Cusco and the Sacred Valley Travel Guide
Posted by admin in Pukara Adventures on February 28, 2011
The next must see in Peru is the city of Cusco and the Sacred Valley. A vague recommendation but there are months worth of Incan ruins, colonial highlights, museums, adventure activities, restaurants, spas, and nightlife to soak up. This small city is one of the most beautiful cities in South America with a small Spanish colonial historic center and fashioned with clay tiled roofs for a uniformity that makes every picture turn out perfectly. Remnants of the Inca can be found literally all around you with much of the historic center built with or on top of Inca stone foundations.
It is best to start your time in Cusco with a half day city tour. You will be given a guided tour of the ruins of Q’enko, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay all of which lie just above the city. Your guide will explain the significance of each set of ruins before taking you to the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. Sacsayhuaman not only provides breath-taking panoramas of the city of Cusco located in the valley below, but it is also an impressive display of Incan architectural superiority. The stone work has yet been matched by modern technology, let alone by manual laborers.
5 Quirky Traditions To Watch Out For On Your Peru Vacation
Posted by admin in Pukara Adventures on February 28, 2011
If you’ve ever taken a Peru Vacation, one or all of these words will float into your mind sooner or later. If you were expecting to encounter life in the same form as back home, you’ll be in for a shock. Why is Peru so different?
It could be thousands of years of civilizations steam-rollering over each other, each leaving their own mark on the population and its behaviors. Peru today is an anthropological melting pot with modern and colonial Spanish influence in towns and cities while in the countryside Inca and pre-Inca cultures dominate day-to-day life.
Tags: Peru VacationTraveling the Route From Cusco to Puno
Posted by admin in Pukara Adventures on January 16, 2011
Many tourists are torn on the best way to travel from Cusco to Puno or vice versa. Flying, taking the train or busing it all offer different perks and it really depends on the amount of time you have and the type of traveler you are. Here are the facts laid out for you so that you can make an educated decision about what will be best for you!
Train: This relaxing and beautiful train ride through the Andean mountains and into the Andean Plains is an experience you will never forget. PeruRail’s Andean Explorer train runs direct to and from historic Cusco to Puno, a quaint city on the shores of beautiful Lake Titicaca. You will ride along the Huatanay River passing the beautiful towns of Sicuani, La Raya, Chuquibabilla, Pucara and Juliaca and have one stop along the route at La Raya, the highest altitude point along your comfortable journey. The train itself is an elegant 1920s styled Pullman train that provides luxury services to its clients over the course of the roughly 10 hour train ride. Lunch and afternoon tea are included in the ticket costs but there are also restaurant and bar services available at additional costs. The down side of the train ride is that there is only one departure time at 8am and this service only operates Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday of each week year round. During high season (April – October) the train also operates on Fridays. But if you have the time and want a comfortable and relaxing panoramic way of traveling between the two cities, this is definitely a great opportunity for you.