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Cuzco & the Sacred Valley C u O zC U R O S E S
fine cross section of habitats from 4600m to
below 1000m. Englishman Barry Walker is
a self-confessed ‘birding bum’ and the best
resident ornithologist to give serious birders
plenty of enthusiastic advice. He has written
a field guide, The Birds of Machu Picchu, and
runs tour agency Birding in Peru (%22-5990;
www.birding-in-peru.com) with bird-watching
trips throughout Peru, Bolivia and Chile.
Other Activities
For a post-trek splurge, a number of spas
offer massage services, including the highly
professional Siluet Sauna & Spa (Map p204;
%23-1504; Quera 253; h10am-10pm) and the luxurious
Samana Spa (Map p198; %23-3721; www.
samana-spa.com; Tecsecocha 536; h10am-7pm
Mon-Sat). Beware of cheap massages touted
in the street; most practitioners lack formal
training and there are reports of massages
getting much more intimate than expected.
Sacred Valley Via Ferrata ADVENTURE SPORTS
(%984-11-2732; www.naturavive.com; per person
S160) ‘Iron Way’ in Italian, this climb features
a series of ladders, holds and bridges
built into a sheer rock face. First developed
in the Italian Alps in WWII, it’s a way for
reasonably fit non-rock climbers to have
some adrenaline-pumping fun. It was constructed
and is operated by rock-climbing
and high-mountain professionals. In a stunning
setting in the Sacred Valley, it features
a 300m vertical ascent, a heart-hammering
hanging bridge 200m above the valley floor
and a 100m rappel. There is also a zip line
(S160) accessed by a 40-minute hike. Each
activity takes three to four hours and the
price includes pickup and drop-off in Cuzco
or Urubamba, climbing and lunch.
Action Valley
ADVENTURE SPORTS
(Map p198; %24-0835; www.actionvalley.com; Santa
Teresa 325; h9am-5pm Sun-Fri, closed mid-Jan
to mid-Feb) Adventure park extraordinaire,
this place is a terror for acrophobes and a
blast for kids and juvenile adults. Offerings
include paintball (S75), a 10-meter climbing
wall (S36), a 122m bungee jump (S230) and
a bungee slingshot (S230). It’s also possible
to go paragliding (S315) from the mirador of
Racchi. The park is 11km outside Cuzco on
the road to Poroy.
C Courses
Cuzco is one of the best places in South
America to study Spanish. Shop around –
competition is fierce and students benefit
with free cultural and social activities. Salsa
lessons and cooking nights are more or less
ubiquitous.
The standard deal is 20 hours of classes
per week, either individual or in groups of
up to four people. Most schools will also let
you pay by the hour or study more or less
intensively. Rates usually run at around S16
per hour for group lessons and S23 per hour
for private lessons.
Visit your school on a Friday to get tested
and assigned to a group for a Monday start,
or show up any time to start individual lessons.
All schools can arrange family homestays
and volunteer opportunities.
Amigos
LANGUAGE COURSE
(Map p198; %24-2292; www.spanishcusco.com;
Zaguan del Cielo B-23) A long-established
nonprofit school with an admirable publicservice
record.
Excel Language Center»» LANGUAGE COURSE
(Map p204; %23-5298; www.excel-spanishlan
guageprograms-peru.org; Cruz Verde 336) Highly
recommended for its professionalism.
Fairplay
LANGUAGE COURSE
(Map p198; %984-78-9252; www.fairplay-peru.org;
Choquechaca 188) A unique nonprofit NGO,
Fairplay trains Peruvian single mothers to
provide Spanish lessons and homestays.
Students pay two-thirds of their class fees
directly to their teachers. Individual classes
only, priced according to the teacher’s level
of experience.
Proyecto Peru
LANGUAGE COURSE
(Map p198; %24-0278, 984-68-3016; http://proyec
toperucentre.org; Calle Seite Cuartones 290) Also
offers Quechua and business or medical
Spanish. In a new downtown location.
San Blas Spanish School LANGUAGE COURSE
(Map p198; %24-7898; www.spanishschoolperu.
com; Carmen Bajo 224) Students enjoy the informal
teaching here, in tune with the
school’s location in the heart of bohemian
San Blas.
T Tours & Guides
There are hundreds of registered travel
agencies in Cuzco, but things change quickly,
so ask other travelers for recommendations.
Be aware that many of the small travel
agencies clustered around Procuradores and
Plateros earn commissions selling trips run
by other outfitters, and this can lead to organizational
mix-ups. If the travel agency