we had to reschedule into this trek because there was a landslide on the Inca Trail. Elias make sure that this experience was unforgettable, even if it wasn’t what we had originally planned for, we were happy that we ended up doing the Salkantay with him! When I was struggling with the altitude, he helped me, and even helped carry my bag and arrange a horse for me. He was great at thinking on his feet and even helped our group with having different schedules for the third day based off of everybody’s preferences and abilities. Every night the accommodations were so comfortable and even had hot showers! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the food, with multiple delicious dishes for every meal prepared by our chef Evereth. Elias was very knowledgeable and shared great facts about the nature and the history of the Inca people during our time with him. He and our group were also super fun, and I was so sad when the trip was over! The vibes were the best. This was definitely worth the money, with everything smoothly planned from the first hotel pickup to the final meal! I can’t recommend it enough!.

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Omid Boozarpour

Aug 24, 2026

We had an amazing time on our salkantay trek with Elias Usca as our guide! We actually were supposed to be doing an inca trail trek with SAM travels, but a landslide caused the trail to be closed! They contacted us promptly and helped us find an alternate trek immediately that would still get us to machu picchu. We were worried about the difficulty, and although it was certainly tough, our guide went above and beyond to help us all the way. Got us horses for the harder bits, even offered to carry our packs when things got tough. The whole while he was encouraging and so friendly. Cracking jokes and keeping our spirits up. He knew so much about the sites and was always offering information and pointing out interesting things. Cant say enough good things about him. We wouldnt have made it without him as well as Eberth and our cook/porter team who kept us well fed and happy! Another thing was sam travels as a whole was always looking for ways to tailor the trek to us and they helped find alternate paths when some in our group were unable to continue as planned. Definitely will be recommending to others!.

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Alice

Aug 21, 2026

amazing hike, amazing guides, amazing group, amazing everything !! despite the rain and the closing of the trail, our great guides Jimmy and Ray still found a way to let us safely experience this hike while enjoying the food Edison cooked for us. we’ll never forget this experience and the stunning inka trail :) (and also a special thanks to the team of porters who hiked and set up camp in the rain, you’ve been amazing)

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Elisa Yaeger

Aug 20, 2026

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Cecilia Castelli

Aug 19, 2026

We had an absolutely amazing time with Chris and Daniel during our three-day Sacred Valley experience, including the Short Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, followed by a trip to Pallay Punchu. Every single place we visited was absolutely stunning, and the service throughout the entire trip was exceptional. Everything was perfectly organized, which allowed us to simply enjoy the experience and take in the incredible scenery. Chris was absolutely the best! He is incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and passionate about what he does. He had an answer to every question we asked and shared so much interesting information along the way. Beyond his knowledge, he is simply a wonderful person who made the experience even more special. Daniel, our driver, was also fantastic. He was so kind, warm, and professional, and always made us feel comfortable and well taken care of. Honestly, it felt less like touring with guides and more like traveling with close friends or family. Both Chris and Daniel were incredibly sweet, welcoming, and genuinely cared about making our trip memorable. I cannot recommend this company highly enough, and I would especially recommend Chris and Daniel to anyone visiting Peru. They made an already incredible trip truly unforgettable!

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Carolyn

Jun 29, 2026

Rainbow Mt and Lake Titikaka

For the second part of our Classic Inca Trail package, we hiked Rainbow Mountain and then toured the islands of Lake Titikaka. On this portion of our trip package, we were able to spend a day/night/morning with a local family on Isla Amantaní. What an incredible experience to really got to understand the culture! Our guide Christian (Chris) from Sam’s Travel was an incredible resource helping us to not only navigate where to be, but also helped us converse with the local community. In addition to being an excellent guide and very knowledgeable, Christian was an AMAZING photographer for our group so we are all in all of the photos!.

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Joann Campos

Apr 24, 2026

The Ultimate Birthday Bucket List Experience – The Dream Team of Liz and Abdul!

I recently checked a major dream off my birthday bucket list with an incredible 3-day tour of the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Rainbow Mountain. This experience was everything I hoped for and more, largely because of the outstanding duo of Liz Montesinos and Abdul. If you are booking with SAM Travel, I cannot recommend this pair enough—they work so perfectly together as a team that it made our entire journey feel seamless and special. Liz Montesinos is an absolutely wonderful guide who brought so much heart to our experience. What stood out most was her intense passion for her culture and her country; she doesn’t just share facts, she shares her heritage with a deep pride that makes the history of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu truly come alive. She was also incredibly attentive, always making sure we were comfortable and helping us capture the most stunning photos of our milestone trip. While Liz provided the incredible storytelling and cultural depth, Abdul was the perfect partner behind the wheel. He is a fantastic driver who made us feel completely safe and relaxed, even on the winding mountain roads. Seeing them work in tandem allowed us to just focus on the magic of Peru. They truly operate as a "dream team," and their combined energy and professionalism made this a birthday I will never forget. If you want the best experience possible, be sure to ask for Liz and Abdul together!.

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Susan

Oct 9, 2025

The Inca Trail with the best guide.

We did the 3 night, 4 day Inca Trail with Sam Travel Peru and our guide and organiser was Josep Quiñonez Alvarez. It was a fantastic experience and Josep made it extra special. He is extremely experienced so was able to read the group very well and make adjustments to the route when necessary. His knowledge of the Incan civilisation was excellent and he was able to convey it in superb English with passion and enthusiasm. Despite the ardours of the trail we had a great 4 days, which undoubtedly was definitely down to Josef.

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Jen Thomas

Oct 3, 2024

An amazing adventure

Sam Travel Peru were brilliant from start to finish on the 4 day classic Inca Trail. They were well organised which made for a smooth and enjoyable experience. The guides Henry and Jimmy were amazing, so fun and helpful. They were informative about Inca history and really knew how to keep the group energised and having a good time. The chef (Mario) came up with some delicious food, pretty incredible at such remote locations. So thankful for the porters too, who made the experience so much more enjoyable by carrying everything to make camp each night (as well as our duffle bags). An all round spectacular experience, so grateful to a wonderful team.

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Isabel Batteria

Apr 17, 2024

Patient and supportive guide

Raymier respected my pace on the Short Inca Trail, never rushed me and supported me throughout. He was knowledgeable, funny and knew the best places for photos.

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