We often get the question, what else is there to do around Cusco besides trekking and hiking to Machu Picchu? Well, you will be amazed about all the options. Here goes our pick for students of Amauta:
- 1. Visit the typical market of San Pedro, hosting a myriad of stalls packed with local produce, including unfamiliar types of vegetables, fruits, cheese, flowers and even odd bits and pieces used in prosperity rituals and giving praise to the ‘Pachamama’ (Mother Earth). Not into cooking yourself? Just bench up with the locals at one of the many eateries and try out the deliciously prepared ceviche or chicharones and get a freshly squeezed juice to go with it.
- 2. Wander around the narrow cobblestoned streets of picturesque neighborhood San Blas, known as the art district of Cusco. It’s also the place to enjoy great organic coffee and some of the best fusion cuisine in town. At night, live music haunts like ‘7 Angelitos’ and ‘Km.0’ only add to its laid-back bohemian vibe.
- 3. Climb the stairs on the edge of town to the ‘Cristo Blanco’. From this plateau with an enormous statue of Jesus, you are able to overlook all of Cusco excellent for great photos. If you happen to have planned your visit around the 24th of June, you will lucky enough to experience a great festivity at the nearby ‘Sacsayhuamán’ (its pronunciation easier remembered as Sexy Woman) Inca fortress, where the cult of the Inca’s to the Sun God, their highest divinity, is celebrated in great traditional and folkloric glory.
- 4. Day tour the Sacred Valley and shop for a couple of souvenirs at the many colorful handicraft markets. Have a tea infused with coca leaves (the local way of dealing with altitude sickness) while pausing in between climbs to the magnificent Inca Ruins of Ollyantambo (superb Inca city made of megalithic blocks of stone and where Manco Inca confronted the Spanish conquistador Hernando Pizarro) and Pisac (one of the most important ancient architectural complexes whose Inca terraces are still in perfect conditions today).
- 5. To enjoy the outdoors and stunning landscapes of the Sacred Valley from a different perspective hire a bike and cycle at your own stride to the salt mines of Maras and the site of Moray. The latter consists of four circular terraces delved into the earth forming an artificial crater, probably used as an agricultural research station of the Incas. On your route you pass through villages bustling with local traditions, and the best of all, it’s all downhill!
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