The Realm of the Incas

When the Spanish conquered Cuzco, they demolished the ancient Inca palaces and built their colonial buildings on the foundations. As a result, Cuzco boasts a unique blend of colonial and pre-Columbian architecture and is regarded by many as one of the most enchanting and attractive cities in Latin America.

For the Incas, the Urubamba River basin was of great economic and spiritual importance. It is a fertile valley where many sanctuaries and ceremonial centres were established. Here, you can still admire all manner of remains from Inca culture.

In the Sacred Valley, you’ll find various indigenous communities where ancient traditions and customs are still very much alive. We therefore highly recommend visiting a local market, such as the market in Pisaq (Tuesdays, Thursdays or Sundays), as the local people visit these markets to buy and sell their goods

Many traditional and colourful festivals are still celebrated in Cuzco and the surrounding area. Inti Raymi on 24 June and Q’oyoriti in late May or early June are the best-known festivals. It is a special experience to attend these traditional ceremonies.

In the early 1990s, Tineke and Walter, a Dutch couple, came to Cuzco. They saw the poor conditions in which many people were living and decided they wanted to do something to help. That is how HoPe (Holanda-Peru) came into being. The organisation has now been active in the Cuzco region for over 25 years and is primarily committed to improving education in the remote mountain villages around Cuzco.

During your stay in the Sacred Valley, you’ll be staying at the charming Sol y Luna hotel, part of Relais & Châteaux. A beautiful property, with 43 cottages, lovely gardens and two restaurants, where you’ll immediately feel at home. The hotel’s profits help fund schooling for children in the region.

It’s a challenging early-morning climb, but the reward is a magnificent panoramic view of Vinicunca, better known as the Rainbow Mountain. The mountain boasts stunning natural colours due to the presence of rocks and mineral sediments eroded by wind and water. The colours range from ochre, white, yellow, green, orange and red to purple and blue.

The fertile soil and mild climate made the Sacred Valley ideal for growing a wide variety of crops. To irrigate the land without all the water running straight downhill, the Incas devised terraces, known as ‘patas’. This proved to be an extremely successful system and has been copied many times since.