At an elevation of 11,000 feet, Cusco, Peru is an excellent place to acclimate to the altitude and explore the region before an adventure to Machu Picchu. There is much to do in the area, including day trips to sites in the Sacred Valley, a hike to Rainbow Mountain, or taking in the activities of the city itself; like a chocolate making workshop. Our time in Cusco, Peru included all of these adventures and more.
Sacred Valley-Moray and Salineras de Maras
There are several ways to see the Sacred Valley. We opted for a half day tour of the region on ATVs with stops at Moray and the Salineras de Maras or salt mines. We did the afternoon tour, allowing for a slow morning with breakfast and some shopping before the tour time. The tour started with a short van ride to the ATV garage and a brief lesson in ATV operation and safety before we hit the trail to Moray.
Moray is an Inca agriculture site. The circular terraces were used to study farming. The terraces and built in irrigation system created microclimates, allowing the Inca to learn which crops grew best at each elevation. The difference in temperature between each terrace can be up to five degrees celcius. Our tour guide gave a brief presenation on the site and then allowed about 30 minutes to explore the site before we hopped back on the ATVs and made our way back to the garage. The scenery was gorgeous but it was very dusty. We were all air hosed off before we got back in the van for the drive to the salt mines.
The Maras region boosts some of the best salt in the world. Each of the over 6,000 salt ponds, known as “cochas” is owned and maintained by local families who use the same tradtional mining techniques passed down over centuries. The high Andean location plus the natural saltwater springs provide an ideal situation for evaporation and salt crystallization. Our guide provided a brief overview of the salt ponds and how they are mined, allowed time for pictures, and then we were back in the van to head back to Cusco.
Chocolate Workshop
Peru is world’s eighth largest producer of cocao. The beans and the chocolate made from them are a great source of pride in the region. The Choco Museum in Cusco, Peru offers daily workshops allowing visitors to make their own chocolates while learning about the chocolate making process.
The chocolate making workshop was about 90 minutes. We learned each of the steps in the chocolate making process and then made our own chocolates. The workshop included selecting and husking cocao beans, roasting them, winnowing, and then grinding them into a cocoa paste. The final step of the workshop is to fill molds with chocolate. Our take home chocolate was a tasty reminder of a our time in Cusco.
Cusco City
We spent a good deal of time exploring the historic center of Cusco called the Plaza de Armas. There are dozens of shops and resturants that surround the square. Plaza de Armas is the heart of the city. Visitors can opt to tour both the Cathedral of Cusco and the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus (Church of the Society of Jesus) however, we did not. Instead, we meandered through the streets and enjoyed people watching in the square. While exploring, it’s worth a quick stop at 480 Calle Hatunrumiyoc to see examples of Incan masonary. No one knows for certain how Incans were able to cut stone with such precision and seamlessly align them without any mortar. Fascinating.
A visit to Cusco is not complete until you’ve tried cuy (guiena pig). Peruvian’s don’t keep guiena pigs, or cuy as they are called in the region, as pets. They are raised purely for eating and are considered a delicacy. We opted to try cuy at a Pachapapa, a delightful restaurant near our apartment. We ordered just one cuy for the four of us to share as we all simply wanted to try or taste it but didn’t intend to make a full meal of it. Roasted cuy takes one hour to make so we enjoyed an appetizer of stuffed potatoes as well as entrees of short ribs and lomo saltado, Peru’s national dish, while we waited on the cuy.
Cuy tastes sorta like chicken but with a deeper and fattier taste. Much of the cuy is dark meat and it’s higher in protein than chicken. The cuy was served on a platter like above and we took pictures, then our server took the platter back and portioned out the cuy on to four seperate plates. Giving cuy a try was one of the highlights of our trip to Cusco, Peru.
Rainbow Mountain
A trip to Rainbow Mountain meant a very early start. Our tour van arrived outside our hotel at 3AM to begin the three-hour journey to the mountain. The ride was quite cozy (in the beginning) as we were provided with blankets and encouraged to get a bit of sleep. The first stop on this adventure was a buffet breakfast at a cafe that was included in our tour package. After the quick breakfasat we began the last leg of the trek to Vinicunca or Rainbow Mountain. This part of the ride was quite uncomfortable. The road was very rough and windy. Many in the van felt motion sick as the van snaked its way up and down a couple mountain passes and through small villages to get to the Vinicunca. Finally, we arrived in the parking lot at Rainbow Mountain to start the trek to the top.
Hiking Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain has only been accessible since 2010 as the glacial snow caps melted on the montain, revealing the colorful stripes. Our van was one of the first to reach the mountain. From here we needed to hike about 1/3 of a mile straight up hill to the peak. It took about an hour, as it was slow going. The elevation of just over 17,000 feet makes the hike difficult. In fact, some of those on our tour were unable to complete the hike due to altitude sickness. For those leary of the physical activity and the altitude, you can purchase either a horse or motorcycle ride to the top.
Though challenging, our family made it to the top of Rainbow Mountain. It was an incredible day with clear blue skies and warm temperatures. We were very lucky, as the weather is unpredictable at the mountain. We spent about an hour at the top gazing at the many color of the mountain. The colors come from deposits of calcium carbonate, iron, magnesiam phyllite rich slate and sandstone high is sulphur.
After a much easy walk down the mountain we returned to the van for the rough ride back to Cusco. Despite the unpleasant van ride and difficult travel conditions, we all thought a trip at Rainbow Mountain as worth it. Peru has so much adventure to offer. Stay tuned for posts on hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and the Peruvian rainforest. For more travel abroad experiences, you can read about our time in Dubrovnik and Lake Bled.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle
Wow, what an adventure for your family, how do you pronounce “cuy”?
Coo-ee would be how it’s pronounced.