To Moray
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
From Chinchero, we drove towards Moray. There were a lot of fields and crop plantations on the way. This area is very rich in agriculture and a lot of tubers are grown here. The average altitude inLes mer
Moray
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Moray in the Quechua language means a hole in the ground. This place used to be the agricultural laboratory of the the Incas.
The depression in the ground seems to have been made by a meteorite. ThereLes mer
Moray terrace farms
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
We spent about an hour there going around the place and appreciating the symmetry and the beauty of the place. We also saw the other smaller meteorite craters around. They too were used for the sameLes mer
Maras stopover
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
After Moray, we made a brief stopover at the town of Maras. This is the nearest village to the Inca Salt fields.
Here,we learnt that there are 3 types of salts that are extracted from the salt fieldsLes mer
To the Salineras
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
After Maras, we drove towards the salt fields or Salineras. We stopped on the hill opposite for a lovely view of the fields. These are terraced fields with more than 3000 pools to collect salt. Its aLes mer
Salineras of Maras
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
The salt is formed by evaporation of the spring water that flows out of the hill nearby. The water temperature is about 21-22 degrees C. This heating is due to the volcanic activity below the earth.Les mer
Salt fields of Maras
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Back to Cusco
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
After spending some more time walking around the terraced salt fields, we started our way back to Cusco. We reached back at about 2:30 pm.
The 1st thing we did was to move the Sacred Valley tour fromLes mer
Evening in Cusco
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
After finalizing our tour of the Rainbow mountain, we walked around a bit in the main square of Cusco before going to the San Pedro local marcado for some local food.
Dinner at Mercado
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We had our dinner at the local market near the San Pedro Cathedral. It was extremely cheap but very filling at the same time.
Chinchero Inca textile town
9. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
For today, we had booked a half day tour to Chinchero (Inca textile village), Moray (Inca agriculture laboratory) and Maras (salt fields). The tour cost is us /S 30 per person and began at 8:30 am. WeLes mer
Sacred Valley tour begins
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
We were up at 7 am, had our breakfast at the hostel and reached the tour operator's place by 8:30 am. From there, we walked to the main square. At the main square, we waited for everyone to join.
Corao
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
From the main square, we walked to outside of the town center where the bus was waiting for us.
After a few minutes, we entered the Sacred Valley. Our 1st stop was at a small village called Corao.Les mer
Sacred Valley viewpoint
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
After about 20 min of ride we reached the Sacred Valley viewpoint. The valley is called so because of the sacred river Urubamba flowing through the valley. The Incas considered the Sacred Valley aLes mer
Pisac town
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Another 15-20 min from the viewpoint, we reached the town of Pisac. Its a town famous for its silver and precious stone work. Here we visit a local silver smithy workshop where they explained theLes mer
To the Pisac Archeological site
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
After spending about 30 min at the workshop, we drove to the Pisac Archeological site. This places is about 3.5 kms up the mountains from the Pisac town. It was built by the Incas most probably to actLes mer
Pisac Archeological site
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
The Pisac town from the Inca times was a place where about 700 people used to stay. The town was split into 4 parts. The entrance part was a section for the sentries to guard the entry level and exitLes mer
Pisac Archeological site 4th section
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
On the other side of the 1st hill, we saw the 4th section of the town, a place for the burial. There are more than 3000 tombs in the holes in the hill opposite. All of them were ransacked by theLes mer
Pisac water system
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
The water system was extremely important for the dry season. The Incas had dug an underground canal from a natural aquifer up on one of the hills nearby. The water was channeled to a big cylindricalLes mer
The royal quarters Pisac
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
After visiting the water system, we climbed up to the royal quaters. The views all around were stunning. The royal quarters were stone structures built along the slope of the mountain.
Structures in royal quaters
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
We spent another 15-20 min going around the royal quaters, enjoying the beautiful views and the interesting architecture work.
Back from the royal quaters
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We came down from the royal quaters via a different route. Some of the buildings were a maze inside.
Ollantaytambo ruins
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Ollantaytambo stands at a very strategic location. Its a junction of 3 valleys meeting at this place. In the middle sits the tiny village of Ollantaytambo, on one side are the ruins of the Temple ofLes mer
Ruins of Temple of the Sun
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
The temple was built along the slope of a steep mountain side. The Incas were very particular about merging their structures with the surrounding hills, rocks and stones. The walls are typical of theLes mer
Massive stones of Ollantaytambo
10. november 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Strewn across Ollantaytambo, there are massive stones of 30-40 tons, apparently in no particular sequence or part of any structure. These are called the Lazy Stones - the stones that never reachedLes mer
























































































































































































