YoginiJudith

I read somewhere that for the first day in Cusco it is a good idea to visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Does anyone have any ideas on what is the best way to get there? What to do? How to wonder around? I will be traveling alone, and as a woman, I know that being cautious is smart...
Thank you!!!

laurieco

We had a travel agent arrange a car and driver to pick us up at the airport in Cusco and drive us to the Sacred Valley. It's a good idea to stay there a couple of nights, it's not only beautiful with Inca ruins, but a good idea to acclimatize to the altitude. The SV is about 8,000 ft above sea level while Cusco is about 12,000. Diamox really helps too.

Jed

I agree that the Sacred (Urubamba) Valley is worth a couple of nights.

SandyD1

Hi Judith,
Some people recommend staying in the Sacred Valley the first day or two to help adjust to the altitude. It seems that people either have trouble adjusting to the altitude or they don't. We had no problems flying directly into Cuzco (Had two or three cups of coca tea right after we arrived and that seemed to do the trick). I felt quite safe around Cuzco, Pisaq, and the Valley. I was traveling with a man, but there were times I wandered around by myself, and felt completely comfortable. We took the "local" bus to Pisaq (about $2.00). It was crowded with locals (and a chicken or two), but we enjoyed getting a feel for the real Peru. There are also a number of mini van/coaches that run day trips to the different towns and ruins for about $20 round trip from Cuzco to Pisaq for instance. You can make plans for this and almost any shop around the main square. You can also get a driver. We talked with a few drivers when we arrived at the airport, and chose one. (the cost of the ride to central Cuzco was 3-5 US dollars). If he gives you a fair price and you like him, ask him if you could hire him for a day or if he could suggest someone.
There were only two places that felt a bit sketchy and that our driver suggested that we avoid alone-right around the local market across from the train station (Basically like any place), and some of the distance ruins-he suggested that we didn't hike alone.
Again, felt quite safe even at night around the main square in Cuzco. The police seemed to regularly patrol the area, and we were told that they view a safe area as integral to continuing to bring in tourism. We ran into a few women traveling alone, and they commented how safe they felt. Hope this helps. Have fun.

YoginiJudith

Thank you all for your tips. It's nice to hear from people who made it and "survived" it!!!
Judith

SandyMerm

Many people do find that heading down to the Sacred Valley helps to acclimate to the altitude. The coca tea does help & whatever local drug I took so I did not feel the effects of the altitude other than the mild headache & breathlessness climbing the steep hills of Cusco. However, my three travelling partners all fell very ill from the altitude. It has nothing to do with the fact that some people have trouble adjusting while others do not. Two of the people I was with were peruvian & had been there a number of times before with no previous effects. As to visiting the Sacred valley, as two of us have a history/archaeology background, we didn't want a standard tour, we found a guide with a car to take us around & had a wonderful time. That way we were able to combine places we wanted to see with his insight & we ended up in some off the beaten path places that were wonderful.

KSC2003

We did exactly what you are proposing.

Lost World Adventures arranged everything perfectly. We stayed a Sol Y Luna for three days...what a wonderful place. There's an interesting restrauant about 10 minutes up the road on the river that was fantastic ...wish I could remember the name...no worries traveling alone.

KSC