After recovering after the Salkantay trek and getting Line back on her feet we booked the full day Sacred Valley tour. The guide was great, the sights were interesting, the weather was good, the minivan was new and comfortable BUT never have we experienced anything as rushed in our many years of traveling. Along with at least 100 minivans and 1500 other tourists following the same route we were drilled through the sights with just enough time to get out, get introduced to the sights and take a few photos. When we spoke to the guide about it he told us that it used to be a two day tour but due to popular demand it was now all packed in one day. He also explained that you are still able to book it as two separate days but due to the popularity of the one day version that is what most people do. He would, however, strongly recommend spending two days and so would we!
At 70 soles per person including buffet lunch the tour is quite cheap, but bear in mind that entry fees are not included. If you already bought the “General Bolleto” (130 soles for adults, 70 for children, children under 10 free) you have access to all of them except the salt mines (20 soles). You can also buy a limited Sacred Valley version (70 soles for adults, 40 for children, children under 10 free)
Anyway – this is what we covered in one day from 6am to 7.45pm
Chinchero
Our first stop was the historic town of Chinchero – home to Inca ruins and terraces and another clear example of how the Spanish destroyed the upper parts of the buildings but reused the very stable foundations.
After taking in the sights we made another stop to learn more about the dying and weaving of alpaca clothes.
Moray
The next stop was Moray. A set of terraces that look almost like an amphitheater. Each level has its own microclimate with average temperatures ranging more than 6 degrees from the lower and upper terraces. Not only did the Incas use this to grow different crops suited to different temperatures but it was also used as a laboratory for the Incas to learn more about what crops were better suited to which climate and thus they could use that knowledge in other places.
Maras Salt Mines
After a stop at the salt shop to taste various chocolates and corn varieties spiced with salt we went to see the actual salt mines. About 1500 families each own 3-4 basins where water from a salty underground spring is left to dry under the sun for a month before about 300 kg. of salt can be scraped off.
Paying 20 soles per person to get a look at the mines from above (you used to be able to get closer) was a quite underwhelming experience. The drive is quite long to get there and after about 10-15 minutes there is not much left to see. We would definitely have preferred skipping the salt mines to be able to spend more time at the other places
Ollantaytambo
The ruins at Ollantaytambo are definitely impressive but since there is not a limit to the amount of visitors, it made Machu Picchu seem deserted in comparison. It was still an impressive site and hard to imagine how the Incas managed to drag stones weighing up to 29 tons from mountain tops several kilometers away. On the opposing cliff side the face of the great Inca king Pachakucha is chiseled into the hard rock.
We would really have liked to spend more time here as the area is quite big and the less impressive parts seemed almost deserted in comparison to the places we went. Unfortunately we only had about 50 minutes to spend here so we had to hurry on.
Pisac
The final stop was the ruins at Pisac. Arriving late there was already more than a 100 vans parked and we had to walk the last few hundred meters to the entry point.
Unfortunately the site was closed and it took some arguing and another 20 minutes of waiting before we and about 100 others were allowed to enter. On a positive note the site was not as busy at this point and we managed to get a good look at the site and some pictures before the sun went down.
From here on we made a 30 minute stop at a silver shop in the town of Pisac (supposedly to learn about the craft, but in reality it was more about trying to sell us some overpriced silver). Another stop that we easily could have skipped to have more time at the interesting sights or to get a bit sooner back to Cusco.
All in all a day with lots of views and impressions but we were also left with the feeling that we were constantly behind schedule and rushing to get to the next place.
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