Sacred Valley of the Incas: from Ollantaytambo to Pisac

Moray's circular terraces

The Salinas salt pools

When we returned from Machu Picchu we stayed in the Sacred Valley for another 3 nights. Our first stop was Ollantaytambo, a living Inca village. Most of the buildings, aqueducts and roads are just as they were when the Inca's reigned. As a result it's a little on the smelly side, but otherwise just beautiful. Surrounded on all sides by ruins that can be climbed over and explored. We crossed the river and wandered for hours through corn fields and farms, finding our very own private ruins.

We hired a driver for the day and went off road to discover some of the sites around the valley. Moray was first on our list. A series of circular terraces hidden in a small fold in the mountains. No one is entirely sure what they were used for but they are very pretty to see.
From Moray we went onto the Salinas salt pools. From a tiny stream in a hill trickles a flow of lukewarm salty water. When you dip your fingers in they dry out with salt crystals forming on them.  Since the Inca times this stream has been diverted into hundreds of pools to catch the salt.

We then caught a local bus up the valley to Pisac. Due to it's proximity to Cusco it attracts all the day trippers. So to avoid the crush we visited the Inca ruins that tower over the town. So glad we were told to catch a taxi to the top and walk down rather than slog uphill.

Church built on an Inca temple