On our second day after arriving to Cusco, we started on a trip of the sacred valley. The Sacred Valley (“Vale Sagrado”) is carved by Rio Urubamba, which starts somewhere not too far from Cusco. As it moves away from Cusco the valley lowers in elevation, eventually dropping into Amazonia where the Urubamba joins the Amazon river and eventually makes its way to the Atlantic. The sacred valley was the heartland of the Inca Empire and is covered with numerous ruins, the most notable of them being Pisaq, Ollantaytamo and Machu Picchu. From Cusco, one can take a bus to Pisaq (about 1,5 hours), then another bus to Ollantaytambo (2 hours). From there, there are only two ways to continue to Machu Picchu – a ridiculously expensive train or a guided trek (The Inca Trail – even more expensive).

We started with a bus ride to Pisaq, where we stopped at a colorful Sunday market:

Afterwards, we negotiated a taxi ride up to Pisac ruins. Pisac ruins are supposed to be amongst he most extensive in the area, some people say more so than Machu Picchu.

The pictures show two types of stonework: the more simple piling up of stones used for fortifications and residences vs. the perfectly fitting carved stones used for the temples.