If you have a free day in Cusco and would like to spend some of it enjoying the scenic beauty of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a biking trip is a great way to do it. If you opt to follow the route to Maras – Moray route, you’ll get even more out of the deal by throwing in some Incan sites and downhill thrills!
The ‘Return of the Sun’
Those of you planning on traveling to La Paz next month should think about swinging through Tiwanaku (in Spanish, Tiahuanaco) for the Aymaran New Year on June 21st, when the 5,522nd year of the Ayamara calendar will begin. As an agriculture-based society, the Aymara began their new year at the beginning of a new agricultural cycle. During the Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice, the longest night of the year when the sun was at its farthest, meant a new sowing season was to begin, and required rituals of celebration, adoration to initiate the sun’s return.
The Peruvian Andes boasts some of the best hiking on the continent, with a great variety of trails that can take a few hours or a few weeks. Considering that Peru is not only home to the storied Andean range, with its snowy peaks, pastoral valleys, and pristine high altitude lakes, but also to the world’s deepest canyons, volcanoes, ancient pyramids and other mysterious ruins, it’s no surprise that the country has something for everyone. While the fabled Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is Peru’s most famous trek, there are plenty of other options for hiking and nature enthusiasts.
From June 20th through 29th, Lima’s Parque de la Exposición will host the fifth annual Invita Perú Food Fair, which will recreate the first decades of the 1800s through food, barkers, and a space decorated with colonial details. In erstwhile times, with a surprising punctuality for an era with no watches, colorful characters such as the milkmaid, the cake man, or the sweets man went through the streets selling different goods and dishes while yelling their advantages. Each June, it happens anew in the center of one of the most modern districts in Lima, and this year 120 thousand are expected to attend over the course of the fair.
Last year, the Inca Trail was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the first time that six countries (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina and Chile) united to apply to one candidacy, but the complex 30,000km road network known as the Great Inka Trail has connected these six countries since Inca times.