Peru: Machu Picchu & The Sacred Valley

The Cusco region of Peru combines Incan legacy with Spanish colonial architecture in an atmosphere at once provincial and sublime. The chaotic marketplaces where locals barter grain or potatoes for multicolored fabric belie the muted spirituality of the Lost Cities, where Incan stonework conveys order and balance. Such diversity makes this nine-day adventure stimulating yet restful. The blue sky radiates with an intensity achieved only at high altitudes (the city of Cusco lies at 11,400 feet above sea level), while the landscape offers its own intensity of exacting agricultural grids and tangled jungle masses.
     The Sacred Valley (Urubamba River Valley) lies ten miles north of Cusco. This area offers traditional Indian markets, Andean villages, and Incan sites as well as a pleasant climate thanks to the lower elevation and its location at the base of the Andes. Pisac and Ollantaytambo are the most memorable due to the combination of all of the above features. For most of the week, these small villages offer little activity other than relaxing in the plaza or visiting the bakery for hot, fresh bread from a clay oven. On market day the atmosphere becomes more festive as farmers and artisans in traditional dress come from miles around to sell their colorful sweaters, weavings, pottery, and produce.
     Machu Picchu is the most impressive and the least understood of the Incan sites. It was not discovered by the Spanish conquistadors (as were most other sites) and was accidentally stumbled upon in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. Even today the site remains an enigma to archaeologists. It is obvious from the exceptionally high quality of stonework and the abundance of ornamentation that Machu Picchu must have been an important ceremonial center. Your visit here is the finale of a spectacular Peruvian adventure.

Country Walkers strives to preserve the environment and give back to the communities in each of the destinations we visit. We frequently give back to the communities we visit both on a small scale (i.e. local meals, donations to parks, museums, and cultural centers we visit) and on a large scale - such as sponsoring community efforts like the Patacancha Dorm Project in Peru. Following 7 years of commitment, we continue to support the estimated 120 students of Patacancha, please click here to view an overview of accomplishments and a list of current projects and/or to make a tax-deductible donation.