After a beautiful day in Lima, we were off to explore the Sacred Valley. The easiest way to get there is by flying from Lima to Cusco on a quick hour and fifteen minute flight. There are some very early flights (starting at 6am), but we chose to leave just before ten, which still got us in around 11:15.
We were told that getting to the Lima airport is crazy and you need to allocate several hours for the traffic and security lines. It's true that the traffic is pretty bad, but the airport itself wasn't terrible. In fact, we got there pretty early and had enough time to book our Peru Rail tickets from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. Here's a tip: book your rail tickets early. We assumed we would just buy them when we got to Cusco because we weren't sure what time we wanted. We got lucky and had the last seats for the train we wanted. Tickets are expensive--we spent $380 for two round-trip tickets from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes--but it's just what you have to do.
From Cusco, we hired a taxi to take us straight to Ollantaytambo. Cusco is at 11,000+ feet above sea level, whereas Ollantaytambo is only at 9,000. Going further into the valley was a great way to get our bodies acclimated to the elevation.
The taxi ride took a couple of hours and was absolutely stunning! I couldn't get over the gorgeous, lush, green mountains. Our driver was a Cusco local and we had a really great conversation about his culture, Peruvian politics and American politics--all in Spanish! That was a first! He was great at pointing out things as we were going by, and even stopped by some alpacas so we could take a picture.
He dropped us off right in the center of Ollantaytambo where we grabbed a quick lunch with a view before heading to our train.
We opted for Peru Rail over Inca Rail mostly based on some online reviews we read and train time availability. It was a great choice. The train was beautiful and comfortable (and they served tea and snacks!). Mostly though, I loved how in the 90+ minute ride we saw multiple climates from desert to rain forest. It was truly incredible.
The train dropped us off in Aguas Calientes, an adorable town in the Sacred Valley. We stayed here for the night before heading to Machu Pichu the next day. I can't believe our luck. We were exploring the town in the evening and kept seeing different marching bands and dancers dressed in costume parading down the streets. We followed one band and found ourselves at the town square in front of the church celebrating La Fiesta de las Cruces (Festival of the Cross):
This holiday was clearly not for the tourists. All the locals were out dancing, singing, and parading. I love getting glimpses into the local culture like this.
Next up: Machu Pichu!
See our other stops in Peru:
Itinerary
Lima in Two Days
Machu Picchu
Moray and Maras
Horseback Riding in the Sacred Valley
Cusco and Pisac
We were told that getting to the Lima airport is crazy and you need to allocate several hours for the traffic and security lines. It's true that the traffic is pretty bad, but the airport itself wasn't terrible. In fact, we got there pretty early and had enough time to book our Peru Rail tickets from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. Here's a tip: book your rail tickets early. We assumed we would just buy them when we got to Cusco because we weren't sure what time we wanted. We got lucky and had the last seats for the train we wanted. Tickets are expensive--we spent $380 for two round-trip tickets from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes--but it's just what you have to do.
From Cusco, we hired a taxi to take us straight to Ollantaytambo. Cusco is at 11,000+ feet above sea level, whereas Ollantaytambo is only at 9,000. Going further into the valley was a great way to get our bodies acclimated to the elevation.
The taxi ride took a couple of hours and was absolutely stunning! I couldn't get over the gorgeous, lush, green mountains. Our driver was a Cusco local and we had a really great conversation about his culture, Peruvian politics and American politics--all in Spanish! That was a first! He was great at pointing out things as we were going by, and even stopped by some alpacas so we could take a picture.
He dropped us off right in the center of Ollantaytambo where we grabbed a quick lunch with a view before heading to our train.
We opted for Peru Rail over Inca Rail mostly based on some online reviews we read and train time availability. It was a great choice. The train was beautiful and comfortable (and they served tea and snacks!). Mostly though, I loved how in the 90+ minute ride we saw multiple climates from desert to rain forest. It was truly incredible.
The train dropped us off in Aguas Calientes, an adorable town in the Sacred Valley. We stayed here for the night before heading to Machu Pichu the next day. I can't believe our luck. We were exploring the town in the evening and kept seeing different marching bands and dancers dressed in costume parading down the streets. We followed one band and found ourselves at the town square in front of the church celebrating La Fiesta de las Cruces (Festival of the Cross):
It is a ceremony in which each community decorates the cross of its church and prepares it for its procession to churches in neighboring communities. This celebration held in gratitude to pre-Hispanic gods for bountiful harvests, also serves as a setting for folklore shows. (source)
This holiday was clearly not for the tourists. All the locals were out dancing, singing, and parading. I love getting glimpses into the local culture like this.
Next up: Machu Pichu!
See our other stops in Peru:
Itinerary
Lima in Two Days
Machu Picchu
Moray and Maras
Horseback Riding in the Sacred Valley
Cusco and Pisac
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