Pisaq and the Sacred Valley

We started out at 7am heading higher still to 3500m and the statue of the white Jesus. This 8 and a half metre replica of the one in Brazil overlooks the city and makes for a good photo opportunity.

Back on the bus and towards a Planeterra stop - a women's weaving cooperative supported by G Adventures. Here the women spin, dye and weave using entirely natural ingredients whilst their husbands are porters on the Inca Trail. We were greeted with a hug from one of these ladies in traditional dress, although the baby llama somewhat monopolised everyone's attention! After (another) cup of coco tea, we departed for the Pisaq ruins.

En route, we stopped at briefly to look over the whole of the Incan Sacred Valley. The view was absolutely spectacular.

Part of the Sacred Valley, Pisaq was an Incan citadel where some of the first experiments were done with agricultural terracing. Designated a UNESCO site in the 1980s, it's terraces remain well preserved and very impressive, especially at the altitude. We climbed up to the top of the fort section which afforded an amazing view but also provided an insight into the nature of the trek to come - slow and steady will be the order of the day if we are to survive the coming days.

Additional: one hour of sun at altitude = sun burn. Bugger.Read more