Cuzco: Base Camp for Adventure!
Taking a break during set-up for the Christmas market in the main square in Cuzco
If you ever wanted to escape to a quiet land that is steeped in ancient history, touched by a beautiful sacred light, and offers a unique mix of historic Inca Ruins and Spanish colonial architecture, then I suggest you make your base camp Cuszo, Peru. Located high in the Andes Mountains in southeastern Peru, you will have to acclimate to an elevation roughly 11,150 feet above sea level, yet the experience is well worth a moment or two of feeling light-headed. From here you can explore the shops, historic cathedrals and amazing restaurants surrounding the main square of this former Inca capital.
If you want to be more adventurous, take the train to Machu Picchu, or book a stay at Explora in the heart of the Sacred Valley. Many make plans to be here over Christmas and do some holiday shopping at the Christmas market on Christmas Eve day then stay for the traditional dancing in front of the main cathedral on Christmas day.
Images captured include:
The colorful Christmas market in the Cuzco’s central square.
Rolling fields of corn and quinoa in the Sacred Valley.
A wedding taking place in a quiet church.
Walking paths and city murals in the hills above Cusco.
Muddy paths through potato fields.
The terraced Maras Salt Mines used since pre-Inca times.
Llamas grazing on the narrow terraces of Machu Picchu.
We spent a week exploring Cuzco and the Sacred Valley. I would allow one full day to visit Machu Picchu including the train ride to the gateway town of Aguas Calientes, followed by a 30-minute bus ride up the winding road to the entrance.
