This Saturday and Sunday (May 14th and 15th), the town of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley of the Incas will celebrate a festival in honor of its patron. Señor de Torrechayoc. And like many Andean towns, Urubamba celebrates its faith with a riot of dance and color!
The Urubamba River flows from the high Andes down into the Sacred Valley of the Incas and into the jungle. Visitors to Machupicchu or hikers on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu can see the large river snaking along the valley floor, far below.
Various sections of the river are excellent for white water rafting. One of the most popular sections is the Chuquicahuana on the Upper Urubamba River. The water is pure and uncontaminated, the surroundings are scenic, and the rapids are Class II and III. Most trips take place during the April through October dry season, as the rapids are stronger during the rainy season, mainly Class III and IV.
The Sacred Valley of the Incas, also known as the Urubamba River Valley, is a must-see for visitors to Cusco. Some travelers actually opt to stay a night or two in the Sacred Valley before visiting Cusco, as it has an altitude about 2,000 feet lower and thus allows for more gradual acclimatization. The draw isn’t purely practical, however: the valley offers amazing natural scenery, assorted Incan and pre-Incan ruins, and picturesque traditional Andean towns. We think that the town of Urubamba is the perfect spot from which to explore this natural, cultural and historical wealth, so today we’ll be talking about what you can do in Urubamba and how you can reach it from Cusco.
For the Incas, the fertile Urubamba River Valley constituted the center of the four corners of the earth. Its breathtaking landscape of abundant crops and surrounding Andean peaks make it obvious why this spot was considered blessed. If you are visiting Cuzco, you don´t want to miss the traditional Quechua communities where locals in traditional Andean dress brighten streets lined with adobe homes or the expansive landscape marked by farms, Inca ruins, and Inca agricultural terraces still in use today. Check out our list of our favorite spots below!
This February, Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas will celebrate Carnaval with water balloons, colored talcum powder, folkloric dance competitions and parades, a float parade, and taking an ax to a few gift-laden trees….
