Peru - Sacred Valley

We left Cusco this morning for a tour through the Sacred Valley. This valley has been formed by the Urubamba River and was very important to the Inca Empire for its natural wealth and agricultural properties. It encompasses all that lies between Calca and Lamay, Pisac and Ollantayambo, and is still responsible for producing 4 different types of corn and thousands of different types of potatoes. 

Our first stop was the “Sexy Mama” Incan ruins and lookout point which gave us a view over the Incan capital of Cusco. We then stopped at an animal rescue centre which has rescued multiple different animals primarily from the black market as well as injured animals. It houses Condors, Macau’s, two juvenile Pumas, Andean Deers, Alpacas, a Mountain Cat, a Falcon, a few Turtles, and two Peruvian Dogs. We were able to enter the cage with the Condors which was a fabulous experience to be able to get so close to these massive birds.

Our next stop was at the lookout over the Sacred Valley giving us fantastic photo opportunities. The view was spectacular. We then drove into the Valley and stopped at Pisac ruins and then Pisac town to explore the extensive markets. The ruins were very cool. The classic Incan terraces scattered over the hillsides were amazing.

We arrived at Ollantaytambo at the far end of the valley in the late afternoon and explored the Incan ruins here before going to our home stay style bed and breakfast lodging for the night. The community of Ollantaytambo have a certain number of these style of lodgings where the family have rooms and welcome tourists into their homes for the night. By sharing the load between different families it is the community’s way of improving the life of the families involved.