Sacred Valley (Towns & Ruins)
Towns & Ruins
I explored the magnificent towns of the sacred valley on two different routes which I recommend to every independent traveler and they both can be done On Your Own:
- Cusco → Tipon → Cusco:
Tipon is not in the sacred valley proper, yet it lies at a high elevation to the south of the valley; yet there are some beautiful ruins here that are worth the trip.
It is really easy and straight-forward to go to Tipon on your own, you don’t need to join a cramped organized tour for that. From Cusco, you’ll take a collective directly to Tipon which takes around 30 minutes and for only 5 soles; however, as there are different collectivo stops in Cusco, depending on your destination, you’ll need to head to the right one for Tipon (click to request info).
Arriving at Tipon, you’ll start hiking to the ruins. Since the ruins are outside of town, which makes them more magical, you’ll hike around 3 hours (each way) to visit them on a well-marked trail. From the collective stop, you’ll see signs to the ruins or you can ask any local about “el camino” to the ruins and they will point which direction to you. The hike is about 1-1:30 hours of an uphill climb to the first terraces of the ruins. The first section of the trail consists of a dirt road passing through some local houses which will then be followed by a trail in the mountains with some beautiful scenery.
These ruins are off-the-beaten-path of the sacred valley and few tour groups go there which makes them much more special. When you arrive at the ruins, you’ll find yourself almost alone there and you be free to explore as much as you want of these ruins, take lots of pictures of your, almost private, Inca ruins; and if you still have an appetite for more ruins, you’ll see signs for “Pucara” which is another ruin’s site close-by. After getting your ruins’ fix:) you can head back to Cusco, same way as you came, or you can try the “cuy” in Tipon (click to request info).
- Cusco → Pisac → Ollantaytambo → Cusco:
This tour is about visiting the small towns of the sacred valley and their ruins, on your own, and soak in the cultural and historic highlights of this special spot of our planet. In order to be able to optimize your time and be able to visit all the highlights on a day-trip from Cusco, you’ll have to get a grasp of the sacred valley’s geography and have a good map with you (click to request info).
The first stop in this tour will be Pisac. Apart from its ruins, Pisac is famous for its bustling market and a trip to visit this market should be on each explorer’s itinerary. To reach Pisac from Cusco, take a collective from its designated stop (click to request info) which will take you directly to Pisac’s main street. Get out here and walk in the direction away from the river and you’ll find the famous market.
You’ll be tempted to explore the market now, but I recommend to wait till you visit the ruins and explore it on your way back. The ruins are up in the hills, so continue walking through the market away from the river till you reach a dirt road which you’ll follow easily to the ruins. But be warned, the hike up to the ruins is fairly steep and if this is your rest day:) then you can take a taxi or hitchhike your way directly to the ruins. After exploring the ruins, the hike back is downhill and easy and takes you directly to the market. So now its shopping time:) Explore the market at your leisure, there are some hidden gems here and true bargains; however, expect to haggle the prices down with the merchants who are mostly friendly and smiling.
Exploring Pisac should take you around 3-4 hours after which you’ll ride all the way along the river to your next stop…Ollantaytambo. Again, from the main road in Pisac where the collective dropped you, you can take another collective to Ollantaytambo or hitchhike your way, but expect to pay a little fee.
Ollantaytambo is a little charming village famous for its Inca ruins. These ruins were used as defensive structures against the Spaniards and they are, in my opinion, the best ruins outside Machu Picchu. You can visit the ruins easily on your own or you can hire a local guide to give you a brief history about the ruins and the village. After visiting the ruins, don’t miss strolling around the old town and have the famous local drink at one of the village’s watering holes:) (click to request info).
Finally, when you are ready to head back to Cusco, there is a direct collective from here, but be aware that this collectivo will drop you at a different stop than the one you started your tour from (click to request info).
