HOW FAR IS PISAC FROM CUZCO?
 

How long does it take to get there by taxi? Approximate fare? Or is there a regular bus that goes from Cuzco? I am new to this forum, but we will be in Cuzco/MacchuPicchu in September......does anyone have recommendations for a guide/driver for Cuzco and surrounding areas? Thanks so much!

It will take around one hour by taxi from Cusco to Pisac a little longer by bus. Depending on your bargaining skills you could get it for 50-60 New Soles. You could hire a car for the entire day and see quite a lot of the Sacred valley in one (long!) day or maybe incorporate a visit to Pisac en route to Ollantaytambo if you are staying there before going to MP (highly recommended). Olly is a great little town with lots to see and some nice restaurants and palces to stay and a good place to acclimatise before Cusco.

If going by taxi the best way of seeing the ruins is to get your driver to drop yo off at the top car park and to pick you up at the bottom car park once you have walked down through the ruins.

Rip offs are common in Cusco so it may be best to get your hotel to arrange a driver (albeit, more expensive). If going from Ollantaytambo then taxis congregate on the Plaza de Armas and it is easy enough to negotiate a deal. Make sure you agree the price and exactly where you are going and write it down for the driver to agree. Wherever you leave from, do no, under any circumstances allow the driver to pick up other passengers en route.

A little more info and some photos of our time in the SV:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...8980/tpod.html

My trip report from a couple of years ago is just below this thread (at the moment) - Karen and Julie just back...

I can strongly recommend Percy Salas as a guide/driver for the Cusco area. He's terrific. His contact info, plus much more info on him, including a link to a photo, is in my trip report.

Best of luck!
Karen

Karen, your trip report is amazing....I just sent an email to Percy, and I hope he is available to us....we only have limited time in Cusco/Macchu Picchu as we are tacking this on to a trip to the Galapagos (now that everything is scheduled, I realize it's kind of like tacking on a trip to Mexico City when your original destination is Chicago) Oh well! I would love to see the market in Pisac as well as some of the ruins in the Sacred Valley.....I hope Ollytaytambo is also a possibility. Once again, so many thanks....I forget how wonderful the Fodors Forum is for travel advice. Several years ago, we had the most wonderful adventures in Chiang Mai, Thailand with a guide we learned about on the Thailand forum. If anybody who is reading this knows of "Percy like" driver/guides in Quito, Guyacanil and Lima, please let me know. Thanks so much!

When I was in Cusco, the hotel arranged a taxi for a couple at my hotel for $50 roundtrip including wait time.

I took a taxi to the bus station, a local bus, and then a shared taxi to the top of the ruins. That ran less than $10 total per person. The busses are very crowded though, especially on a Sunday. On the way back you may be standing for the entire hour.

maggie - if you don't hear from Percy right away, it's likely because he's out touring. He usually responds within a couple of days, though. His spoken English is better than his written (although he may have improved his writing skills). Thanks for the comment on my trip report!

Karen,

Would you be able to give me Percy Salas email? I'd like to contact him to see if he could be my guide/driver for Sacred Valley Sites?

Thank you!