Looking for some of the best Sacred Valley ruins off the tourist trail? We asked an expert – and were impressed by what she had to say!
By Camille Sauvé
If you’re looking to visit the best ruins in the Sacred Valley that are off the tourist trail, well, you’re in luck. Peru is one of the most densely packed places on Earth for incredible archaeology sites. And, what’s even better; most of them are free and fairly easy to access.
What I love about these less frequented sites is that you can explore them at your own leisure and without the crowds. And, in some cases, there’s no security yelling at you for going off the designated path. There’s also no need to buy a two-day or a ten-day ticket from the Ministry of Culture for access.
For anyone on a budget, or with a deep sense of curiosity, this might be your VIP pass to the ancient past.
Here are ten of the best Sacred Valley Ruins off the tourist trail that I highly recommend. And the best part? You can get to them for free!
1. The Temple of the Moon (Amarumarkawasi)
For now, the Temple of the Moon is one of my favourite Sacred Valley ruins off the beaten track. But since the bestselling author on ancient civilisations, Graham Hancock, profiled this site in the Netflix series: Ancient Apocalypse: The Americas, it may not be so unknown for long!
This site has always had an air of mystery to it. And even today, shamans and spiritual seekers frequently visit it to do offerings.
The Moon Temple boasts the classic features of what one could call the hanan pacha (first world) style of architecture. This style is unlike any modern day architecture we modern humans are familiar with. For example, it is a giant monolith (large stone) fashioned with odd stairways, niches, and chakana forms, which look as if someone moulded them out of putty.
There are also fantastic caves in this hauca (sacred site). I have been in them in the past, but today they are officially off limits. (A little advice: If you wish to go in the caves try and go early before the security comes.)
The Moon Temple, like all sacred sites, should be treated with deep respect and reverence. Leave no litter or damage behind. Let them leave their mark on you with their mysteries and energies.
How to get there: It’s just 15 minutes outside Cusco, in the Sacsayhuaman ruins area.
2. The Temple of the Monkeys (Kusillachayok)
Right below the Moon Temple (as you are heading to the city of Cusco), and off the Qapac Nan (Inca Trail), you will find the Monkey Temple. Just as bizarre and surreal as the Moon Temple, and you can see that it was made by the same culture.
So, why do they call it the Monkey Temple? It’s because right above a recessed nook with a rock jutting out of it called “the Corazon” is a mountain shaped stone with snake forms and canals and three monkeys impressed in the stone. Unfortunately, their faces have been destroyed, most likely by the Spanish defacement of the huacas in the 16th and 17th centuries. But you can still make out the monkeys’ bodies with their distinctive tails.
This is one of the most fascinating ruins off the tourist trail of the Sacred Valley because this area today does not have monkeys. But it makes you wonder: did it in the past?
How to get there: It’s just 15 minutes outside Cusco, in the Sacsayhuaman ruins area.
3. Cheqtaqaqa
As you’re heading down the main road from Sacsayhuaman to Cusco, there are two fascinating huacas: Cheqtaqaqa and Teteqaqa. Both are right on the side of the road, so they are very easy to access.
Cheqtaqaqa is a fascinating ruin, where you can see evidence of vitrification in the cave, which is situated right before the top. Vitrification is where the surface of the stone is turned to glass by extreme high heat. There are many theories as to how this could have been done on small ledges and odd shapes, but no one knows exactly how it happened.
By climbing the small trail from the road to the right you will see a cave entrance. Inside is a marvel of niches and grottos, and an interesting seat with stone benches in a horseshoe shape.
How to get there: It’s just off the main road that leads to Cusco from Sacsayhuaman.
4. Teteqaqa
If you walk about 50 metres down the road from Cheqtaqaqa, on the right side of the road, you will see a sign designating the Teteqaqa ruins. This a very large ruin that many locals like to sit on to get a fantastic view of Cusco.
It too has a small cave, but the main features of interest are the bizarre and mysterious forms on its surface. If you walk the trail to the right it will take you down to a Christian shrine placed over the likely entry to the huaca.
How to get there: This is another of the Sacred Valley ruins off the tourist trail that’s just outside of Cusco.
5. Grand Chincana, Chinchero
Although Chinchero is typically a pay-to-access site, if you walk down on the path below the main site around the church, in the direction Pok Pok falls, you can see many Hanan Pacha huacas, including the Grand Chincana near the back.
If there is no security around, you can easily access them, but you may incur a whistle from security if they see you. Security has been beefed up its presence over the last few years, but most of the guards are local and very nice, and won’t give you a hard time if you show respect. If you can, the site is worth the entry fee to get in. I mean, just look at the intricate carvings of the rocks below – and not a chisel mark in sight! Hmm….
How to get there: Chinchero is about 30mins by taxi or 45 mins by bus in the mountains in front of Urubamba.
6. Ñaupa Iglesia
This is one of the most mysterious of all the Sacred Valley Ruins off the tourist trail! It’s a highly revered site with three unique parts to it.
When you walk up to it from the stone terraces, it will wind to the right and up. Here you will see a fabulous bluestone rock with three seats, and chakana shaped steps carved into the stone. To the right of that stone is what is known as “the portal”. It’s cut with laser precision and has three recessed rectangular niches.
According to author, Freddy Silva, these niches are related to musical tones. Behind the portal and the blue stone monolith is the cave, where it is said that an ancient people, called the Ñaupas, lived. It is still a free site but a bit hard to access as there is a steep climb up the terraces.
How to get there: From Urubamba, take a taxi. It’s about 20 mins from town, and around 10-15 mins to walk up to the site.
7. Inkilltambo
Inkilltambo is one of my favourite archeological sites off the beaten path in the Sacred Valley. Here, you will see bizarre and beautiful hanan pacha forms are all over this huaca. There is also a channel in between the monolith with two deep rectangular niches inside.
Mysterious and rarely visited, this is the ideal site for unwinding and meditating beside. Or maybe, take some lunch!
How to get there: You need to take an approximate forty minute hike to get there, either from the Moon Temple or from the main park access off of Chinchaysuyo Ave. in Cusco.
8. Zone X
It used to be one of the least known of all the Sacred Valley ruins off the tourist trail. But with recent videos and articles written about it, I have been seeing more people visit this site in recent years.
This site features many caves and tunnels, and the unusual carved niches and seats typical of hanan pacha monoliths. Around it are megalithic stones, which so frequently surround these earlier rock formations. Above the site is Inca construction, with its rougher stonework.
This site has more of a dark history than other sites in the area. Indeed, there have been some reported incidents in the past were people got mugged, raped and beaten. Also, some say the ruin itself has a denser/darker energy. If you are very sensitive, you may want to avoid this site.
How to get there: This is part of the Sacsayhuaman complex, just outside of Cusco.
9. Q’enko Chico
Below the pay site of Q’enko in Sacsayhuaman is a free site called Q’enko Chico.
This site features similar giant megalithic stones to those at the main citadel site of Sacsayhuaman. Some of the stones here are as large as some of the biggest ones at the Citadel. This is a good site to see examples of cultural overlaying —where one culture (the megalithic one) builds around, and sometimes on top, of the more ancient hanan pacha work, showing a reverence of the earlier culture.
The central ruin features fantastic stone work with organic man-made forms and a throne. This is one of the best Sacred Valley ruins to have a picnic as well, with a large green area in front of the hauca and wonderful views of the city.
How to get there: It’s just off the main road that leads to Cusco from Sacsayhuaman.
10. Lazy Stones of Ollantaytambo
If you’re at the entryway of the main archaeological site of Ollantaytambo, there’s a road that goes to the left. Take it! It’s littered with giant stones called the “Lazy” or “Tired Stones” (In Spanish “Piedras cansadas”). You can even see a couple in the town as well right before the main site.
These giant stones, some weighing over 200 tonnes, are made of smoothly polished rose granite. Some feature keystone marks within the rock for putting in a metal clamps to keep an adjacent paired stone from moving. These are believed to have never made it to the main site for various reasons. For example, it was said that that the stones were too big to heave over there. Others say they abandoned the site before it was finished. However, a more likely story is that there was probably some major catastrophe, which blew these giant megaliths off their foundations. It makes sense, as these giant stones are scattered randomly all over the site.
Many theories abound as to why this happened. But the wildest ones are that they were the result of a war between Atlanteans and Lemurians, or that massive solar flares or a flood shifted them.
What do you think?
How to get there: Ollantaytambo is around 2 hours from Cusco, or one hour from Urubamba.
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About The Author
Camille Sauvé lives in the Sacred Valley of Peru and is a local researcher of ancient sacred sites (known as huacas here in Peru). She has spent countless hours exploring these hidden gems around the Sacred Valley, and elsewhere around Peru.
Camille is very interested in ‘Hanan Pacha’, (also known as First World) constructions, which this article highlights. These are found all over the Sacred Valley and are found beneath the megalithic and more recent constructions of the Killke, Wari and Inca. She speculates that they could be of Lumerian origin, for their unusual and bizarre construction techniques.
She is also the author of the book Sorcerers of Stone: Architects of the Three Ages, which explores the evidence of three vastly different civilisations based on the unique building styles of ancient sites found here. Camille gives guided tours around Cusco and the Sacred Valley. To learn more about her tours and read more about her book, please visit her website, www.sorcerersofstone.com.
