Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 747

Pikillaqta and Rumicolca
One of the few well-preserved pre-Inca
sites in the area, Pikillaqta was built by
the Wari culture and comprises a
sprawling residential compound
surrounded by a defensive wall in the
midst of rolling grasslands. It is the
earliest example in the region of
two-storey buildings. Further on, on the
opposite side of the road, is Rumicolca ,
the huge Inca gateway to Cusco, built on
top of what used to be a massive Wari
aqueduct. The contrast between the fine
Inca stonework and the cruder earlier
constructions of the Wari is quite
striking. You can easily visit this site
together with Tipón in a day-trip from
Cusco; otherwise, stay on an Urcos-
bound bus for an extra 5km; the site is
1km from the main road.

night in Machu Picchu town, commonly
referred to as Aguas Calientes . Given
the town's brutalist architecture and
overpriced accommodation and eating
establishments, it is advised not to linger
here for too long.
A plethora of tour companies runs
day-trips to Machu Picchu (which have
to be booked in advance), as well as
whirlwind day tours of the Sacred Valley
(from S30 upwards, plus entry to the
sites). While guiding standards vary, it's
a good way of seeing sights that are far
apart, especially if you don't have much
time, though it's more rewarding to linger
and explore the valley at your leisure.

9

PISAC
A vital Inca road once snaked its way up
the canyon that enters the Sacred Valley
at PISAC , and the ruined citadel that sits
at the entrance to the gorge controlled a
route connecting the Inca Empire with
Paucartambo, on the borders of the
eastern jungle. Nowadays, the village is
best known for its Tuesday, Thursday and
Sunday craft market , held on the town's
main square, the Plaza Constitución,
though most stalls are open all week,
with fewer crowds on non-market days.
The main local fiesta - Virgen del
Carmen (July 15-18) - is a good
alternative to the simultaneous but more
remote and raucous Paucartambo festival
of the same name, with processions,
music, dance groups, the usual fire-
cracking celebrations, and food stalls
around the plaza.

The Sacred
Valley and
Machu Picchu
The Río Urubamba valley, also known
as El Valle Sagrado or the Sacred Valley ,
traces its winding, astonishingly beautiful
course to the northwest of Cusco.
Standing guard over the two extremes of
the Sacred Valley road, the ancient Inca
citadels of Pisac and Ollantaytambo are
among the most evocative ruins in Peru,
while the small Andean towns of Pisac
and Chinchero really come into their
own on Tuesdays, hursdays and Sundays
- market days - when villagers in
colourful regional dress gather to sell
their crafts and produce.
Beyond Ollantaytambo the route
becomes too tortuous for any road to
follow, the valley closes in around the rail
tracks, and the Río Urubamba begins to
race and twist below Machu Picchu itself,
the most famous ruin in South America
and a place that - no matter how jaded
you are or how commercial it seems
- stops you in your tracks.
Unless you're walking the Inca Trail,
you will inevitably spend at least one

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
It takes roughly two hours to climb
directly to the citadel (daily 8am-5pm;
entry by Boleto Turístico), heading up
through the agricultural terraces still in
use at the back of Plaza Constitución. A
better option is to take a taxi to the top of
the ruins (20min; from S20 one-way, or
negotiate a return fare with waiting time)
and then walk back down, visiting all four
archeological complexes on the way.
Set high above a valley floor
patchworked by patterned fields and
rimmed by centuries of terracing amid