1 day to tour the Sacred Valley - must sees?
Apr 13th, 2009, 03:58 PM
#1
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1 day to tour the Sacred Valley - must sees?
Hi! My husband and I have hired Percy the driver for one day in the SV in June. We will be hiking the Inca trail the next day. Since it won't be a Sunday, is the Pisac market a must or will we pretty much see everything is has to offer elsewhere? We are thinking of doing Ollanta, Salineras and Moray, and Chinchero. Is Pisac basically on the way to Ollanta though? I wouldn't mind seeing the market if it could be a short side trip but I'm not sure the ruins are that important to us since we'll be at Ollanta and MP. Also, we do have one day after our trek and we could head out to Pisac then. Lastly, is there a particular town where prices are better for souvenirs? We will also be in Puno at the end of our trip. Thanks!
Apr 14th, 2009, 05:09 AM
#2
I think next to MP, thre ruins at Pisac are the best. I was not particularly impressed with the ruins at Ollantaytambo. I would visit Pisac for the ruins if nothing else. I've read that they are a good introduction to MP.
After so many years of so many markets, I'm no longer a huge market fan and dont really seek them out. That said, we did spend a day and night in Pisac mid week and strolled thru the market which has a ton a stuff mid week. We were told that there can be additional vendors on Sunday, but as it was there was plenty to see. And the food market on the side is interesting to check out. I really didn't see anything different then what we saw elsewhere. But someone on another thread mentioned that she did get something unique there on a Sunday. I think price wise, its all over the place. We saw a wide range of prices everywhere. We found a nice tapestry, reasonably priced in a small store in San Blas in Cusco -- wouldn't have necessarily expected that.
I don't think Pisac is on the way to Ollanta, but it certainly isn't hugely out of the way.
After so many years of so many markets, I'm no longer a huge market fan and dont really seek them out. That said, we did spend a day and night in Pisac mid week and strolled thru the market which has a ton a stuff mid week. We were told that there can be additional vendors on Sunday, but as it was there was plenty to see. And the food market on the side is interesting to check out. I really didn't see anything different then what we saw elsewhere. But someone on another thread mentioned that she did get something unique there on a Sunday. I think price wise, its all over the place. We saw a wide range of prices everywhere. We found a nice tapestry, reasonably priced in a small store in San Blas in Cusco -- wouldn't have necessarily expected that.
I don't think Pisac is on the way to Ollanta, but it certainly isn't hugely out of the way.
Apr 16th, 2009, 06:53 AM
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Thanks for the advice. Should we consider skipping Ollaytantambo all together? We will be passing through it at the beginning of our Inca Trek, but if the ruins aren't great is there any reason to go for just an hour or two?
Apr 16th, 2009, 07:39 AM
#5
Ollantaytambo is wonderful! The village is just lovely as is the surrounding area. It was my favorite village. We spent 2.5 days there and could have stayed longer. I think the ruins at Pisac are just more intersting.
Apr 16th, 2009, 09:52 AM
#6
No..don't skip it. The ruins are good, they are on the same boleto as Pisac, plus Inka Town (the old sector) is so photogenic. I agree with yestravel that the village was my favorite (but then I spent 3 nights there). The people were so sweet.
Pisac might get the nod for a better experience if you are going to hike all the way down from the top. I thought the actual construction at Olly was equally impressive, especially up at the Sun Temple area.
Pisac might get the nod for a better experience if you are going to hike all the way down from the top. I thought the actual construction at Olly was equally impressive, especially up at the Sun Temple area.
