The Museo Inkariy, located on the main road half-way between Pisac and Urubamba is without a doubt currently one of the best cultural activities in the Sacred Valley.

Museo Inkariy is a giant of a project that has taken thirteen years from first planning its creation to finally opening its doors in 2015. It’s unique in that it is a) the first private-run Peruvian museum in the Cusco region and b) is more like a cinematic experience than a traditional museum visit. The museum is divided into eight different pavilions each showcasing one of the most important pre-Hispanic Peruvian cultures including Caral, Chavín, Paracas, Moche, Nasca, Wari, Lambayeque and Chimu and Inca.

Each culture is showcased in two parts. First, elements of each culture including dress, customs, beliefs and art are explained in an ‘ante-room’. You then move to the second part of each pavilion, where an iconic scene is recreated from each culture. The Paracas room recreates a typical burial scene, while the Wari cultural recreation showcases warrior making their weapons.  Statues and sculptures are very realistic with extreme attention to detail including wrinkles, tattoos and perfectly styled hair!  Even the body types of each character were meticulously researched to represent for example the body type and facial structure of a Wari warrior or an Incan ruler.

The museum was entirely conceived and designed and is now run by the Merida family of artists. Their vision is impressive. Each family member is an artist in their own right, trained in videography, film, sculpture architecture and publicity. The family’s CV is an extraordinary treasure trove of cultural contribution to Peru’s artistic and cultural heritage. Each member of the family has made this project a reality with Edgar Merida and Nelly Pilares and their four children Edilberto, William, Miguel and Paloma involved every step of the way from creating sculptures, painting the scenes, guiding visitors around the museum and the other thousands of tasks necessary to get a project like this off the ground!

Their vision is to show the world the most important pre-Hispanic Peruvian cultures in an entertaining, modern manner.  A visit to Museo Inkariy takes the form of a visual, sensorial journey. No lengthy historical explanations or boring guided tours to be found here. The whole visit of the museum takes between one – 1.5 hours and is unlike any other museum we have visited in Peru. You leave with a deeper knowledge of the huge depth of culture and history in Peru that goes well beyond the fascinating Inca culture most people come to the Sacred Valley to visit.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• This is an ideal place to take the kids for an afternoon. Exhibits are full of music, lighting and effects that will leave the kids open-mouthed!

• The Museum is also offering a rustic country-style lunch which includes a three course lunch and museum entry for S/.50 (Approx. US$14). There is also a café on-site serving drinks and light snacks.

• You can opt to have a guided tour or to visit the museum yourself. If you are a history buff and like to take your time reading all the exhibits, visiting by yourself might be the better option.

Click here for more things to see in Pisac

Click here for more things to see and do in Urubamba

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This is no luxury spa with fancy treatments, hairdressing services or manicures but rather a rustic spa where the focus is entirely dedicated to re-connecting with self and nature. The signature treatments are the herbal baths which are lovingly prepared by local resident Maria. Make sure to book a treatment in advance so that Maria has the time to collect the fresh plants and herbs specifically for you and to focus all her energy on the plants so that the treatment will help you fully relax and de-stress.

The spa has two outdoor baths located in a peaceful garden with an absolutely spectacular view of ‘Apu Linly’ or the Linly mountain. First, the bath is filled with a concentrate of herbs and plants which turns the water a dark brown, it is then topped up with hot water and sprinkled with fresh roses and other flowers from the garden.  A glass of cool Andean Mint lemonade in hand and you are ready for an hour of bliss and relaxation with some of the world’s most spectacular views…

Follow up with a shiatsu massage, a bake in the rustic sauna or a soak in the Jacuzzi and we guarantee you will leave floating on a wave of relaxation!

We’ve been to lots of spas in the Sacred Valley and this came out as a strong favourite. It’s defintely a rustic spa so don’t expect luxury or five star treatments, you can however expect a completely personalised, private spa experience based on the authentic ancestral medicinal beliefs of the region. In our book, different experiences that are genuinely authentic are what make amazing travel  memories and this is definitely one of them!

 Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• If you opt for the herbal bath and have a specific ailment – sore back, stress etc. let them know when you book so they can prepare the specific plants that will help you.
• The spa is located in the town of Taray about ten minutes by moto-taxi from Pisac. The Pisac Inn will organise return transport from the hotel for approx. US$4.

See more of our favourite activities in Pisac here

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A large section of the market is dedicated to tourist-oriented souvenir stalls where you can find weavings, jewellery, ponchos, hats, Andean instruments, ceramics, alpaca products and a whole range of other gifts and souvenirs to take home with you. The handcraft market is open every day from 9am to 4.30pm and is a good place to pick up some gifts all in the one place.

If you want a more authentic and colourful experience, try and plan your trip to visit the market on a Sunday when the local quechua communities set up shop on the main square. Dressed in their colourful clothing, they sit cross-legged with their wares laid out giving the market an authentic feel. It’s definitely worth a visit but be warned this is a tourist hot spot so be prepared for savvy vendors, tour buses and tour groups.

The more unusual products you can buy at the Pisac market include natural powders in a variety of eye-popping colours that can be used as watercolour paint, colourful weavings and alpaca clothing.

Best of Cusco recommends:

• It’s easy to get carried away and want to take lots of photos at this colourful market but do be respectful when you do so. Some of the vendors at the market don’t like having their photo taken. Our advice is to always ask first and a good rule of thumb is to pay S/.1 (Approx. US$0.35) per person in the photo you take.

• On days other than Sundays, the fruit and vegetable market is held at the rather characterless municipal market two blocks from the main square on San Francisco Street and is worth a visit if you have twenty minutes to spare.

How to get to Pisac Market

Click here for more things to see and do in Pisac

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Altitude: 3347m

Distance: Located 3.5km from the town of Pisac.

Difficulty: Intermediate. the ruins themselves are fairly easy to navigate but the altitude can be a problem for some.

How to get to the Pisac Ruins: Hire a taxi from the official taxi cooperative office which is located just in front of the bridge on Avenida Amazonas in Pisac. Prices from S/.25 (Approx. US$20) each way.

About The Pisac Ruins

The village of Pisac lies about 28 km from Cusco, right along the Río Vilcanota or the Urubamba River as it is also known. The big attraction are the Incan ruins known as Inca Písac which lie atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. They are separated into four areas stretching along the picturesque ridge- Pisaqa, Intihuatana, Q’allaqasa, and Kinchiracay.

Pisac was once the site of a vital Inca road which wound its way through the Sacred Valley to the borders of the eastern jungle. This made it an important connecting route for the Inca Empire and the city of Paucartambo– giving Inca Písac a strategic controlling point. With its elevated position, researchers believed the site served a defensive purpose, protecting the southern end of the valley. It was also an important agricultural sector and the terraces constructed on the steep hillside are still in use today. Another theory for its construction is that Pachacuti, for whom most archaeologists believe Machu Picchu was built, had it constructed to celebrate victory over a local ethnic group called the Cuyos. In either case it is unknown exactly when Inca Písac was built. Since it does not appear to have been inhabited by any pre-Inca civilization, estimations are that it was built no earlier than 1440.

The ruins lie a steep 90 min walk, or short taxi journey, above the village. The settlement is built on row upon row of fine stone terraces, laid out on a natural balcony. The layout is thought to represent a partridge’s wing- pisac meaning “partridge”. Visitors to the upper sector are rewarded with spectacular panoramic views of the Andes mountains. The main Temple of the Sun is built on a huge protruding spur of volcanic rock, carved into a “hitching post for the sun” or Inti. Angles at its base serve to define the changes of season. There are also baths, altars, water fountains and a ceremonial platform whilst above these ruins lie several ancient burial sites, many still unexcavated. 

Best of Cusco recommends:

• Allow 3-4 hours for a complete visit of the Pisac Ruins.

• The hike up to the the ruins from pisac is definitely intermediate – advanced with a long series of steep steps and uphill sections and will take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on your level of fitness. An alternative is to get a taxi up to the ruins and then hike down following the signs to Pisac. This is an easier hike and takes about 45 minutes fitness depending.

• Entrance to the Pisac ruins is included in the ‘Boleto Turistico‘ or partial tourist ticket that you can buy at the entrance to the ruins themselves. This partial ticket for S/.70 (Approx. US$25) includes the Pisac, Chinchero, Moray and Ollantaytambo ruins. Be warned It is NOT possible to buy a ticket just for the Pisac ruins you have to buy the partial Boleto Turistico into several sites.

How to buy the Tourist Ticket for entry into the Pisac Ruins

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The garden was created in 1917 by Felipe Marín Moreno, a Peruvian botanist and explorer who used the garden to experiment. His collection was built up over the years through correspondence with various institutions and botanists around the world from whom he received samples and seeds.

Fast forward 95 years to today and Felipe Marín´s son José has taken charge of the gardens, recently opening them to visitors after they were declared part of Peru’s historical heritage by the Minister of Culture. It´s not a large garden by any stretch of the imagination but it does provide a fabulous insight into native and non-native Peruvian plants and trees. It boasts a collection of 200 varieties of Peruvian potatoes (this seems impressive until you learn that Peru has in fact 3000 varieties of potato!) and a selection of butterflies, beetles and other insects in the open air museum.

You can see 12 varieties of the Peruvian national flower the Kantu and also discover where the deep red cochineal dye colour that is used in local weavings  comes from (a beetle of the same name that lives on a specific type of cactus plant.) Bird song echoes around the garden as you wander the narrow paths. Colourful butterflies and hungry bees float around their bellies pregnant with nectar and you can easily forget that you are in fact right in the middle of a town called Pisaq.

The owner José is usually around on weekends and will happily guide you around telling you a bit about the history and showing you all the different plants.

Click here for more things to see and do in Pisac

Information on how to get to Pisac

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Her juice is 100% pure with no added sugar or water, so no need to worry about any nasties upsetting those tummies, but you can always just stop by and say hello too!

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The weavings they create are similar to the higher quality, hand-made weavings you can find throughout the Cusco region but a visit to the community is a unique opportunity  to meet the weavers themselves,  interact with the community, learn about their traditions and way of life and support their craft knowing that 100% of the profit is going directly back to the person who wove the object you buy.

This is definitely not a mainstream tourist attraction and as such is not highly organised. If you are interested in visiting ask your guide or driver to take you to the Chawaytire community on either a Saturday, Wednesday or Friday when weaving sessions are in place so you can ask questions and see the whole weaving process. If you organise your visit in advance they can also prepare a basic lunch and a demonstration of the entire weaving process for a small fee of 15 soles per person.

If  however, you arrive on any other day, don’t despair because within minutes local women and children will come running to lay out their colourful woven objects for you to browse and buy.

If you want to organise your visit in advance, either call or get your guide to call the Association on (+51) 84 812 418 in Spanish or ideally Quechua. This is a payphone number so ask whoever answers to get President Luis Huaman or Eudes Guerra and say you will call back in five minutes. When you call back five minutes later you can organise the date and time of your visit with Luis or Eudes.

This is definitely an experience for those who want to taste a true flavour of traditional, rural quechua life without the hordes of tour buses. Do however, be willing to accept that time runs differently here and that communicating with quechua communities that often speak little spanish and no English is very different, sometimes frustrating but can be an incredible, enriching experience giving you a glimpse into the Quechua way of life.

Best of Cusco reccomends:

• The best days to visit are either Wednesday, Friday or Saturday. Wednesday is when the adults meet to weave, Friday is for the teenagers and Saturdays are for the kids who tend to be more timid and reluctant to communicate.

• If you can’t make it out to Chawaytire head to the Cusco Centre of Traditional Textiles where textiles from the Chawaytire community are on display and available for purchase.

Click here for more things to see and do in Pisac

How to get to Pisac

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