Wow, if there is one place, in all the places we have been so far, that you should visit it is Cuzco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in southern Peru. This area is one of the most visited in all of South America.

Tourism is the number three industry in Peru and in Cusco we really felt that. This half million person city has a beautiful colonial historic center with landscaped public squares, centuries old churches, restaurants and shops all snuggled in a lush green valley. Shops with camping and hiking gear are numerous and you can get luxurious Alpaca sweaters and scarves everywhere. Cusco is the oldest, consistently occupied city in South America. We stayed in a hostel located in a three hundred year old house. Thank goodness we had three blankets on the bed because it was very cold. This is the middle of their summer with the longest day being on December 21st but at 10,800 feet in elevation the temperature is only around forty degrees in the evenings. When the sun is out during the day the temperature approaches seventy degrees.

Because of the number of Ina ruins, Cusco and Machu Picchu are part of what is know as the Scared Valley. Although the Inca culture spanned nine generations, their golden era of expansion lasted only one hundred years. Our day tour of the valley involved the climbing of many steps as the Inca communities were all built on mountainsides. The ruins are remarkably preserved but not as restored as the Mayan and Aztec ruins we saw in Mexico. The people of the area still wear the colorful traditional clothing. The children are very charming and love to have their pictures taken for a propina (tip) of course.

When the Spanish came to conquer the area they built churches on the temple ruins as a way to con the indigenous people to worship there.

The Inca’s Machu Picchu is in a very remote valley located at 7,970 feet so the Spanish never found it. In 1911, Hiram Bingham, an American discovered it as he was looking for another ruin. It can only be reached by train or trekking. There are no roads leading into the valley. Michael and I were very jealous of all of the young travelers preparing for the four day hike on the famous Inca Trail. We decided to take the train rather than the trek.

Getting to Machu Picchu is complicated and includes a bus or private car for the fifteen kilometer ride to the train station, a three hour train ride to the small town of Agua Calientes and then a final thirty minute bus trip up the steep switchbacks to the site. The excitement began to build as we caught glimpses of the awesome ruins seemingly hanging off the cliffs as we rounded the switchbacks. This is the low tourist season, so although busy, Machu Picchu was not packed.  We were able to enjoy it at our own pace. It took us a little over three hours to see everything, get worn out and begin the trip back to Cusco.

Machu Picchu is touristy and over visited but a definite must see.