Peru: The Sacred Valley
We participate in affiliate marketing programs, including Amazon’s. As a member of these programs, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Our full advertising disclosure is available here.
After our Costa Rican honeymoon, we took a break from traveling while we welcomed Preston. When he was 15 months old, we went on our next big adventure — a couples trip to Peru for our 2nd anniversary.
We found awesome flight deals out of NYC, and decided to take the trip. We had a hilarious experience of planes, trains, and automobiles getting to Peru — we drove from Richmond to Philly, took the train to NYC, the subway to the airport, then flew to Peru. It saved us some cash, but it’s important to note that it took several extra hours of travel each way. But, travel is what you make of it, right? We found a place in NYC with margaritas and enjoyed the journey.
When we landed in Cusco, Peru, we were ready to get settled in at our hotel. We grabbed a taxi from the airport and checked into our first hotel, a Sonesta near the Plaza de Armas (the central square in Cusco) which appears to have since changed hands. We booked all of our hotels for this trip through Expedia, and found this to be a great way to identify our options while ensuring we weren’t overpaying. This hotel was an affordable option, and located about a block from the Plaza de Armas, but did not have air conditioning. However, at 11,000 feet above sea level in the Andes, we quickly realized that AC was not necessary, so we wouldn’t rule out hotel options because of this. As any parent of a young child can understand, we were exhausted by the time we arrived. We opened the windows to allow some fresh Peruvian air into our room, and took a nap. We were delighted when we woke to a local parade outside our windows.
We were excited to check out the city, so we quickly rallied and headed out to explore Cusco. We’d heard about altitude sickness prior to arrival, and Michael was worried that it would be a challenge for him. He felt a little short of breath, but didn’t seem to be impacted much. Shannon had been working out like crazy (baby weight be gone, right?!), and was not at all concerned. She should’ve been. Her altitude sickness was fairly extreme. We mention this not to deter you from going (definitely go!), but to share a challenge that we had so that you might not endure it. When we read about it ahead of time, we thought it was something that happened immediately upon landing. Shannon felt great until she suddenly didn’t right before we ordered dinner, in spite of taking a nap and drinking a ton of water (which is a key recommendation to avoid altitude effects).
A couple of suggestions: You can check with your medical provider ahead of traveling to areas of high elevation so that you can get preventative medication, and/or you can plan to get to Aguas Calientes (the base of Machu Picchu) immediately after arriving in Cusco. At roughly 8,000 feet above sea level, this is enough lower than Cusco that most people do not have the same altitude concerns that they might in Cusco. The locals offered Shannon coca leaf tea, but it unfortunately didn’t help. They told us that, once you experience this kind of altitude sickness, you’re more likely to experience something similar at high altitudes in the future. We will definitely take additional precautions next time!
The staff at the Sonesta Cusco was kind and helpful. With the continued altitude sickness Shannon was experiencing, walking around the city was not really an option. The hotel staff was able to help us navigate finding the kindest Spanish-speaking tour guide ever to drive us around the Sacred Valley and show us all the best spots. We both speak Spanish terribly, but enough to get around in a Spanish-speaking country. When we explained Shannon’s “soroche” (the headache she was experiencing due to her altitude sickness), our guide pulled off to the side of the road on a fairly steep mountainside, and hopped a fence. He came back and handed Shannon a handful of freshly-picked “muna” (an Andean herb that can be made into a tea and is said to help relieve the symptoms of altitude sickness). How sweet is that?!
Despite her altitude sickness, Shannon refused to stay in the hotel while on such an amazing trip. She probably should’ve sought medical attention, but insisted we continue on with our journey. We went to Saksaywaman (pronounced like “sexy woman”). The walls were comprised of huge monolithic blocks that weigh up to 350 tons, and there was an incredible view overlooking Cusco. Our next stops were Tipon and Puka Pukara, Incan ruins located outside of Cusco. Our adorable guide was Quechua and performed a traditional spiritual ritual for us, where he concluded that we would have three children one day. He’s right about having two, at least. :)
We next stopped at the Ccochahuasi Animal Sanctuary. We enjoyed interacting with the locals and the Andean wildlife. Shannon was so grateful for the guide’s kind gesture of retrieving the muna for her, that she insisted on clutching it and dragging it into each place we stopped. We weren’t expecting it when one of the resident alpacas decided to help himself to a muna snack directly from her hand! There was also an incredible condor flight demonstration — what a massive wingspan! The sanctuary nurses injured animals back to health and operates on donations and proceeds from the gift shop to care for the animals. After making friends with a little puppy who was a bit less domesticated than we were accustomed to, Shannon was adamant that we contribute to their cause. She purchased a hand-crocheted poncho made from baby alpaca wool from one of the local artisans.
The Pisac market was the final stop on our tour of the Sacred Valley. We picked up silver earrings and baby alpaca scarves as gifts for our parents. A note that we’d be remiss not to mention: Be thoughtful about the authenticity of your purchases here and at other markets in Cusco. Take a lap around markets before you buy something, to allow yourself to get a feel for the pricing and haggling. You can find beautiful products and great deals with a little practice and common sense. Also, it’s always appropriate to be extra aware in crowded places. We’d heard that pickpocketing was a concern, so we paid particular attention and did not have any issues. The markets also have some amazing fresh juices and snacks. We tried the choclo (giant Peruvian corn) that had an herb sauce on top of it. It was not as sweet as corn we’ve had in the States, and more starchy, but fun to try! We so wish that we had the contact info for our tour guide to share with you guys!
View our other Peru adventures:
Part 1: The Sacred Valley
Part 2: Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes