peru-8-cuzco-sacred-valley

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Cuzco & the Sacred Valley C T I H u P E zC Ó H N O I K TO E P U N O
tunnel carved from the rock. This is a relatively
flat section and you’ll soon arrive at
the third pass at almost 3600m, which has
grand views of the Río Urubamba Valley, and
campsites where some groups spend their
final night, with the advantage of watching
the sun set over a truly spectacular view, but
with the disadvantage of having to leave at
3am in the race to reach the Sun Gate in time
for sunrise. If you are camping here, be careful
in the early morning as the steep incline
makes the following steps slippery.
Just below the pass is the beautiful
and well-restored ruin of Phuyupatamarka
(City Above the Clouds), about 3570m
above sea level. The site contains six beautiful
ceremonial baths with water running
through them. From Phuyupatamarka, the
trail makes a dizzying dive into the cloud
forest below, following an incredibly wellengineered
flight of many hundreds of Inca
steps (it’s nerve-racking in the early hours,
use a headlamp). After two or three hours,
the trail eventually zigzags its way down to
a collapsed red-roofed white building that
marks the final night’s campsite.
A 500m trail behind the old, out of use,
pub leads to the exquisite little Inca site of
Wiñay Wayna (also spelled Huiñay Huayna),
which is variously translated as ‘Forever
Young,’ ‘To Plant the Earth Young’ and ‘Growing
Young’ (as opposed to ‘growing old’). Peter
Frost writes that the Quechua name refers
to an orchid (Epidendrum secundum) that
blooms here year-round. The semitropical
campsite at Wiñay Wayna boasts one of the
most stunning views on the whole trail, especially
at sunrise. For better or worse, the
famous pub located here is now deteriorated
and no longer functioning. A rough trail leads
from this site to another spectacular terraced
ruin, called Intipata, best visited on the day
you arrive to Wiñay Wayna, consider coordinating
it with your guide if you are interested.
From the Wiñay Wayna guard post, the
trail winds without much change in elevation
through the cliff-hanging cloud forest
for about two hours to reach Intipunku
(Sun Gate) – the penultimate site on the
trail, where it’s tradition to enjoy your first
glimpse of majestic Machu Picchu while
waiting for the sun to rise over the surrounding
mountains.
The final triumphant descent takes almost
an hour. Trekkers generally arrive long
before the morning trainloads of tourists,
and can enjoy the exhausted exhilaration of
reaching their goal without having to push
past enormous groups of tourists fresh off
the first train from Cuzco.
CUZCO TO PUNO
The rickety railway and the paved road to
Lake Titicaca shadow each other as they
both head southeast from Cuzco. En route
you can investigate ancient ruins and pastoral
Andean towns that are great detours
for intrepid travelers who want to leave the
Gringo Trail far behind. Most of the following
destinations can be reached on day trips
from Cuzco; for points of interest closer to
Puno, see p170. Inka Express and Turismo
Mer run luxury bus tours (see p229) between
Cuzco and Puno that visit some but not all of
these places. Local and long-distance highway
buses run more frequently along this
route and are less expensive.
Tipón
A demonstration of the Incas’ mastery over
their environment, this extensive Inca site
(admission with boleto turístico; h7am-6pm) consists
of some impressive terracing at the
head of a small valley with an ingenious irrigation
system. It’s about 30km from Cuzco,
just before Oropesa. Take any Urcos-bound
bus from opposite the hospital in Av de la
Cultura in Cuzco, or a colectivo from outside
Av Tullumayo 207, and ask to be let off at
the Tipón turnoff (S3, 45 minutes). A steep
dirt road from the turnoff climbs the 4km to
the ruins. You can also contract a taxi tour
from Cuzco (S90) to drive you into the ruins
at Tipón and Piquillacta, wait and bring you
back.
Piquillacta & Rumicolca
Literally translated as ‘the Place of the Flea,’
Piquillacta (admission with boleto turístico;
h7am-6pm) is the only major pre-Inca ruin
in the area, built around AD 1100 by the Wari
culture. The large ceremonial center features
crumbling two-story buildings, all with entrances
that are strategically located on the
upper floor. It is surrounded by a defensive
wall. The stonework here is much cruder
than that of the Incas. The floors and walls
were paved with slabs of white gypsum, of
which traces remain. On the opposite side
of the road about 1km further east, the huge