The Sacred Valley – Pisac, Peru

The Sacred Valley – Pisac, Peru

Valle Sagrado, North of the city of Cuszco is packed full of Inca ruins, Andean villages and colorful markets.  

Fruit Seller Pisac Market

We arrived in the village of Pisac (generally considered to be the start of the trip through the valley which culminates at Machu Piccu) in time for the weekly market.  

Lugging our backpacks through the narrow streets we finally settled on a lodging in the main square that was cheap and had rooms with small balconies where we could watch the comings and goings of the locals and the hubbub of the market. 

Shopping 

Having settled in we headed out for a drink and a bite to eat in one of the many coffee shops that front the square and dug in for a serious session of people watching. 

It was important to prepare ourselves for the long trek we had planned for the next day so we decided to sample several of the local restaurants’  menus between forages into the market and surrounding backstreets (basically we took it easy).  

Above Pisac, perched on the top of the mountain that towers over the village, is the Inca fortress of Intihuata and the start of a walk that takes one along the mountain ridge with plunging gorges on either side. 

The views are spectacular and the path, which can induce some heart thumping moments (don’t look down!), winds through ancient Inca villages, fortresses, terraces and ceremonial sites. 

If you are short on time, not an Inca nut who can get the most out of any ruin, or budgeting and don’t want to spend a large sum of money on the boleto turistico, Pisac is the place to head go before moving onto the penultimate wonder of Peru – Machu Picchu.