Inca Ruins : Cusco, Chinchero, Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu

We landed in Cusco on Monday evening.

The altitude gets you. Headache, and shortness of breath is common. I woke up  in the middle of first night with feelings of suffocation.

Everyone felt better on the second day.

Our hotel was a few steps from Plaza de Armas, the best location to stay in. Its the city center which also means that it is noisy, a thing to consider if your sleep is easily interrupted.

The first thing you notice is how cheap things are. A twenty minute taxi ride from airport is 12 soles ($4).

We used local currency everywhere as dollars are not accepted out of major cities.

View from our room. These girls are offering cheap massage

I came out of my hotel the next morning, and was immediately surrounded by people selling all sorts of stuff: Tours, pictures with baby lamas, food, and massages.

I signed up for Vinicunca tour, then I asked a girl for massage rate. She offered to do one hour massage for mere $6 (20 soles). Momina was suspicious so I signed Zain up too. Dad and son had a massage in a very shady place. We joked about strong incense smell in a dark area with smelly sheets afterwards. The massage itself was not bad.

Church in Plaza de Armas

Jesus at Saksaywaman is visible from Plaza de Armas

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The only expensive thing to do in this area is Machu Picchu (MP). It costs about $250 per person to visit it. There are more interesting things around compared to MP, but the most interesting ruin without doubt is MP.

MP can be reached from Cusco via a scenic train ride that runs from Ollantaytambo.

From Cusco, taxi to Ollantaytambo via Chinchero, Moray, Maras, and Urubamba costs mere $40. Its a whole day taxi ride if you plan on visiting these ruins on the way to MP. Entry ticket to ruins other than MP costs $35 per person. Machu Picchu entry is about $70 per person.
 
If you take the first train at 6 AM from Ollantaytambo (trains are fully booked so plan on buying train ticket for $150 per person much in advance over the internet), you will be in Aguas Calientes at around 8 AM. From Aguas Calientes, you take a bus to MP for $25 per person. Some people skip the bus, and hike up, but that seemed a bit dangerous to me, considering the hikers and the buses share the same narrow road.

I was frustrated when I had to stand in lines to purchase all these tickets. A tour operator might be a better option but I cannot be sure.

I hate crowds, especially if I am visiting a nature wonder like MP. But you cannot escape crowds of thousands there. I suggest hiking to the Sun Gate to leave the lazy behind, and to enjoy the nature in seclusion. Hike to the Sun Gate starts at 7700 feet, and the Sun Gate is a few miles away at 9000 feet.

You may purchase the HP mountain hike or the MP mountain hike ticket for a little extra but for us, MP and Sun Gate was sufficient. You can buy MP entry tickets online, and in Cusco center.


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Chinchero

Our journey towards MP started with first stop in Chinchero. Its a poor little town with good views of its ruins. There is a small hike here on ruin steps at 13000 feet that we did.

Chinchero Courtyard

Chinchero hike from the Church

Leaving Chinchero courtyard

On the way to Moray ruins, we passed through scenic areas with views of the Sacred Valley.

Sacred Valley

Eye contact

Moray is another interesting ruin.

Moray

Inka planted vegetables here for experimentation

The most interesting place in this area in a salt mine in Maras called Salineras. Maras people harvest salt here. It is an active salt mine with exports world wide. We paid $3 (10 soles) entry fee per person.

Salt mine in Maras

Salt mine

From Maras, we reached Urubamba, then Ollantaytambo.
We stayed overnight in Ollantaytambo for the first train to MP the next morning.

Ruins in Ollantaytambo are more interesting and there is a hike here with scenic views of the valley. We found a bunch of tourists there that were there for the train to MP.

Ollantaytambo ruins

Spider in the ruins

We took the 6 AM train ride to MP the next day. Its a very scenic ride and is worth the money.

Scene from the train

We arrived in Aguas Calientes at 8 AM, and proceeded to purchase the bus tickets. After a 15 minute bus ride, we were at the entrance of MP.

Another thing that annoys me about MP is that they check your passport at every corner. The numerous guards will yell at you if you wander off course.

Views from the entry are impressive. We proceeded to the Sun Gate hike. Momina decided to skip the hike, while I finished the hike with kids.

We were done by 1 PM. Given our train back was at 6 PM, we proceeded to a restaurant by the raging river in Aguas Calientes to kill time.

MP is tropical weather at high altitude so mosquito repellent and sun screen is a must.

On Sun Gate trail

Road to MP for bus and hikers

MP and its mountain from Sun Gate hike

Restaurant by the raging river

Walk by the raging river in Aguas Calientes

We took the train back to Ollantaytambo, then we took the taxi back to Cusco.


The best place to eat in Cusco is Organika. There are many good restaurants but price and quality wise its Organika. Kids may want to eat at McDonals or KFC at the city center.

The next day, we took the Cusco Grand Free Tour. This tour provides "free" tour guides at Plaza de Armas but tip of at least 10 soles is mandatory. The guide took us through Cusco for two hours, explaining its history. I recommend this tour as it was informative. 

In a street with Cusco Grand Free Tour guide

View from top of the city

After the tour, we ate at Organika, then hiked to Saksaywaman, where we saw the statue of Jesus up close.

Just as we were about to enter Saksaywaman ruins, we found ourselves in a massive hail storm. Weather changes quickly at high altitude and one should be ready for all weather conditions. We got our ponchos out, and walked down to Plaza de Armas.

Saksaywaman area

Read Part2 here: Part2