Exploring the Incan civilization in Peru

We visited Peru in July, 2017.

Machu Picchu 

 

The primary (and of course the most famous) attraction in Peru is Machu Picchu.

The only way to reach the citadel, which you see in pictures everywhere, e.g. the one above; is to take a bus from the city of Machu Picchu. The city of Machu Picchu as such is very small, and there is nothing much to do other than the citadel. So the recommended alternative is to stay in the nearby city of Cusco.

Cusco

The best and fastest way to reach Cusco from Lima is to take a local flight. There are plenty of local airlines, most of which operate within Peru or Latin America only. Given the high altitude of Cusco, flights often get delayed or canceled due to weather conditions / heavy winds. So (if possible) always try to have some buffer in your travel itinerary to accommodate these delays. Finally, while booking local flights, pay special attentions to the fare conditions as some of the fare categories are reserved for locals only.

 
Cusco is a lovely city nestled among the mountains. It gives the feel of one of those ancient cities with its cobbled streets and impressive architectural monuments e.g. castles / citadels. It is a very touristic city, so you won't have any problems finding English speaking locals here. It also implies that there are plenty of restaurants / cafes in Cusco - catering to wide variety of cuisines and price range - from the McDonald / KFC to the fine dining options in one of the city's 5 star hotels (JW Marriott El Conveto Cusco or Belmond Palacio Nazarenas). 

We stayed at the Monestario hotel in Cusco, which is another Belmond hotel right in front of the Palacio Nazarenas. As the name suggests, it is basically a monastery which has been transformed into a charming chic hotel. The monastery has been impeccably preserved, from the small church, to paintings, to antique furniture. Some of the rooms also have enriched oxygen, so be sure to ask for that if you feel the lack of oxygen at high altitudes. It is a 5 min walk to the Old Town Square - so you avoid all the crowd, but are always within walking distance of the hub. 

Hiram Bingham Train

 

There are a variety of way to reach Machu Picchu from Cusco. It basically takes 8 hours to drive from Cusco to Machu Picchu city, from where you still need to (queue and) take the state run buses to the Citadel which takes around 30 minutes. The faster way is to take a train from Poroy (the train station closest to Cusco - 20 minutes drive) to Machu Picchu city - takes approximately 3 hours.

The other option is to take a train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu; Ollantaytambo is like a 1.30 hours drive from Cusco, and takes a similar amount of time to reach Machu Picchu from Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is one of the main sites for Incan ruins, so it makes to combine the train ride with a visit to Ollantaytambo. It is a small city with a few hotels as well, so staying there might also be an option.

There are a range of trains available from Cusco to Machu Picchu - from the cheapest local ones to those where you can at least reserve a seat; and some where you also get lunch / dinner served during the journey. With the reserved ones, while you will be able to avoid the crowds at the railway stations; you will still need to queue for the buses to go (and return) from Machu Picchu city to the Citadel. Here, we are easily talking about an hour long queue just for the bus (2 hours - both ways) on the best of days - so be sure to factor that in while planning your journey as the Citadel is only open from 9am to 5pm.  

The only way to avoid the bus waiting times is to take the most luxurious / expensive option  - the Hiram Bingham train. The train is run by Belmond, the same company which runs luxurious trains around the world, e.g. the Orient Express. Like the Orient Express, the train is beautifully decorated with an open bar and live music.

This is basically a day train, i.e. it only runs from Cusco to Machu Picchu in the morning (reaching Machu Pichu around 12.30 afternoon) and returns around 6pm from Machu Picchu to Cusco. Lunch (brunch) / dinner is served on the train during the respective journeys. The train also has an open observatory deck which comes in very handy to enjoy the scenic train ride to Machu Picchu.

Upon reaching Machu Picchu, they have a dedicated bus to take you to the Citadel - so no long queues. And, you have finally reached Machu Picchu :)

No amount of internet pics will prepare you for the awe-inspiring feeling that you get on seeing this Wonder of the World for the first time! It is simply amazing how the Incans managed to build a city at this height, using only the primitive technologies available in those days. There is of course a lot of fascinating Incan history associated with the place. So it helps that there is a tour guide included in the train price. For the average tourist, unless you are interested in exploring each and every historical significance of this Wonder  - 2-3 hours are sufficient to explore the place.

Sacred Valley

 

The other benefit of staying in Cusco is that it also acts as a base point to explore the nearby  Sacred Valley and Incan ruins. 

Sacred Valley, as the name suggests, is a valley nestled among the Andes mountains. Irrespective of its significance for the Incas, it is worth visiting the Sacred Valley just for its natural beauty :)

Pisac Incan Ruins

Significant Incan ruins nearby include Pisac, Moray and Ollantaytambo. Below are a few breathtaking shots of the Pisca and Moray Incan ruins. Unfortunately, there was a nationwide Teachers' strike ongoing on the day of our travel, and hence the roads to Ollantaytambo were blocked - so we unfortunately had to skip Ollantaytambo :(

Maras Salt Mines

The other site worth mentioning here, which can be included in the same day tour from Cusco - are the Maras Salt Mines.

This is an active mine which is still used by the locals to produce Salt. The stream of salty water (full of minerals) obtained from the mountain rocks through which it passes is the source of the salt. Irrespective of its Salt mining capabilities - whether you are interested in the mining details or not :) - the Salt mines are a sight to behold at that height!

Lake Titicaca

 

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable body of water in the world. The lake is vast - stretching to both Peru and Bolivia.

We stayed at the charming lakeside hotel  - Titilaka hotel. It is the perfect place to relax with amazing views of the sunrise/sunset - as you can see from the pictures :) Location wise, it is like a 30 min drive from the nearest (big) city of Puno.

 
The hotel may not look very impressive from the outside, but once inside, it has all the amenities of a luxury boutique hotel. It is kind of self-sufficient in that all meals and touristic activities are included in the room price.

Exploring an active volcano in Etna, Sicily

We visited Sicily in May 2016.

Taormina and Palermo are the main touristic cities in Sicily. As our primary target this time was to explore Mount Etna - the largest active volcano in Europe, we decided to stay in Taormina from where you can easily make a day trip to Mount Etna.

Taormina

Taormina is a beautiful city on the Mediterranean cost in Sicily. It has all the "old world" of Italian cities. The city itself is quite small, and you can easily walk around most of the attractions. The primary attraction has to be the Ancient Theatre ruins (bellow):

While the ruins are by no means as impressive as say the Colosseum, the Mediterranean coast and mountains in the background make for the perfect panorama shot. From Taormina downtown, just follow the 'Theatre' signs; and you will be there in no time.

Taormina downtown is basically a very long street, with shops, cafes, on both sides of the street; and cobbled stairs leading to even more shops and restaurants in the vicinity. Do not forget to try the 'Tomato Bruschetta' and / or pistachio ice-cream (both of which seem to be very much the local favorites) in any of the cafes here.

For the shopping enthusiasts, do not be fooled by size of the city - you can easily find many local and global luxury brands in the alleyways.

At night, the city transforms itself into the idyllic seaside resort with live music and the delicious aroma of seafood wafting in the air.

Isola Bella,  Castelmola and Giardini Naxos

There are many interesting places to explore in the vicinity of Taormina. And, the best way to explore them is to take one of the Hop-on / Hop-Off buses which cover all the 3 attractions mentioned below, namely Isola Bella,  Castelmola and Giardini Naxos.

Isola Bella

Isola Bella (aka The Pearl of the Ionian Sea) is a beautiful island located slightly outside Taormina. As you can see from the pic below, it is unique in that there is a walkway (slightly below water) connecting the beach to the island. There is a small natural reserve on the island - which you easily explore in 30 mins or so. It is still a very nice experience to wade through water to the island, and definitely recommended!!

There are resorts / hotels on the beach and you can also stay on the beach if you so wish; but it is clearly not the most happening place during evening :) - and you will most likely end up in Taormina centre anyway.

There is also a cable car connecting Taormina centre to Isola Bella, however you are better off taking the Hop-on / Hop-off bus as the cable car is nothing spectacular and the bus will allow you to cover more at less price.

Castelmola

Castelmola is a charming village on the outskirts of Taormina. The village is about 1800 ft. above sea level, so be ready for a 30 mins bus ride over winding roads. However, once you reach the top, the panoramic views are absolutely spectacular  - check out the pics below. There are also quite a few cafes and souvenir shops nearby where you can relax and enjoy the view at your leisure.

Giardini Naxos

Giardini Naxos is a coastal town neighboring Taormina where most cruise ships dock in Sicily. It is a good place to take a break, have lunch at one of the many amazing restaurants on the coast, and enjoy the sea view.

Mount Etna

Mount Etna is famous as the largest active volcano in Europe. And, we would definitely recommend this place / activity as one of those "things to do before you die". A day trip is sufficient in our opinion. We booked the following trip "Mount Etna Day Trip from Taormina" (link). As we were staying in Taormina, this was ideal for us.

The trip can be divided into 3 stages: First is the bus trip from Taormina to the Mount Etna cable car station. The cable car station (shown below) has car parking, cafes, souvenir shops, and rest rooms.

The second phase consists of a cable car ride to a stop high up in the mountains. Below, is a shot from the cable car terminal (at the top).

The third phase consists of a bus ride to the absolute top of the mountains. Below, you can see the bus going through the "fuming" mountain path,

Note that the buses are not tour company specific, and they are the same irrespective of whichever tour you have booked. The buses are included if you have paid for the cable car. Otherwise, it is possible to book the bus and / or cable car separately; for people who might be interested in hiking parts of the trip - yes, it is possible to cover most of it by hiking if you feel sufficiently motivated and energetic :)

It is an extraordinary experience once you reach the top of the mountain. The pervasive black volcanic ash (you can still see fumes at many places) gives the landscape an almost extra-terrestrial feeling!!

At the top (after getting off the bus), it is safe and easy to walk around yourself. In fact, we were promised a guide as part of our tour. However, we could not find anyone at the top, so we started exploring ourselves. There are huge craters and black ash everywhere you look, so just start walking in the direction you like - you cannot get lost. There are also some guided paths to a few craters.