Sacred Valley of the Incas, PERU
Airing Date: Jan 1st, 2002
The famous weekly Sunday market attracts locals from miles around who often wear their traditional dress.
Look out for hand-painted ceramic beads and other local handicrafts.
The main square throngs with people and becomes even more crowded after mass, when the congregation leaves the church in a colourful procession.
Perched high above the town of Pizac are the ruins of some Inca citadels. Allow a good couple of hours to walk up from the town, or travel 10 minutes or so by car. The views of the Sacred Valley are amazing and not to be missed.
A one-hour drive from Pizac lies the most visited city in Peru, Cusco.
It is the archaeological capital of the South Americas and is often used as the base for sightseeing in this fascinating region.
Known to the Incas as the 'navel of the world', Cusco is an exciting and colourful city, built by the Spanish on the sumptuous and solid remains of Inca temples and palaces.
Massive stone walls line most of Cusco's central streets, and form the foundations of colonial and modern buildings.
There is a wealth of friendly cafes, as well as attractive, whitewashed buildings, red-tiled roofs and a thriving traditional culture. Here you get the chance to experience age-old custom that is very different to 20th-century way of life.
The facts
LanChile flies daily to Lima. Prices start from $2309 ex-Sydney. For LanChile flights, contact your local Australian travel agent.
Aero Continente flies from Lima to Cusco four times a day. Return airfares cost $320.
Great Adventure Holidays have one-night packages at the Posada del Inca Hotel in Cusco starting from $150 per person twin share, including breakfast and transfers.
Packages at the Posada del Inca Hotel in Yucay, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, start at $225 per person twin share, and include breakfast and a full day tour of Pizac.
Tel: 1800 557 558 or 02 9212 2020 for Sydney
Cusco: Posada Del Inca Hotel
Tel: 0011 51-84 227 061 (international)
Yucay: Posada Del Inca Hotel
Tel: 0011 51-84 201 107 (international)
