The Sacred Valley of the Incas in Cusco, Peru – Well worth a visit on your own or with a guide

The Sacred Valley of the Incas in Cusco, Peru is a scenic valley where a river flows through mountain chains on either side. At various points along the valley, you can see the snow capped peaks of the two of the most sacred nevados of the region – Salkantay (20,574 feet), and Ausangate (20,900 feet). The Incas worshipped these mountain deities, called apukanas, as well as the sun and the moon. Today, especially when you get outside the urbanized areas, it becomes clear why the Incas called this place a Sacred Valley.

View of snow-capped peak on the way to Lares

The Sacred Valley of the Incas runs from Cusco to Aguas Calientes – the town at the base of Macchu Picchu. You can travel from Cusco to Ollantaytambo by car, but only trains go to Aguas Calientes. The Sacred Valley features imposing mountains on either side, and a rushing river – Rio Urubamba – in the center.

The route from Cusco to Ollantaytambo takes about 2 hours by car or bus. It is 45 minutes from Cusco to Pisac; 30 minutes from Pisac to Calca; 30 minutes from Calca to Urubamba; and 20 minutes from Urubamba to Ollantaytambo. You could easily see the whole valley in a day, but each town along the way is worth a stop, both for the town itself and for the daytrips. The road is well-served by public transportation, although most tourists use private cars or guides hired in Cusco. I highly recommend using public transportation, as it is the best way to see the people and traditions of the Valley with your own eyes.

The first stop in the Sacred Vally is Pisac, which has amazing ruins, a beautiful market, and is a great starting point for a trip up to Kinsa Cccocha. You can easily go up to the three lagoons of Kinsa Ccocha and back in a day – starting from either Pisac or Cusco.

Calca has the best Internet access of the Valley towns, outside of Cusco, and serves as a starting point for a trip up to Lares. Lares could be a day trip if you leave very early, but staying the night in Lares is also a good option. This is also a trip you can do on your own, or with a tour guide.

In Urubamba, it starts to get warmer, and is a nice place to spend a day relaxing. It also is the starting place for a visit to the Salineras de Maras – the salt mines. These salt mines are just 30 minutes from Urubamba.

Ollantaytambo is a beautiful ancient city, with Incan walls throughout the town, and hosts fascinating ruins. It is a small town that is a joy to walk around and is the base for people traveling to Macchu Picchu, via train or via the Inca Trail. Ollantaytambo is a quaint town with ruins as well as a historic center with traditional chicherias and restaurants.

The family at the entrance to the ruins at Ollantaytambo

Ancient streets in Ollantaytambo

Aguas Calientes is true to its name and has hot springs that are great for relaxing after hiking up to Macchu Picchu.

There is so much to see in the Peruvian Andes, and the Sacred Valley is right at the center of it all. If you are adventurous, speak some Spanish, and want a great experience, you can do it all by yourself – either with a rental car, taxis, colectivos (shared taxis), or buses. Needless to say, traveling around the Sacred Valley on public transportation will be much cheaper than using tour guides.

The Salt Mines of Maras in the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Did you know that some of the best salt in the world is produced in the middle of the Andes – hundreds of miles from any large body of salt water? I didn’t know until we visited the Salt Mines of Maras in the Sacred Valley, about 40 kilometers from Cusco, Peru.

Las Salineras de Maras

According to Wikipedia,

Since pre-Inca times, salt has been obtained in Maras by evaporating salty water from a local subterranean stream. The highly salty water emerges at a spring, a natural outlet of the underground stream. The flow is directed into an intricate system of tiny channels constructed so that the water runs gradually down onto the several hundred ancient terraced ponds. … It is agreed among local residents and pond "farmers" that the cooperative system was established during the time of the Incas, if not earlier. As water evaporates from the sun-warmed ponds, the water becomes supersaturated and salt precipitates as various size crystals onto the inner surfaces of a pond's earthen walls and on the pond's earthen floor. The pond's keeper then closes the water-feeder notch and allows the pond to go dry. Within a few days the keeper carefully scrapes the dry salt from the sides and bottom, puts it into a suitable vessel, reopens the water-supply notch, and carries away the salt.

The result is a visually interesting series of terraces of salt pools. It was a great trip for the kids, as you can walk all over the salt mines and explore the mines. It was also cool for the kids to be able to see how salt is produced and to learn that these salt mines have existed for centuries.

Many people go to the Salt Mines with a tour guide, but it is also possible to get there on your own. To get there, we drove from Calca to Urubamba, and then took the road towards Chincheros. We turned off the road at the clearly-indicated detour for Maras. The views along this road, like much of the Andes and the Sacred Valley, were spectacular.

View of snow-capped peak in the distance

As it was nearly noon when we arrived at the detour, we decided to stop in Maras for lunch before going to the salt mine, where there is only a tourist café and a few snacks.

The town of Maras is about two kilometers after the turn-off point for the Salt Mines. When we arrived in Maras, there was a festival going on with plenty of stalls selling chicharrones, fried trout, and fried chicken. We ordered a few plates of food and filled ourselves up on fried food before heading back towards the salt mines.

Frying fish and chicken in Maras

The road to the salt mines is a dirt road, but it is well-maintained and easy to drive on. The only issue is that it is practically a single-lane road, so you have to watch for cars and buses coming in the other direction. There are various points at which you can pull over to let them pass. After driving all over Peru on similar roads, we have become accustomed to driving like this.

Tatiana, Raymi, and Soraya posing by the side of the road

After about 20 minutes on this dirt road, we made it to the Salt Mines of Maras. We walked through the various gift shops and began to tour the salt mines. The kids went on their own adventure through the mine while I admired the view. It was fun for the kids to explore the mines on their own and check out the different colors and textures of the salt formations.

Tatiana, Raymi and Soraya at the Salt Mines

The kids - off to explore by themselves

Before leaving, we purchased a few bags of Peruvian Pink Salt as a souvenir.

After leaving the Salt Mines, we decided to keep driving to Cusco. It took about an hour to get to the edge of the city, and another 30 minutes to get through traffic to our hotel – Casa de Mama 2 – in Cusco.

From Calca to Lares – A scenic drive to the Eden of the Incas

On Wednesday morning around 8:30am, we set out from Calca to Lares in our rented Toyota Yaris. Our friends in Calca warned us not to eat to much before leaving, as we would be going from about 3,500 meters up to about 4,500 meters, and back down again. We had a light breakfast, and took snacks with us for the two-hour drive to Lares.

I was excited to go to Lares and relax in the hot springs, but had no idea the drive there would be so spectacular. There is public transportation to Lares – a small bus that runs once or twice a day – but we decided to drive as we knew the road was reasonably well-maintained, even though about 35 kilometers of it is unpaved.

Raymi and Soraya holding a lamb

We stopped frequently on the way up to avoid altitude sickness. Our first stop was at an overlook where we saw a herd of sheep. My children rushed to try and catch a lamb so that they could hold it. There was no one around to ask if that was okay, so I told them they could. As soon as they picked up a lamb, however, a little girl began to cry from a house up on a hill. Soon, two children rushed down. I asked the boy why the child was crying. At first he said he didn’t know. Then, he said it was because my kids had held her lamb. We apologized and left the kids tending to their herd of sheep.

The road was paved until we reached a turnoff point for Lares. The 30 kilometers along that road were filled with awesome scenery, but driving along a one-lane dirt road alongside a cliff was a harrowing experience. The views of animals, mountains, nevados, rivers, and boulders, however, made up for the tense drive.

Soon after turning off, we came upon a group of children who flagged us down. When we stopped, they asked us if we had any bread. Fortunately, we did, and we handed a piece of bread to each of the children. The children were aged between about 4 and 11, so I asked them if they went to school. It was a school day after all. One of the girls replied that there is no school close enough for them to attend. These children live in hamlets of one to ten houses, and it is true that we did not see a school in the 30 kilometer drive from the turn-off point to Lares. Their families seem to be mostly sheep, alpaca, goat, and llama herders. From that point to the Abra de Lares – the point at which you begin to descend the mountain – we saw several children who pulled us over to ask for bread. When we ran out of bread, we gave crackers to the kids.

Children by the side of the road asking for bread

Children from small villages along the way

For much of the way to Lares, we were able to see two snow-capped peaks – sitting majestically above golden and gray mountain peaks. We also saw plenty of animal herds, some of which were tended by people, and others of which seemed to be alone. There seemed to be more animals than people out here. Animals can live outside, eating the grass and drinking the plentiful water. Life seemed to bit a bit harder for the people, who live miles away from any stores and must travel far to sell their animal wool and other products. The Quechua people who live here make their own clothes and continue to dress in the traditional way.

A lagoon among the peaks

We stopped at the Abra to Lares to build a mound of stones - said to protect you on the journey

Cloud-soaked mountains

Raymi - happy to have made it to the top

About two and a half hours and many stops after leaving Calca, we made it to Lares, where we had a lunch of soup and fried fish in one of the restaurants near the Plaza. We stocked up with bread, fruit, and water, and got back in the car for the five-minute drive from the town of Lares to the hot springs.

After the long drive from Calca, we decided we would stay the night at the hot springs, and got a room in the hotel that belongs to the hot springs. The hot springs are community-built and owned, and the townspeople take turns working there. The hotel room was clean and comfortable, and reasonably priced at 50 soles ($20) a night. The room does not include entry to the hot springs, which is 10 soles ($4) for adults, and 4 soles for children.

Lares Hot Springs

The Springs are on beautiful grounds

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the hot spring pools. The pools are brown in color because of the minerals, and range in temperature from very hot to quite cool. I first got in the very hot pool, as I was looking forward to experiencing some serious heat after being cold for much of the time we have spent in the Andes. Then, we spent some time relaxing in the largest pool, which is warm, but certainly not hot.

We ate dinner in a small restaurant run by a local man and his wife. They also have rooms for rent for a bit cheaper, but they don’t have electricity. For dinner, they made rice, fried bananas, and an omelet with eggs from their chickens. The next morning for breakfast, they slaughtered one of their hens to make chicken soup for us.

We went up to Lares with our friends from Calca – Doris, Jose, Isa, Fernando, and their daughter, Yari. At breakfast, I chatted with Isa and Fernando about my work on racism in Peru. Fernando owns a hotel in Cusco, and Isa, who makes clothing for a living, is from Cusco. They suggested I do a study that focuses on more specifically on racial discrimination in Cusco. That is an idea to think about, as, while doing some work here, I have noticed that things are changing in Cusco. Peru is experiencing economic growth, and it seems more indigenous people are prospering. Of course, there is still poverty, but it seems that increasing numbers of indigenous people are able to send their children to university and to purchase expensive homes and cars. It would be interesting to see how this plays out in terms of overcoming racial barriers, which, in Latin America, are closely intertwined with class status.

It is encouraging to return to Peru after several years and see that many people are doing better financially. These changes also raise many questions about what the future holds for Peru.

The drive back from Lares to Calca took less time, but still was filled with awesome scenery, beautiful people, and interesting sights.

Tatiana and Soraya on one of our breaks to check out the animals 

A woman tending her llamas near a stone house at 4000 meters above sea level

Quechua girl who lives in a small hamlet along the way

These Quechua children - who live high in the Andes - preserve their traditional dress

This boy, 11, told me he made his own poncho

Driving along this road was harrowing at some points

The Sacred Valley of the Incas – a Haven for People from all walks of life

One of the things I love about being in the Sacred Valley of the Incas is visiting the friends we have here. My husband, Nando (aka Normalito), came to Cusco and the Sacred Valley when he was a teenager and spent many years here. Some of the friends he met here still live in the Valley and others have left, but come back when they can to visit. Most of his friends live an alternative lifestyle – some more alternative than others.

Carlin, Nico, Nando, and Alex in the Plaza of Pisac

In Pisac, we stayed at the hostal of a friend – Nico, who Nando knows from the days when they sold handmade artesania together in Miraflores, Lima in the early 1980s. Nico spent many years in the Valley before marrying a Norwegian woman, Turi, and traveling abroad.

On Saturday, all of the hostal guests pitched in and we had an amazing parrillada – where we roasted marinated meat and chicken on a grill on the roof of the Hostal Puma Orca. The roof of the hostal provides a spectacular view of the Andes, and Nico has plans to put a café up on the roof. After stuffing ourselves, we enjoyed music, as many of the hostal guests are musicians.

Improvised parillada

I woke up early Sunday morning to take an early-morning walk up to the ruins of Pisac. The ruins are on top of a hill, and walking up the ruins is a great way to get some cardio in while enjoying the early-morning silence and mysticism of the Pisac ruins and surrounding mountains.

Pisac ruins - andenes - at dawn

When I came down from the ruins, it was 7:30am, and there was lots of movement in the Plaza, as the various vendors prepared their stalls for Sunday’s market day. I walked back to our hotel, and Nando, Raymi, Alex, and I went back to the market where I bought avocados. We then walked to the traditional bakery, where we bought Andean bread for breakfast, fresh out of the oven. We then walked over to Chilhuanco, a neighborhood just next to Pisac where our friend, Otorongo, lives with his wife, Diana, and their two children.

Traditional panaderia in Pisac

Otorongo purchased this hillside land 15 years ago, and slowly, over the years, has made it habitable by clearing and flattening the land, and building structures on it. Otorongo makes his living selling stones and handmade items in a small store near the plaza of Pisac. We had breakfast by their traditional adobe stove, where they boiled coffee and eggs. After breakfast, Otorongo showed us around the two-story house he has built, as well as his temple, where he sometimes does ayahusacar and San Pedro ceremonies. In Peru, these hallucinogenic and medicinal plants are legal. Ayahuascar contains DMT, and San Pedro, mescaline. People come from all over the world to Peru to try these plants and to do spiritual cleanings.

Otorongo's son, Prem, at their house in Chilhuanco

Raymi - in the fields between Pisac and Chilhuanco

After breakfast, we went back to the hostal again. This time, we took a short cut across the fields. These fields just outside of Pisac will likely remain cornfields, despite rapid growth here. The reason is that these fields are historic, as they have the traditional Andean andenes – agricultural terraces made with stone walls built on hills to support flattened land. These andenes and cornfields are between Otorongo’s house in Chilhuanco and the Hostal Puma Orca. The absence of buildings here also preserves the view of the Andes mountains from the Hostal Puma Orca.

When we got back to the hotel, we got our other two daughters – Tatiana and Soraya – and drove 30 minutes down the road to Calca, where our friend Doris lives with her partner, Jose. Doris is renting a beautiful house in Calca. There is a river that runs behind the house and my daughters had a blast playing in the river – jumping from stone to stone. Doris has revived the garden, and it has plenty of colorful flowers. The best thing about this house, though, is that it has mountain views on all four sides. You can see the mountains while sitting next to the river. You can see them from the flower garden. And, you can see them from the outdoor table where we enjoyed lunch.

Raymi, Soraya, and Tatiana crossing the river behind Doris's house

Doris, in her garden in Calca

Doris and Jose also make a living by working with healing plants as well as drying and selling dried organic fruits. It is refreshing to listen to them, as people who live their life with purpose and who believe in what they do.

Our lunch was scrumptious. I made tallarin verde – Peruvian-style pesto, and Doris made an omelet with wild oyster mushrooms and greens. Jose steamed broccoli and green beans, and Doris made a salad. While traveling in Peru, it is sometimes difficult to get enough vegetables, so we were all glad to have plenty of greens.

After lunch, we relaxed some more by the river, and then built a campfire by the river. My daughters love campfires, and stayed keeping the fire alive for a couple of hours. By that time, we were tired, and ready to return to Pisac. Doris invited us to come spend the night, so we returned the next day.

When we returned to Doris’s house, we went up the street to visit more friends – Maria Estela and Jimbo – who make beautiful ceramics. They have created a small business called Artes Wamani.  One of the things they make are udus – ceramic percussion instruments that make a fascinating, echoing sound when played. I was very tempted to buy some ceramics from them, but decided to wait and place an order when I return to the United States, as we are traveling light.

We also met many other characters at Maria Estela and Jimbo’s house, including a French guy who left France a decade ago and purchased land in the Peruvian jungle, where he created a Rainbow community and a gringa who was dressed in full traditional Andean gear – a pollera, a traditional poncho, and even the rubber shoes that indigenous women tend to wear here. People from all walks of life are attracted to the Valley because of its energy, clean air, tranquility, mountains, rivers, streams, and lakes.