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Cusco, Peru
Cusco is 3,399 meters (or 11,152 feet) above sea level. Chances are when you
first arrive, you’re not going to feel the greatest. Be sure to drink lots of
water and coca tea, move slowly and avoid alcohol. I recommend walking leisurely
through Plaza de Armas this first day. This is Cusco’s main square, which
features gardens, a fountain, cathedrals and many shops and restaurants. Find
some yummy local food and then try to go to bed early. It is incredible how much
the altitude can affect you!
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Sacred Valley, Peru
Machu Picchu definitely lives up to the hype, don’t get me wrong, but there are
so many other incredible Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley worth seeing as well.
This post will cover a day spent seeing Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Consider this
post “Part 1” of Inca Ruins worth seeing, and “Part 2” is here (didn’t want to
do an Incan Ruins overload)! But first, let me explain what exactly The Sacred
Valley is. It’s a region in Peru near the city of Cusco and the ancient city of
Machu Picchu, it formed the heart of the Inca Empire. Macchu Picchu is obviously
the most famous site to see in The Sacred Valley (for good reason), but let’s
not forget about the rest of the Incan Empire!
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Aguas Calientes, Peru
Aquas Calientes is the closest city to Machu Picchu. The best way to get there
is by train. So, what I recommend doing is take a tour from Cusco through the
various ruins in the Sacred Valley, on your way to the train station in
Ollantaytambo. You can visit Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo before boarding
your afternoon train. I had taken the Peru Rail Expedition Train to Aquas
Calientes,
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Machu Picchu Pueblo, Peru
Machu Picchu is at the top of many bucket lists, and for a very good reason! It
is most certainly not an overrated tourist trap and is every bit as magical as
one would imagine. However, being prepared and visiting at certain times of the
year can make this experience that much better. For this post, I’ll be sharing
10 of my tips for visiting and of course, photos of the experience! Enjoy! (Side
note, I have so many photos & things to say about Machu Picchu, that there will
be 1 more post coming about it!)
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Cusco, Peru
These were perhaps my favorite ruins to visit in the Sacred Valley. Moray is an
archaeological site that’s a bit off the beaten path. I think Moray is
fascinating. Experts aren’t entirely sure how Moray was built. The Salt Mines,
are thousands of individual salt pools on a hillside, that date back to Incan
times. These are quite close to Moray. Then, Chinchero is actually a small town
not terribly far from Cusco (about 40 minutes in a car). It has a lot of
interesting things going on. There are beautiful Inca ruins, a colonial church,
a traditional weaving/demonstration area and a very nice market.
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Puno, Peru
The reason you would want to go to Puno is to see the Islas Flotantes de los
Uros (a.k.a. the Floating Islands). Now, I did not particularly care for this
portion of the trip. If I were to do this itinerary over, I would skip Puno and
the Floating Islands altogether. However, most folks absolutely loved the
Floating Islands and have told me it was the highlight of their trip, so, I’ll
let you decide for yourselves!
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Lima, Peru
There was a point in this trip planning where I had considered not visiting Lima
at all. Boy, would that have been a mistake! Lima is a beautiful city with
absolutely incredible food. Give Lima at least a day out of your trip – you
won’t regret it. I spent the day eating as much food and trying as many
beverages as I could, haha.