peru-8-cuzco-sacred-valley

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COMMUNITY TOURISM IN THE SACRED VALLEY
In recent times, rural communities of the valley have become far more accessible to visitors.
While usually hospitable to passersby, they feature little infrastructure for visitors,
so it’s best to organize a visit in advance. Some great options include:
La Tierra de los Yachaqs (%971-502-223; www.yachaqs.com) A rural tourism network.
Guests visit Andean communities, trek to highland lakes and learn about natural medicine
and artisan traditions.
Parque de la Papa (%084-24-5021; www.parquedelapapa.org; Pisac) Day treks and cooking
workshops are some of the offerings of this new nonprofit which promotes potato
diversity and communal farming.
For a guided trip to visit traditional communities, check out these recommended operators:
Journey Experience (www.thejoex.com), Chaski Ventura (www.chaskiventura.
com) and Respons (www.respons.org).
For S20, you get to pitch a tent in your own
designated, fenced-off site with a fireplace,
a light and a power plug, and enjoy all the
amenities of the club, including the Olympicsize
pool. There is also a playground for kids.
5 Eating
Ulrike’s Café CAFE $
(%20-3195; Manuel Prado s/s; veg/meat menú
S17/20, mains from S11; h9am-9pm; Wv)
This sunny cafe serves up a great vegetarian
menú, plus homemade pasta and meltin-the-mouth
cheesecake and brownies.
There’s a book exchange, DVDs and special
events such as yoga classes. English, French
and German are spoken.
Mullu FUSION $$
(%20-3073; www.mullu.pe; San Francisco s/n, 2nd
fl; mains S14-44; h9am-9pm) Josip welcomes
his guests with high-octane hospitality and a
menu of wanderlust (think Thai meets Amazonian
and flirts with highland Peruvian).
Chill and very welcoming, the traditional
lamb is tender to falling-off-the-bone, soups
and fusion spring rolls also satisfy.
Restaurante Cuchara »
de Palo INTERNATIONAL $$
(%20-3062; Plaza de Armas; mains S15-38; h7:30-
9:30am & noon-8pm) Inside Pisac Inn, this
fine-dining restaurant offers organic salads
and original dishes like pumpkin ravioli
drizzled with corn and cream. It doesn’t always
hit the mark but it has great ambience.
Prasada VEGETARIAN $
(Arequipa 306; mains S7-12; h11am-5pm Tue-Sun;
v) This humble cafe serves quick, healthy
bites like tacos and oversized lentil burgers –
a good bang for the buck.
Restaurante Yoly PERUVIAN $
(%20-3114; Amazonas s/n; menú S4; h6am-
8:30pm) Popular with locals, this bare-bones
restaurant offers home cooking in set meals
with soup and drink included.
Restaurante Valle Sagrado PERUVIAN $
(%20-3009; Amazonas s/n; menú S6-15; h8am-
9pm) The menú turistico here is somewhat
fancier; if you want to eat what the locals are
eating (and pay only what they are paying),
order the basic menú.
8 Information
There’s an ATM in the Plaza de Armas. There are
slow cybercafes around the plaza and a minisupermarket
on Bolognesi.
8 Getting There & Away
Buses to Urubamba (S2.50, one hour) leave
frequently from the downtown bridge between
6am and 8pm. Minibuses to Cuzco (S3.50, one
hour) leave from Calle Amazonas when full.
Many travel agencies in Cuzco also operate tour
buses to Pisac, especially on market days.
For the Pisac ruins, minivans (S25-30 per van)
near the plaza leave regularly or hire a taxi from
near the bridge into town to drive you up the
7.5km paved road.
Pisac to Urubamba
Between Pisac and Urubamba is a series
of pretty villages (as well as the nontouristy
but fairly uninteresting town of Calca),
which can easily be explored in a day. Yucay
and Huarán offer boutique accommodation
Cuzco & the Sacred Valley T E P H AT I S E AC I N S AC G TO R E U D R U VA B A L M L E B Y A