Explora Sacred Valley
Below the Andean slopes, fields of corn stretch across a estate that was already cultivated during the Inca era. Here, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, stands the Explora Sacred Valley, whose high, airy spaces and wide verandas translate the construction style of the Peruvian hacienda into a contemporary language. A short walk leads guests to the Pumacahua bathhouse, a colonial manor house from the 17th century, which has been restored under archaeological supervision and now houses the spa. The valley is explored from here day by day in guided excursions that the house itself plans and accompanies.
Details
Country
Peru
Location
Urubamba
Price
from €300 per night/person
Best travel time
May – October
Rooms
Each room is oriented towards the cultivated land and the mountain slopes, so that the view of the valley accompanies you even when you wake up. With 44 standard rooms of around 40 square meters and six suites of about 53 square meters, the house remains manageable. In both categories, you can choose to sleep in a king-size bed or two single beds, and heating keeps the chill of the Andean nights at bay. After a long day outside, the bathtub invites you to warm up, accompanied by herbal infusions from the region. If you are traveling with children, extra beds and baby beds are available upon request.
Culinary
The kitchen tells the valley through its ingredients: Ancient cereal varieties from the Andes and tuber fruits from the surrounding area form its core, prepared using traditional techniques that the kitchen team connects with a modern touch. Meals are served in the dining room overlooking the mountains, and if you are out in the field all day, your provisions travel with you. In the evening, everything concludes by the fireplace in the lounge or at the bar, where a wide selection of wines is available and the experiences can be shared with other travelers.
Activities
Each evening, a guide meets with you to tailor the explorations for the next day to your interests and fitness level. There are more than 40 routes available across four altitude levels, from the valley floor with its villages up to the glaciated high mountain zone, which requires experience and good acclimatization. Along the way, you are in groups of no more than eight people, accompanied by guides from Explora’s own training school who speak Spanish and English. Hikes also lead to the rarely visited hillside fortress of Pumamarca, which once guarded access to the fertile fields of the valley. The circular terraces of Moray and the salt pans of Maras are also part of the program, and for Machu Picchu, it is best to plan a whole day. Back at the house, a sauna and steam bath await before the garden with its large pool invites you to conclude.
Location
The estate covers 32 hectares near the village of Urquillos, at an altitude of around 2,900 meters in the valley of Urubamba. The valley road leads upstream to Pisac and downstream to Ollantaytambo, where the train to Aguas Calientes departs. Cusco can be reached over the mountain ridges south of the valley; the city lies at a noticeably higher altitude of around 3,400 meters than the estate.
Contact person
Director of Sales & Office Manager
