The Non-Sacred Inca Trail
There’s more than enough to see in the Sacred Valley without hoofing it over the mountains and braving the sandflies of the Inca Trail. The Urubamba valley has a plethora of ancient ruins, sacred sites, wonderful wildlife and spectacular views. There is reliable, easy to find transportation around the area, and it’s great for leisurely exploring the Inca way of life. And you still end up enjoying Machu Picchu, rested and ready to explore.
Categories: All Blog Posts, Attractions, Fun Things To Do, South America Uncovered Tags: Alternative, andes, Cusco, inca trail, machu picchu, peru, ruins, sacred valley
The Sacred Capital of the Inca: Cusco
The best place to start exploring the Sacred Valley is to start from Cusco. Before it was conquered and large portions of it destroyed by the Spanish, this city was the capital of the largest empire in America’s history: the Inca. The Inca originally came from around Lake Titicaca and established their capital here sometime in the 13th century AD. They built a vast empire and ruled until coming into contact with Spanish conquistadors lead by Francisco Pizarro in 1533.
Categories: All Blog Posts, Attractions, Fun Things To Do, South America Uncovered Tags: Cusco, Inca, incas, machu picchu, peru, sacred valley, urubamba
The Sacred Valley of the Inca
The center of tourism for Perú is located south east of the capital in the middle of the Andes. This is where the mountain range is at its widest point, sloping down one the one side to the deserted beaches along the Pacific coast, and cutting through cragged ridges into the Amazon on the other. It sets the scene for some of the most spectacular views in the world, with tall mountains and glaciers running down to hidden lakes, rivers tumbling through deep green gorges, cascading over waterfalls into deep pools, swaying fronds from all sorts of trees and shrubs teeming with exotic birds and animals. No wonder this is where the Inca chose to locate their capital of their vast empire, Tawantinsuyu.
Categories: All Blog Posts, Attractions, Fun Things To Do, South America Uncovered Tags: Inca, inca ruins, machu picchu, peru, sacred valley, south america, tawantinsuyo