Peru is one of my favorite countries. It is full of surprises, from landscapes where the jungle meets the mountains, to the abundance of traditional agriculture practices still being used, to the number of people still speaking the Quechua language rather than Spanish. While studying abroad in Chile, I took a month off from classes to journey through Peru, soon wishing that I had found a study abroad program in Cusco. I traveled from Lima, to Cusco, to the Sacred Valley, through the jungle to Machu Picchu, to Puno, to Lake Titicaca and the islands, to Tacna, and finally ending my journey by crossing the border back into Chile through Arica.
After visiting Cusco, we journeyed into the Sacred Valley. Our first stay was in Urubamba, which is an urban center that is not too touristy and is surrounded by calm countryside and mountains. We stayed at Flying Dog Hostel, which was my favorite hostel that we stayed at in all of Peru.
We left Cusco and took a bus to Urubamba. After we settled into our hostel we took another bus to Salineras de Maras. Salineras de Maras is a salt mine that predates the Incas.
An underground spring fills up thousands of these shallow pools. Once the water evaporates, the salt is harvested. Ownership of these salt mines is reserved only for locals of the Maras area. The locals harvest the salt from their pools and sell the salt to local markets and restaurants.
This is a photo of a yarn piece that I walked by on the road close to Salineras de Maras. I love public art!
After spending some time walking around the salt mines and licking a lot of salt, we decided to hike back to Urubamba. We asked some local folks how to walk back and they pointed to a dirt path and just told us to go down. It was a beautiful hike back into town, and it took us around 1.5 hours. We walked down the mountains, into the valley, through some fields, next to some horse ranches, and across the river.
The next day we headed to Ollantaytambo, which is an extremely cute town. The town is filled with cobblestone roads and earthen buildings. It is a great town to slowly walk around in. It is nestled in a valley between two large ruins.
The food was so good! We had been walking around for a bit looking for a good lunch spot. Since Ollantaytambo is a jumping off point for Machu Picchu, the restaurants are all pretty touristy and we weren't so stoked on the overpriced pizzas and hamburgers that we were seeing on most restaurant menu boards. Instead, we found the local market on a map and headed over. Peruvian markets are amazing, full of fresh fruits and veggies, fermented drinks, and prepared food. We found an old woman selling prepared beans and salad from her large containers and got a plate. We found another woman selling fermented drinks and got a few cups full. Everything was so delicious and healthy and filling!
You can see the ruins from the streets in town.
Ollantaytambo has been continuously inhabited since the 13th century, and you can see Incan architecture and original irrigation channels while walking down the street (Lonely Planet).
The Incans were master rock-workers, making many beautiful and functional buildings with surrounding rocks. You can see some of the ruins in the rock face above.
We strolled through town and then up a road that led us to some fields. Traditional agricultural practices are still used in the Sacred Valley.
Beautiful places & photo! Will be one of my favorite traveling locations.
Very attractive place i want to visit this area with my family.
The Inca culture is admirable and wonderful. What a nice ride. Congratulations
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What a peaceful place :) "Travel is important because it fundamentally transforms us. This experience of waking up to the power of your own transformation fires you up to “be the change you want to see in the world" I love travelling it gives me inner peace and different perceptions in life..
Oh wow! the salt mines look really neat! I had no idea that's how its done. and I love your scarf! matches the public art :P
Thank you very much for sharing it among us
I have only seen pictures of these in National Geographic magazines when I was young. Machu Pichu, the Sacred Valley and the Salt Mines. Glad I found your blog. Followed you and awaiting for more awesome pictures of your travel. I'm a housewife and my wanderlust was ignited. Thank you @anwenbaumeister!
Great travel story. Your pictures look great and the salt mines look gorgeous.
I've read a couple books that were based in Peru and it always made me want to visit. Your pictures look really similar to how it was in the books so makes me want to visit even more :).
Looks like you all had a great time!
thanks for sharing Peru culture, I've been looking for meet this country, I was not sure but now reading this post I'm 100% I have to go there!!!
One of the tourist destinations that you have to know about Latin America, excellent photos! I give you my vote and I follow you
I was in that area about twenty years ago. It looks exactly the same. I loved the valley and we were there on market day, which was fabulous!
beautiful!!
A very nice article with a natural flow ideas and story! Love reading this piece and I am now very interested in Peru! Your writing has inspired me to learn to write better and to find out more about Peru.
Many thanks for such a lovely article!
Me encantan tus fotografias y viajes a Peru, es uno de mis sueños poder visitarlo.
i never seen before salt land like , usualy salt land near the beach like in my place , very interesting , really wan't to go there and see with my eye salt land . love you picture , very nice post. @madamuhammad
Amazing photos! Peru is high on my bucket list! Have followed you. Please check out my blog, I think we have a very similar style :)
Que hermosos paisajes nos tiene nuestra hermosa América latina, excelente que nos hayas compartido tan bella experiencia!
Several restaurants in Lima, serve delicious classy delicacies with rich flavors at affordable prices. Starting from a dish of quail eggs sprinkled with hot sauce, to freshness Cebiche which is a fresh salad.
Oyaa, how about picarones. Some people think this food is the same as a donut in general. However, this food is not a regular donut made from flour dough. The main ingredients of the food served as this snacks are the sweet potatoes and Zapaloo macre, which are flavored with sugar and cinnamon powder. Even Picarones are considered much better than donuts in general. Did you try it?
Awesome view of fields I love it! I'm pretty sure you've had a lot of fun visiting those kinds of places. It seems that's what I need sometimes. Nice post!
nice, post
I missed seeing the salt ponds, when I visited Cusco / Machu a few years ago. Thanks for filling in that void for me. :-)
Been all around the world but Peru is still missing :( thanks for sharong and making me wann and go there even more
Peru is on my bucket list. What an incredible place to explore! Thank you for sharing!
Cusco and the Sacred Valley is one of my favorite places in Peru. Tranquil and quiet. Great pictures and presentation @anwenbaumeister
Perú a nivel de naturaleza, y cosecha es muy grande, su cultura es muy bonita. Gracias por compartir, saludos. Espero tu visita
Beautiful places and photo, I like your story, but it looks like the land on the peru looks barren and arid, surely it's not all over the place
Amazing peru ! You made it more beautiful !! I read about Machu Picchu, this is awesome place !
Hope you enjoyed a lot there and I enjoyed your travel post !
Have a safe trip and stay safe 🙏 anwenbaumeister
great trip @anwenbaumeister ! Thanks for sharing!
very nice post . share your another trip with us please
Amazing photography, Peru is such a beautiful place. I will include it on my bucket list. Thank you for featuring the country. @anwenbaumeister!
Keep posting!
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@micch
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It is a very beautiful country. I will love to go there for holiday. Thanks for sharing.