Summary: Peru’s Incan sites extend beyond Cusco and Macchu Picchu. Ten miles from Cusco, the Sacred Valley is home to colonial villages, indigenous markets and Incan ruins, such as Chinchero, Pisac and Ollantaytambo. They can all be visited by a two-day boleto touristico at half the price of Cuzco’s one-day Boleto Turistico. While you can visit the area attractions on tours from Cuzco, Julie and I decided to base ourselves at the luxury Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel and Wellness located in a 17th-century colonial hacienda in the village of Huayllabamba. The hotel can arrange tours and transportation to the villages and Incan sites or you can do what we did and create your own Peruvian adventure by catching the local transportation and visiting Pisac and Ollantaytambo. If you are heading on to Machu Picchu and traveling with baggage, it’s best to have the gracious Aranwa Hotel staff arrange easy transport to the town of Ollantaytambo where you can hop aboard the two-hour train to Machu Picchu. During this pod cast, I speak with Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel guest relations manager, Charles Tito Human, about the property and the valley’s attractions. For information on the Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel and the Aranwa group’s other Peruvian properties: The Aranwa Paracas Resort & Spa, The Aranwa Pueblito Encantado del Colca and the beachside Vichayito Bungalows & Carpas go to AranwaHotels.com or call 855-384-6635.
