Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru

Today I want to share my guide to visiting the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru with you. Most people travel to this part of South America en route from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, but it’s worth a trip in its own right. I’ll show you why.

After two lovely days exploring Machu Picchu town and the Inca ruins, it was time for me to head back to Cuzco.

But when my train arrived at Ollantaytambo station in the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru, I still had one thing left to do: meet one of the village’s most important organizations.

Awamaki

Or rather, they met me. As soon as my train pulled into the station, I was welcomed by Layla, a volunteer from Awamaki.

A non-profit organization in the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru, it promotes women’s fair-trade weaving and knitting projects as well as education, health, and sustainable tourism.

As we walked up the hill from the train station in Ollantaytambo, Layla told me about Awamaki’s goal of empowering impoverished indigenous communities by promoting traditional Quechua weaving.

The craft provides women with a sustainable income stream while promoting an important aspect of their culture.

Once we reached Ollantaytambo, Layla took me to the Awamaki shop. A myriad of woven goods ranging from belts to bags was on display.

There was also a binder full of photos and stories about the local Quechua women who weaved the goods for sale.

Ollantaytambo

After admiring the weaving, we walked through the market in Ollantaytambo. Layla’s host family had a stall there, as did many others in the community.

Above us towered the stunning ruins the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru is famous for. Walls zig-zagging up the hillside resembled the fortifications of a medieval European castle. The terraces beneath them were all Inca.

As we meandered over to Ollantaytambo’s main square, the Plaza de Armas, Layla told me that Awamaki offers visitors to the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru opportunities to do home stays with local families.

It also runs tours and workshops where people traveling through Peru can learn woodcarving, traditional cooking, basket weaving, pottery, and traditional loom weaving.

Cafes in the Sacred Valley

At the end of our walk, we settled in for tea at La Esquina, a cafe and bakery run by some of the Awamaki staff as a separate enterprise.

The place was busy with people sipping tea and eating pastries while catching up with friends or taking advantage of the free WiFi on their laptops.

Sacred Valley to Cuzco

After tea I said good-bye to Layla and hopped in a combi (mini-bus) to Urubamba. From there I took a shared taxi to Cuzco.

My accommodation for the night was the Palacio del Inka, a large luxury hotel by the Iglesia de Santo Domingo that had offered me a complimentary room after my visit to the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru.

The hotel had a grand lobby and intimate restaurant on the ground floor.

The check-in staff was friendly and helpful, and one of its members escorted me to my suite above. It was huge, and featured a large bed, sitting area, desk, and spacious bathroom.

Some of the furniture was a bit small for the size of the room, but it was comfortable and provided more than enough places for me to spread out.

I got settled in and went to dinner at a local restaurant that had come highly recommended by people I met while visiting the Amazon in Peru.

My dinner at MAP Cafe was good, and after eating there I knew why it was considered one of the best restaurants in Cuzco. However, the terrible food poisoning that ensued put a damper on my enthusiasm for the place and its cuisine.