It is difficult to think of any country in the world that has a destination with the magnetic pull of Machu Picchu, the legendary “lost city of the Incas” discovered by American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911. Visiting Machu Picchu is an essential part of any Peru trip—nearly nine out of ten foreigners visiting the country make it to this citadel of sculpted stone, cloaked in clouds high on a jungle ridge. It is the clearest example of how the Incas built in harmony with extraordinary natural settings.

The river that runs past Machu Picchu is the Río Urubamba, which the Incas considered a sacred reflection of the Milky Way. Before reaching Machu Picchu, it flows through the Sacred Valley, a breathtaking landscape of snowcapped mountains, red granite cliffs, and lush green terraces.

The Sacred Valley runs roughly from Pisac to Ollantaytambo, the Inca breadbasket that still produces much of the grains, vegetables, and fruits consumed in Cusco. Compared to the chilly, thin air of Cusco, the Sacred Valley is balmy and lush and the Incas considered it paradise on earth.

Inca palaces, fortresses, and temples are dotted throughout this valley, along with charming Andean villages that produce and sell some of the country’s finest handicrafts. Along with Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley is near the top of Peru’s must-see list.

Much of the Sacred Valley has been sculpted by the Incas with the movements of the sun and stars in mind. The temple-fortresses of Pisac and Ollantaytambo both correspond very precisely to lunar and solar events. Moray, an area of terraced natural depressions, was probably designed to use sun and shade to work as an agricultural laboratory. The Incas went to great effort to redirect the Río Urubamba into a stone channel—to maximize farming land, but also probably to reflect the straight shape of the Milky Way.

The Urubamba gorge running from the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu is so treacherous and serpentine that the Incas built a paved stone highway up into the mountains. This route, known today as the Inca Trail, rises and falls through ecosystems and high passes before making a dramatic entry at Machu Picchu’s legendary Inti Punko (Sun Gate). There are shorter options for hiking parts of the Inca Trail, though most people prefer to do the full four-day route, which begins with high plains and views of snow-covered mountains and ends in high jungle.

The Incas’ capital city was Cusco, which in Quechua means “belly button of the world.” Though the Spaniards did their best to destroy it, there is no ignoring the perfect Inca walls that run alongside the city’s cobblestone streets. On top of these walls, the Spaniards built a dozen baroque churches and convents. With every earthquake, the Spanish buildings cracked and tumbled while the Inca-built walls stood strong. The standoff between these two cultures makes Cusco seem like a Jerusalem of the New World.

The Best of Peru’s Sacred Valley

• Pisac Market
• Ollantaytambo Temple
• Temple of the Moon and Huayna Picchu
• Inca Trail
• Catedral
• Coricancha and Santo Domingo
• Sacsayhuamán