blackmons

Our family is planning a trip to Peru in May 2011. My husband and our two sons will be trekking to Macchu Piccu. I know my limits. I'll be taking the train and meeting them. My 27-year-old daughter is trying to decide whether to do the trek or hang out with me. She is a photographer. If she decides to spend the four days with me, where can I take her to get the most amazing photographs -- people, nature, architecture, anything and everything. I figure we will have two or three days since we'll want to take the train up to Macchu Piccu the night before the rest of our family arrives. We will have probably already have spent two to three days before the trek acclimating to the altitude somewhere, possibly in the Sacred Valley?
Thanks for any advice you can give us.
Laurie

Elizabeth_S

We loved Ollantaytambo and used it as a base to explore the Sacred Valley - very convenient......pics on our blog here

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...lake_titicaca/

From Ollantaytambo it's only about 90 minutes by train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu)

Clifton

I agree that Ollantaytambo is quite photogenic, as well as aclose up view of historic architecture methods that are still in use. I thought it made an interesting contrast to Machu Picchu.

Unfortunately, we were unable to do it as I developed a non-altitude related health issue, but we were preparing to arrange a driver from Ollanta for a day trip up to weaving villages (making, not selling) of Patacancha or Huilloc, up in the mountains above Ollanta, but off the usual tourist path.

We did get to Chinchero on the traditional market day, which we enjoyed

eenusa

There are so many wonderful places ... and all quite scenic ... your daughter may want to take a peek at the galleries of people who've already been to see what might attract her photographer's eye ... some people like landscape, others people. That would be a good way of coming up with an itinerary for the two of you

You might even consider going a day before your husband and son arrive at MP (assuming you're not going to spend more than a day there after they arrive). You could do the hike to Intipunku (not that difficult, and it will be the way your husband and son enter the sanctuary when they end their trek, so they probably won't want to go back up that way) for a bird's eye view of the ruins.

I'll start things by giving you my links:

Blog with Photos: http://2totravel.blogspot.com/ -- all of Peru is in the 2009 April Archives

Photos Only: http://eenusa.smugmug.com/South-America/Peru

crellston

A link to our blog with photos
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/1/tpod.html
- entries 56-59 cover Cusco and the Sacred Valley. As Elizabeth_S says, Olly is a great base for the SV and it is easy to hire a taxi for a day to get around the valley plus there is lots to phograph in the area. There are also a good selection of restaurants in town. I would not be tempted to spend anymore time than necessary in Aquas Calientes IMHO it is a charmless place.

Axel2DP

Cuscos, Sacred Valley, MP, etc. all very photogenic. It'll be hard not to come home with some good pictures for your collection. "Amazing" pictures have to do with the right lighting, the right compositions, etc. If you worried too much about get those right all the time then you won't enjoy much of your trip. Just snap away and enjoy. Any photo you took that bring you enjoyment become your "amazing" photos.

There seem to always be some sort of festivals going on in the Cuscos Plazas de armas or in the San Blas area, so keep an eye out for those for pictures of people in their native garbs dancing. If you have a driver driving you around the sacred valley for a tour then you'll see many picturesque scenes along the way. Ask your driver to slow down or even stop for a photo. If you are in a car or bus going up from Pisac to Cuscos then sit on the right side of the car/bus for great view of the valley. For the train going to MP, you need to get the window seat on the left side of the train for the good views.

For MP, I love the view at around 9am ish when the sun is up and shining on MP, but the cloud still hovers around Huana Picchu. For spectacular view, I'd highly recommend climbing Machu Picchu Mountain.

doctorjohn

I agree with much of the above!

Definitely do a Sacred Valley tour. They will take you to Ollantaytambo...a great inca ruin. Pisac is also worth the trip. Cuzco has many interesting ruins as well. There is a site called sexy-woman (the true spelling is something like saccsaywaman) which is very interesting. And of course there is Machu Pichu.

nonohina

Cusco and Ollantaytambo are a nice place to hang while waiting for you family to do the hike. I would do split the time. We stayed at the Rumi Punko in Cusco and Pakaritampu Hotel in Ollantaytambo. Both are nice and safe. Also, the Pakaritampu Hotel in Ollantaytambo is very close to the train station so when you're ready to go to Aguas Calientes it's very convenient. There's also ruins there and I came home with some great pictures. I didn't really like Aguas Calientes much so the less time there the better in my opinion. If you want to climb Wayna Picchu then you probably need to spend the night to be one of the first 400. I stayed at the Presidente Hotel but I don't recommend it.

blackmons

Thanks so much for your replies. According to what I've been reading, we should spend the first two days in the SV so we can acclimate before the rest of my family begins their trek. Do you think there is enough to do and see to spend an additional two days there with my daughter? Or should we do 2 days in the SV with my husband and sons, and then head over to Cusco for the second two days with my daughter, and then head up to MP by train the night before the rest of my family arrives?