A surprise excursion includes visiting Chinchero, Misminay, and Huaypo Lagoon.
Chinchero: Weavings, Workshops, and Beautiful Products!
Another beautiful day begins in the ancient capital of the Inca Empire during the dry season, with sunny days and “clear skies.” It’s late July, and our excursion sets off for another intriguing and beautiful journey through Peruvian lands: Maras and Moray! A small group of four female passengers, all Brazilians, including myself. Our idea of this excursion, obtained through countless photos and published stories, far exceeded our expectations.
Chinchero: a city that looks like a toy, 30 kilometers from Cusco. Our excursion continues with a visit to the community of Quechua women, who make a living from the wool of sheep, llamas, and alpacas. They are the famous artisans of Chinchero, known worldwide for their ancestral art, a gift passed down from generation to generation.
The landscapes on the way to the small town of Chinchero gave us an idea of what would come with the region’s different settings.
Upon arrival, you are immersed in a multicolored environment, where llamas and guinea pigs welcome you, popping in and out of their charming little houses as if trying to hide from the visitors. A few steps further, we find ourselves in a typically Andean setting: steaming clay pots and stoves, which, this time, are not preparing food, but the wool is dyed. “If they stay too long, they’ll get cooked!” says the beautiful artisan who begins to give us a lesson on preparing sheep wool, from shearing it to washing it with a root they find after walking between 3 and 4 hours through the mountains of Chinchero.
This root, called the Inca shampoo, incredibly enough, foams up a lot and cleans better than the chemical products we know.
On a handmade loom, there is a sign: the weaver shows a piece of bone and asks the audience if they know where it comes from. She continues: “It’s a human bone, from the last visitor who came here and left without buying anything.” Everyone laughs, and we proceed to the shops where the products are displayed for sale: beautiful!
Our private vehicle continues through a desert-like Andean landscape, with only a few villages appearing here and there on the horizon. The road dust rises in a dense cloud with each passing car. Now, we are heading to the next attraction of the excursion: the salt mines of Maras!
Maras
Another fascinating journey through Inca history awaits us: Maras. A small town nestled in the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, which would be simple if not for its more than 3,500 salt ponds and terraces found at the Salineras de Maras, forming an exotic and fantastic landscape, exploited since pre-Inca times. Today, it attracts hundreds of tourists from all over the world.
Contrary to what we are used to seeing, these salt mines are not near any sea; on the contrary, they are in the middle of the Andean mountains! Incredible!
We find ourselves in this cinematic setting. This time, words will not suffice to describe the vastness our eyes beheld. White, beige, brown tanks. Hundreds… thousands!
We descend the mountain until we get as close as possible to these mini lagoons, forming an impressive landscape. There, we can see men and women dedicated to their upkeep. Numerous families work in salt production, taking advantage of the saltwater sources in the mountains, an essential economic activity in the region.
Photos and more photos in an attempt to capture this magical moment. We climb back up. Numerous shops are dedicated to selling this salt of all kinds: medicinal salt, smoked salt, pink salt, particularly for barbecues, salads, muscle pain, and foot inflammations, salt with medicinal herbs… in short, an endless array of options. We say goodbye. Our next stop: Moray!
Moray
Exploring the enigma of ancient Peruvian civilizations, we find the intriguing ruins of Moray, located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas near Cusco. We are at an altitude of 3,500 meters. Here, we witness a surprising formation of enormous circular terraces dug into the earth. Their purpose is still a subject of controversy. They resemble a Roman arena because these circles are built in the shape of a vast arena.
The most accepted theory is that the Incas used these enormous platforms to simulate different types of climates: let’s say, a great outdoor laboratory! They would have cultivated potatoes, corn, quinoa, yucca, tomatoes, and other vegetables and legumes here. They planted the same crops at different levels to analyze where they would develop best. Fantastic.
Like all Inca constructions, this one is also cinematic!
The Incas’ ability to adapt and thrive in such challenging environments is admirable, especially regarding their agricultural engineering. In addition to preventing soil erosion, these terraces created microclimates for cultivating various products.
Our excursion descended to the base of these circles, and from down there, we could get a more precise idea of the magnitude of this construction. What intelligence the Incas had! We felt the size of ants in the middle of the fantastic setting of three circles that remind us of Roman arenas. We contemplated the landscape while the guide supplemented the images with fascinating information and stories.
Despite the delicious and well-stocked lunch bag, which included water, juice, chocolate, cookies, candies, an apple, and dried fruits we received at the beginning of the Salkantay Trekking excursion, it was time for lunch. We knew, according to the itinerary, that we were going to visit a community called Misminay. Still, we couldn’t imagine it would be an immersive tourism experience, a fundamental experience you must attend when you come to Peru.
Comunidad de Misminay
We are at the Misminay Non-Profit Association of Immersive Tourism. Here, the goal is to allow the visitor to have an immersive experience of the customs and activities of its inhabitants, both in agricultural and textile activities.
When our private vehicle arrived, men and women dressed in traditional attire welcomed us with songs and applause to announce our arrival. After the warm welcome, everyone introduced themselves and gifted us beautiful, colorful Andean bracelets.
Lunch was served inside a beautiful, cozy rural house with a wood-burning aroma and a view of the Andean mountains. With a muña tea as a starter, the menu was delicious and plentiful, including a dessert of mazamorra, delicious! It’s a unique experience and a happy memory for all who visit Misminay.
Among the various offerings, it’s an ideal place to observe, during the day, the landscape of the entire valley, and, at night, the stars, to learn about the Andean worldview. At Misminay Immersive Tourism, you can stay and enjoy the area’s natural beauty. Take advantage of visiting Misminay! We said goodbye with hearts full of gratitude for this extraordinary welcome, for the delicious lunch, moments surrounded by a very friendly and kind community. Our next stop: Huaypo Lagoon!
Huaypo Lagoon
Legend and Origin of Huaypo Lagoon
Legend has it that the origin of the lagoon is linked to the Sun God, who implored Manco Cápac to ensure that his children, a pair of twins, would accompany him at sunset. However, when he called for his two children, they were nowhere to be found. The Sun God then summoned the Apus to question them about what had happened, and they responded that his children had gotten lost and cried so much that they ended up drowning in their tears. The legend says that the son then transformed into Huaypo Lagoon and the daughter into Piuray Lagoon.
Another version of the origin of Huaypo Lagoon dates back to ancient times, in which it is said that wealthy people lived in the region. During a grand ceremony, a poor, disheveled older man arrived in the village seeking food and drink. However, no one paid him any attention, let alone helped him. Even so, the older man went to the kitchen, where a woman heeded his pleas and gave him food and shelter.
In gratitude, the older man told her to leave the place immediately with her son and not look back. However, the woman’s curiosity was so intense that she disobeyed and turned around to see what was happening, only to witness the entire village disappearing. For this reason, she was transformed into stone. Today, at Huaypo Lagoon, there is a rock that locals believe to be the woman from the legend.
Fantastic stories about the origin of Huaypo Lagoon are passed down from generation to generation, thanks to the memories of local inhabitants who keep alive their traditions and tales of a fantastical past that, deep down, no one can confirm is untrue.
In this fantastic environment, full of magic and legends, we arrived at a lagoon with crystal-clear waters adorned with totora houses and monuments, which closely resemble those found near Lake Titicaca. We spent much time connecting with this unique, fantastic Andean nature. We took more and more photos until it was time to say goodbye. After hours of adventure, paradisiacal landscapes, and spectacular experiences, our excursion ended. If I could, I would do it all over again—unmissable!
It is one of the stops surrounded by famous mountain ranges such as Nevado de Chicón, Verónica, and Salkantay. It also boasts an incomparable landscape of flora and fauna and communities that keep their customs and traditions deeply rooted.
Huaypo Lagoon is characterized by its crystal-clear waters, thanks to the organic and inorganic particles that absorb solar radiation. It is a pleasant place to camp, ideal for nature lovers and adventure sports such as kayaking, fishing, ATV riding, and cycling. There are also elegant cabins for rent, made from totora, the same plant used for constructing the islands on Lake Titicaca.
You might be interested in:
- Sacred Valley of the Incas: The mountains are calling you!
- Explore The Best Inca Ruins in the Sacred Valley!
- Sacred Valley: The Salt Mines in Maras
- 10 Best Things To Do And See In The Sacred Valley
- Cusco Tourist Ticket: What Is It and What’s It For?
- Pisac: a Must-Visit on Your Trip to Peru’s Sacred Valley
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