peru-8-cuzco-sacred-valley

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Cuzco & the Sacred Valley T E S H AT L E I N S AC G A S & R E D D R I VA N K L I L N E G Y
Casa Andina LUXURY HOTEL $$$
(%in Lima 1-213-9739; www.casa-andina.com; d incl
breakfast S555; iW) In a lovely countryside
setting, this Peruvian chain has 92 rooms
in townhouse-style buildings on manicured
lawns. The main lobby and restaurant occupies
an inviting high-ceiling glass lodge.
Classic rooms offer standard amenities and
plasma TVs. Among activities are riding,
biking and visits to Maras and Moray.
Los Cedros CAMPGROUND $
(%20-1416; campsites per person S8, house from
S265) A pastoral campground around 4km
above the city on winding country roads.
Breakfast (S14) is available. There’s also a
fully furnished two-story house for hire in
the grassy grounds, the site of open-air Full
Moon parties.
5 Eating & Drinking
High-end hotels have good restaurants open
to the public. There are a few touristic quintas
(houses serving typical Andean food)
along the highway east of the grifo.
oHuacatay PERUVIAN $$
(%20-1790; Arica 620; mains S28-42; h1-9:30pm
Mon-Sat) In a little house tucked down a narrow
side street, Huacatay is worth hunting
down. The tender alpaca steak, served in a
port reduction sauce with creamy quinoa risotto
and topped with a spiral potato chip, is
the very stuff memories are made of. But not
every dish is a hit – the trout is on the dry
side. Still, it makes a lovely night out. Staff
aim to please and there’s warm ambience.
Tres Keros Restaurant »
Grill & Bar NOVOANDINA $$
(%20-1701; cnr hwy & Señor de Torrechayoc; mains
from S26; hlunch & dinner) Garrulous chef
Ricardo Behar dishes up tasty gourmet fare,
smokes his own trout and imports steak
from Argentina. Food is taken seriously
here, and enjoyed accordingly. It’s 500m
west of town.
7 Shopping
Seminario Cerámicas
CERAMICS
(%20-1002; www.ceramicaseminario.com; Berriozabal
405; h8am-7pm) The internationally
known local potter Pablo Seminario creates
original work with a pre-conquest influence.
His workshop – actually a small factory – is
open to the public and offers a well-organized
tour through the entire ceramics process.
8 Information
Banco de la Nación (Mariscal Castilla s/n)
changes US dollars. There are ATMs at the grifo
(gas station) on the corner of the highway and
the main street, Mariscal Castilla, and along the
highway to its east. Clínica Pardo (%984-10-
8948), on the highway a couple of blocks west of
the grifo, offers medical attention.
8 Getting There & Away
Urubamba serves as the valley’s principal
transportation hub. The bus terminal is about
1km west of town on the highway. Buses leave
every 15 minutes for Cuzco (S4, two hours)
via Pisac (S2.50, one hour) or Chinchero (S3,
50 minutes). Buses (S1.50, 30 minutes) and
colectivos (S2.50, 25 minutes) to Ollantaytambo
leave often.
Colectivos to Quillabamba (S35, 5 hours) leave
from the grifo.
A standard mototaxi ride around town costs S1.
Salinas
Salinas is among the most spectacular sights
in the whole Cuzco area, with thousands of
salt pans that have been used for salt extraction
since Inca times. A hot spring at the
top of the valley discharges a small stream
of heavily salt-laden water, which is diverted
into salt pans and evaporated to produce a
salt used for cattle licks. It all sounds very
pedestrian but the overall effect is beautiful
and surreal.
To get here, cross the Río Urubamba over
the bridge in Tarabamba, about 4km down
the valley from Urubamba, turn right and
follow a footpath along the south bank to
a small cemetery, where you turn left and
climb up a valley to the salt pans (admission
S5; h9am-4:30pm) of Salinas. It’s about
a 500m uphill hike. A rough dirt road that
can be navigated by taxi enters Salinas from
above, giving spectacular views. Tour groups
visit via this route most days. A taxi from
Urubamba to visit Salinas and the nearby
Moray costs around S80. You can also walk
or bike here from Maras. If it’s hot, walk
the downhill route from Maras and arrange
ahead a taxi pickup.
Chinchero
%084 / POP 900 / ELEV 3762M
Known to the Incas as the birthplace of the
rainbow, this typical Andean village combines
Inca ruins with a colonial church,