Explora Valle Sagrado

When the Landscape Changes the Architecture

Explora has never chosen easy locations. Since Pedro Ibáñez founded the Chilean company in 1993, its lodges have appeared in some of South America’s most extraordinary landscapes—from Patagonia and the Atacama Desert to Easter Island. For its first property outside Chile, Explora chose Peru’s Sacred Valley. And then the land intervened. During construction, ancient Inca terraces and archaeological remains were discovered beneath the proposed site. Rather than treating them as an inconvenience, architect José Cruz Ovalle adapted the project around them. The architecture became a response not only to the landscape, but to the history buried within it.

José Cruz Ovalle in the Andes

The result is a long, low composition of whitewashed buildings with traditional Peruvian tiled roofs, stretching gently across the hillside beneath the Urubamba mountains. Cruz Ovalle, who also designed Explora’s celebrated Chilean lodges, deliberately avoided monumental architecture. Stone, plaster, glass, adobe, and extraordinary quantities of Peruvian timber establish a language that feels elemental rather than decorative. Elevated walkways and verandas connect the different buildings while preserving the archaeological landscape beneath them. At the centre sits the soaring communal pavilion. Here, reception, restaurant, bar, and lounge unfold beneath cathedral-high ceilings supported by stripped timber columns. Ramps connect the different levels, while enormous windows continually return attention to the valley outside. It is architecture designed to disappear into somewhere far more impressive.

The Luxury of Essentials

Pedro Ibáñez describes Explora’s approach as the “luxury of essentials.” That philosophy is particularly convincing here. The 50 rooms avoid unnecessary decoration in favour of warm timber, generous beds, natural textiles, and large windows framing fields, mountains, and shifting Andean light. José Cruz Ovalle’s wife, Ana Turell, developed the interiors, combining modern classics with furniture designed specifically for the property and made by local craftspeople. There are no televisions demanding attention. There really shouldn’t be. At almost 3,000 metres above sea level, the landscape provides more than enough drama.

A Colonial Manor Becomes a Spa

A short walk from the main lodge reveals another layer of history. An existing colonial manor once occupied by Mateo García Pumacahua—the indigenous military leader who became an important figure in Peru’s struggle against Spanish rule—has been carefully restored as the Pumacahua Bath House. Its transformation into the hotel’s spa creates a beautiful counterpoint to Cruz Ovalle’s contemporary architecture. After a day in the mountains, it becomes exactly what Explora intends: somewhere to recover before heading back outside again. Because here, the hotel is never supposed to become the destination.

Explore, Then Explore Further

The Sacred Valley is often treated as the beautiful road to Machu Picchu. Explora asks you to stay awhile. Its guides lead explorations ranging from relatively gentle walks through farmland and Quechua communities to demanding high-altitude treks towards mountain lakes, archaeological sites, salt terraces, and glaciers. The experience is not simply about spectacular scenery. Villages, agricultural traditions, Inca history, contemporary Quechua culture, and encounters with people who live in the valley are integral to understanding the landscape. Machu Picchu remains extraordinary. But Explora makes a convincing argument that the journey surrounding it deserves equal attention.

Back to the Lodge

Returning after hours outside is part of the pleasure. Leather butterfly chairs, fireplaces, timber beams, alpaca blankets, and quiet corners transform the enormous communal spaces into something unexpectedly intimate. The restaurant follows the same philosophy as the architecture: sophisticated without losing sight of where you are. Peruvian ingredients and Andean flavours shape dishes served by a team drawn largely from surrounding communities. Then there are those windows. As daylight disappears behind the mountains, the architecture retreats and the valley takes over again. Exactly as intended.

Why It Works

Explora Valle Sagrado understands something many wilderness hotels forget: extraordinary landscapes don’t need architectural competition. José Cruz Ovalle instead created a lodge that listens—to the mountains, the Inca terraces discovered beneath it, local materials, and centuries of human history. Combined with Explora’s exceptional approach to guided exploration, the result goes far beyond a luxurious base for Machu Picchu. This is a hotel that makes the Sacred Valley itself the journey—and gives you the time, space, and perspective to understand why it deserves to be.