Between Cusco and Machu Picchu lies the valley the Incas chose as their heart. You explore Ollantaytambo and its terraces climbing the mountainside, the craft market of Pisac, the Quechua villages where people still weave and sow as they did centuries ago. The Urubamba River winds below and the snowcaps close the horizon. The Sacred Valley isn't just the road to Machu Picchu: it's a destination in its own right.