Sacred Valley, Peru, with Kids (Best Things to Do + Family Travel Tips and Tours)
The Sacred Valley ended up being one of our favorite parts of our entire Peru trip. If you’re planning a trip to Peru with kids, the Sacred Valley is one of the best places to visit.
And honestly, it’s the part most people don’t plan well.
When you’re putting together a Peru itinerary, it’s easy to focus on Machu Picchu and Cusco. The Sacred Valley often gets treated like a quick stop in between.
But if you’re traveling to Peru with kids, this is actually where your trip becomes easier, more relaxed, and a lot more enjoyable.
The pace is slower. The altitude is lower. And it’s one of the only places on this itinerary where you can step outside your hotel and just… exist for a bit without rushing to the next thing.
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through what to do in the Sacred Valley with kids, what’s actually worth your time, what I would skip or do differently, and how to plan this part of your trip so it feels manageable instead of overwhelming.
If you haven’t mapped out your full trip yet, start here:
👉 Peru Itinerary with Kids: 7–10 Day Family Travel Plan
👉 How to Book Peru with Points and Miles for a Family: Flights, Hotels, and the Best Itinerary
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products, services, and travel resources that I personally use and trust.
Why the Sacred Valley Is One of the Best Places in Peru for Families
Before we get into specific activities, it’s worth understanding why the Sacred Valley works so well, because it changes how you plan your time here.
First, the altitude is lower than Cusco.
That alone makes a big difference.
Instead of going straight to Cusco at around 11,000 feet, the Sacred Valley sits closer to 8,000–9,000 feet, which makes it much easier to adjust, especially with kids.
Second, everything feels more spread out and less chaotic.
Cusco can feel busy and crowded. The Sacred Valley feels open, quieter, and easier to navigate.
And third, the pace naturally slows down.
This is not a place where you’re rushing from one major attraction to another all day.
And that’s exactly why it works so well.
👉 I talk more about how this fits into the overall trip structure here: Peru Itinerary with Kids: 7–10 Day Family Travel Plan
Is the Sacred Valley Worth Visiting with Kids?
Yes, especially if you’re trying to make a trip to Peru feel manageable with kids.
The Sacred Valley is one of the easiest parts of the entire itinerary. The altitude is lower than Cusco, the pace is slower, and you’re not dealing with the same level of crowds and logistics.
Instead of rushing from one major attraction to another, this is where you can actually enjoy the experience.
For families, that matters.
It gives you time to adjust, time to recover from travel days, and time to have moments that don’t feel scheduled or rushed.
If you skip or rush through the Sacred Valley, the rest of the trip often feels harder than it needs to be.
👉 See how this fits into the full trip here: Peru Itinerary with Kids (7–10 Day Family Travel Plan)
Best Things to Do in the Sacred Valley with Kids
You don’t need to do everything here.
In fact, trying to do too much is one of the biggest mistakes people make.
The Sacred Valley is not the part of the trip where I would try to cram in every ruin, viewpoint, market, and tour in one day.
This is the part where you want to be intentional.
These are the activities I think work best with kids.
Explore Ollantaytambo Ruins
If you do one thing in the Sacred Valley with kids, I would make it the Ollantaytambo ruins.
This is one of the easiest wins because the ruins are right in town. You don’t need a long drive. You don’t need a full-day tour. You don’t need to overthink it.
You can just walk over, explore, and go at your own pace.
And that is exactly the kind of activity that works well with kids.
The ruins themselves are impressive, and they almost feel like a mini version of Machu Picchu in the sense that you’re seeing these huge stone terraces built into the mountainside. Obviously, Machu Picchu is its own thing, but Ollantaytambo gives you a really good feel for Incan history and architecture without the same level of logistics.
There are a lot of stairs, so I would go into it with realistic expectations.
If you have younger kids, you may not make it all the way to the top, and that’s okay. You can still explore a good amount of the site, take in the views, and get a really memorable experience without turning it into a forced climb.
This is also one of those places where your kids can actually move around. After flights, taxis, trains, and long travel days, that matters.
You’re not asking them to sit still in a museum. You’re letting them walk, climb, explore, and look around.
That makes it much more enjoyable for everyone.
If you want more context while exploring, a guide can make this more meaningful, especially because otherwise it can feel like you’re just walking around looking at rocks without fully understanding what you’re seeing.
Ollantaytambo ruins Sacred Valley Peru with kids
Walk Around Ollantaytambo Town
This was one of the easiest and most enjoyable parts of the entire trip.
Ollantaytambo is small, walkable, and feels very different from Cusco.
You can wander the narrow stone streets, grab food or coffee, walk around the main square, and just enjoy the town without needing a car or a strict plan.
And after a few travel-heavy days, that simplicity is really nice.
This was one of the only places on the trip where everything felt easy.
No Uber. No complicated logistics. No trying to get across a giant city with two kids.
You can just step outside and walk.
That’s one of the reasons I liked staying in Ollantaytambo so much. It made the Sacred Valley feel less like a stopover and more like an actual place to enjoy.
There’s also something really special about the setting. You’re surrounded by mountains, the ruins are right there, and the town still feels small and connected to the landscape.
For families, I think that matters.
Sometimes the best travel moments with kids are not the big-ticket things. They’re the moments where you’re not rushing, everyone is in a decent mood, and you can just wander around and take it in.
👉 If you’re deciding where to stay in this area, read: Where to Stay in Peru with Kids: Lima, Sacred Valley, and Cusco
Beautiful view of the Andes Mountains from out Hotel - Tierra Inka Sacred Valley
Visit Casa de Cuyes
If you want something a little different, Casa de Cuyes is a really interesting stop, especially with kids. Casa de Cuyes is a family-run restaurant in Ollantaytambo that specializes in guinea pig dishes. They have an entire room full of guinea pigs, almost like an animal shelter, and you can take your kids here to look at and interact with the guinea pigs.
This is where you can see how guinea pigs, or cuy, are raised and learn a little bit about their role in Peruvian culture.
And yes, if your kids are animal lovers, this may be both fascinating and slightly confusing depending on how much you explain.
My daughter petting a guinea pig at Casa de Cuyes
Cuy is a traditional food in Peru, and it’s something you’ll see on menus throughout the region. We actually tried alpaca on this trip and thought it was surprisingly good, but cuy is definitely one of those cultural experiences that may be more interesting to learn about than actually eat, depending on your family. My husband ate it and said that it was good, but I wasn’t as brave!
Casa de Cuyes is a quick stop, not a full-day activity.
That’s part of why it works well. You don’t need to build your whole day around it, but it adds something different beyond ruins and landscapes.
It’s hands-on, local, and memorable. This activity is free to do, but we did leave a small tip in the tip box for the experience. This might seem like a silly stop, but this was a major highlight of the entire trip for my four year old, so I wanted to make sure that I told other parent about it.
If you’re already exploring the Sacred Valley with a driver or tour, this can be a fun cultural stop to include.
Casa de Cuyes - Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley
Visit the Maras Salt Mines
The Maras Salt Mines are one of the most unique things to see in the Sacred Valley.
They’re visually stunning, relatively quick to visit, and easy to pair with other nearby stops.
This is one of those places where the photos actually do look cool, but seeing it in person is better because you get a sense of how massive and unusual the salt pans are.
The salt mines are usually paired with Moray, and that makes sense logistically. It’s not something I would do as a standalone all-day activity, but it’s a great half-day experience or part of a guided Sacred Valley tour.
Maras Salt Mines Sacred Valley Peru
Visit Moray
Moray is often paired with the Maras Salt Mines, and that’s exactly how I would think about it.
It’s interesting, and it’s worth seeing if you’re already nearby, but I wouldn’t build an entire day around it.
Moray is made up of these circular agricultural terraces, and it’s one of those places where having a guide or at least some context helps. Otherwise, you might look at it and think, “Okay, this is cool… but what am I looking at?”
With kids, I would treat Moray as a short stop.
Go, see it, explain a little bit about what it was used for, take in the views, and then move on.
This is why I think it pairs well with Maras or a broader Sacred Valley tour.
It adds variety without taking over your whole day.
If you are traveling with younger kids, I would not overload the day with too many ruins or stops. Maras and Moray together are probably plenty, especially if you’re also including lunch, a cultural stop, or some time in town.
Optional: Day Trip to Pisac
Pisac is another popular Sacred Valley stop, and I think it can be a great optional day trip if you have extra time.
It’s known for its ruins, its market, and its views.
But I would not force Pisac into a short itinerary.
This is one of those places I would add if you have four nights in the Sacred Valley or if you’re doing a fuller Sacred Valley day tour.
If you only have a limited amount of time, I would prioritize Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, and possibly Maras and Moray first.
Pisac is a good add-on, not something I would use to make the trip more hectic.
And that’s an important distinction.
There are so many things you can do in Peru, but with kids, the question is not, “Can we fit this in?”
The question is, “Will this make the trip better?”
For some families, Pisac will absolutely be worth it. For others, especially if your itinerary is already full, this is an easy one to skip without feeling like you missed the entire trip.
Moray Sacred Valley
Slow Down and Enjoy Where You Are
This is the part most itineraries get wrong.
The Sacred Valley is one of the only places on your Peru trip where you can slow down.
And with kids, that matters more than adding another stop.
Some of our favorite moments weren’t planned.
Relaxing at the hotel. Looking out at the mountains. Letting the kids play. Walking around without needing to be somewhere at an exact time.
That might not sound exciting when you’re planning from home, but once you’re actually there, it’s exactly what makes the trip feel manageable.
This is also why I would not treat the Sacred Valley like a one-night stop before Machu Picchu.
It deserves more time than that.
The whole point of coming here is not just to check off activities. It’s to actually experience the landscape, the towns, and the slower pace.
If I were planning this trip again, this is one of the biggest changes I would make. I would give the Sacred Valley more time and protect some of that time from overplanning.
👉 I go deeper into the biggest changes I would make here: We Took Our Kids to Peru… Here’s What I’d Do Differently
Don’t Forget to Reserve One Day for Machu Picchu
This is important.
When you’re planning your time in the Sacred Valley, you need to remember that one of those days will likely be dedicated almost entirely to Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu is not a quick morning activity.
It’s a full-day experience involving train tickets, bus tickets, timed entrance tickets, walking through the site, and then getting back to your hotel afterward.
Even if you’re staying in Ollantaytambo, which is the easiest place to base yourself, it’s still a long day.
So when I say I recommend three to four nights in the Sacred Valley, I’m not saying that means three to four full open days for activities.
One of those days is Machu Picchu.
That’s why two nights can feel rushed very quickly.
If you only have one full day in the Sacred Valley and that day needs to be Machu Picchu, you don’t really have much room left to enjoy the valley itself.
And that is one of the biggest reasons I would stay longer next time.
👉 If you need help planning this day, read: How to Book Machu Picchu with Kids
Machu Picchu Peru with Kids
Should You Book a Guided Tour in the Sacred Valley?
You can absolutely explore the Sacred Valley on your own.
But for a lot of families, booking a tour or private driver makes things significantly easier.
Transportation here is not always as simple as calling an Uber.
You’re dealing with longer distances, multiple stops, winding roads, and timing.
A guided tour or private driver removes a lot of that friction.
This is especially helpful if you want to visit places like Maras, Moray, Pisac, or Casa de Cuyes without figuring out all the logistics yourself.
And honestly, with kids, that can be worth it.
Not because you can’t figure it out on your own, but because sometimes paying for simplicity makes the entire day better.
If you do book a tour, I would look for one that gives you some flexibility and does not try to cram in too many stops. A private or small-group tour is usually going to be better for families than a packed, rigid itinerary.
Where to Stay in the Sacred Valley with Kids
Where you stay here makes a big difference.
If your priority is convenience, especially for Machu Picchu, stay in Ollantaytambo.
If you want a more resort-style experience, stay in Urubamba.
Those two choices create very different trips.
Ollantaytambo is more convenient, more walkable, and easier for Machu Picchu logistics.
Urubamba gives you more resort-style hotels, more space, and often a more relaxing hotel experience, but it usually means more driving.
Neither is wrong.
But with younger kids, I personally really liked staying in Ollantaytambo because it made everything feel simpler and I loved the local, authentic vibes of the area.
👉 I break this down fully here: Where to Stay in Peru with Kids: Lima, Sacred Valley, and Cusco
Hotel Tierra Inka Sacred Valley - Family Room
How Many Days in the Sacred Valley with Kids?
For most families, I recommend three to four nights in the Sacred Valley.
Three nights gives you enough time to adjust to the altitude, explore a little, and reserve one full day for Machu Picchu.
Four nights is even better if you want to slow down, add another activity, or build in more flexibility.
This matters because the Sacred Valley is not just a place to sleep before Machu Picchu.
It’s one of the best parts of the trip.
If you only give yourself one or two nights, you may technically be able to make it work, but it will probably feel rushed.
And if your Machu Picchu tickets don’t line up perfectly, or if someone needs a slower day, you don’t have much flexibility.
That’s why I would build in more time here if you can.
👉 For the full day-by-day structure, read: Peru Itinerary with Kids: 7–10 Day Family Travel Plan
What This Part of the Trip Costs
The Sacred Valley itself is relatively affordable compared to other parts of the trip.
This is one of the reasons I would not automatically use hotel points here.
In places like Lima and Cusco, points and hotel credits can be really useful.
But in the Sacred Valley, cash rates can be low enough that paying cash makes more sense.
For example, we stayed at Hotel Tierra Inka Sacred Valley in Ollantaytambo in a family room for around $149 per night, and breakfast was included.
That was a great value, and I would rather save my points for flights or more expensive hotels where I can get more value.
That said, tours, transportation, entrance fees, and Machu Picchu logistics can add up.
So the Sacred Valley can feel affordable day to day, but the bigger experiences still need to be planned for.
👉 For the full trip cost breakdown, read: How Much Does a Peru Trip Cost for a Family? Points vs. Cash Breakdown
👉 Browse Sacred Valley hotels and pricing here
Sacred Valley vs Cusco with Kids: Where Should You Stay?
This is one of the most common questions when planning a trip to Peru with kids.
Both the Sacred Valley and Cusco are important parts of the trip, but they serve very different purposes.
The Sacred Valley is:
lower altitude
quieter and more spread out
easier for kids to adjust to
Cusco is:
higher altitude
more crowded and city-like
better for a short stay at the end of your trip
For most families, the Sacred Valley is the easier place to start.
It allows everyone to adjust before heading to Cusco, and it provides a more relaxed environment after long travel days.
Cusco is still worth visiting, but it works best as a shorter, more walkable stop once you’re already acclimated.
👉 If you’re deciding how to structure this, read:
Where to Stay in Peru with Kids: Lima, Sacred Valley, and Cusco (Best Areas + Hotels)
Final Thoughts on Visiting the Sacred Valley with Kids
The Sacred Valley is one of the easiest parts of Peru to underestimate.
But for families, it often ends up being one of the best.
It gives you space to slow down, adjust to altitude, and enjoy the trip without constantly feeling like you’re rushing from one place to another.
If I were planning this again, I would absolutely give this part of the trip more time.
I would stay in Ollantaytambo for convenience, protect one full day for Machu Picchu, and avoid trying to cram too many stops into the first day after arriving from Cusco.
The Sacred Valley works best when you let it breathe a little.
And when you do, it can easily become one of the most memorable parts of your Peru trip.
If you’re planning your own family trip to Peru, these posts will help you put the rest of the pieces together:
👉 Peru Itinerary with Kids: 7–10 Day Family Travel Plan
👉 How to Book Peru with Points and Miles for a Family
👉 Where to Stay in Peru with Kids: Lima, Sacred Valley, and Cusco
👉 How to Book Machu Picchu with Kids
👉 How Much Does a Peru Trip Cost for a Family? Points vs. Cash Breakdown
👉 We Took Our Kids to Peru… Here’s What I’d Do Differently
And if you’re new to points and miles, don’t forget to grab my free beginner’s guide to points and miles so you can start learning how to make trips like this more affordable for your own family.
FAQs About Visiting the Sacred Valley with Kids
Is the Sacred Valley safe for kids?
Yes, the Sacred Valley is generally very safe for families. Towns like Ollantaytambo are small, walkable, and feel much more relaxed than larger cities.
As with any destination, you’ll still want to use basic awareness, but overall this is one of the easiest parts of Peru to navigate with kids.
Is the Sacred Valley better than Cusco with kids?
For most families, yes.
The lower altitude and slower pace make the Sacred Valley a much easier place to start your trip. Cusco is still worth visiting, but it tends to feel more crowded and can be harder to adjust to at first.
How do you get around the Sacred Valley with kids?
The easiest way is by hiring a private driver or booking a guided tour.
Transportation between sites is not always straightforward, and having someone handle the logistics makes the experience much smoother, especially when you’re traveling with kids.
👉 View guided Sacred Valley tours here
How many days do you need in the Sacred Valley with kids?
I recommend 3 to 4 nights.
This gives you enough time to adjust to the altitude, explore at a comfortable pace, and reserve one full day for Machu Picchu.
