Nicola is a friend of mine in Pisac (Peru) who actually lives just across the road from me there! Lots of you mentioned that you wanted to know what Pisac was like and why I love living there so much, so my lovely friend Nicola suggested that she could share her ideal day in Pisac with you. Wonderful idea… so here it is! (Fran x)
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Fran had mentioned that lots of you were interested in learning a bit more about the town of Pisac that she lives in for most of the year. So, I wanted to share my recommendations for my ideal day in Pisac where you get to experience the magic of this Sacred Valley first hand.
Pisac is a small village nestled high in the Andes Mountains at a breath-stopping altitude of 2,800 metres. It’s a great place to connect with nature as you are literally surrounded by mountains on all sides and there is always a new trail to hike, some kind of activity taking place from meditation workshops to yoga classes as well as a nice little selection of places to eat and hang out.
My idealday in Pisac looks something like this…
Strap on those hiking boots and head up to the Pisac Ruins.
The Pisac ruins one of Pisac’s main attractions and definitely my favourite Incan ruins in the Sacred Valley. Spread out over 7km it takes a good 3 -4 hours to really discover these Incan temples, terraces and burial grounds, so don’t try and do it in an hour like many of the tour buses! Interestingly the Inca’s kept the most fertile land for agriculture so they weren’t ‘wasted’ for building towns or cities on them! (how things change!)
I suggest you take a taxi up to the ruins and then hike back down to the village of Pisac for breathtaking views and photo ops of the Urubamba River and valley. More info here on getting to the ruins by clicking here.
Check out on of Pisac’s cafes for a bite to eat
After all that hiking you are sure to be a little peckish so head to one of my favourite food haunts in Pisac. For a (not-so-raw but) good brunch of French toast or pancakes with probably Pisac’s best coffee the Blue llama is my café of choice. For something a little heartier I love the Asian-Peruvian fusion menu at Mullu. They have some good salads and veggie options too. For dessert, you can’t beat Ulrike’s café and her world-famous carrot cake! A liitle further out of town but also one of my favourites is the Trattoria Escondida for Italian style food and great salads. Click here for more info on Pisac’s best places to eat.
Retail Therapy at the Pisac market
With renewed energy from all that good food head to the main square in Pisac which is the best place in town to pick up some souvenirs. Pisac is famous for its silver jewellery, colourful Andean weavings and alpaca throws, scarves and other items that are sold at its daily market. Sunday is definitely the best day to hit the market if you want a shot of local culture when the colourfully dressed, local Quechua communities descend from the surrounding highlands to buy and sell their produce.
Decompress at the Botanical gardens
After all the craziness at the market I love to visit one of Pisac’s lesser known attractions – the Felipe Marin Botanical gardens.
This small botanical garden is located down one of Pisac’s cobbled streets inside a typical colonial patio and is an oasis of calm. Take a book and a cool drink and enjoy the beautiful flowers and plants that are found here as well as hummingbirds, dragonflies and butterflies. You will usually have the place to yourself so it’s perfect for a spot of meditation or some deep relaxation in the heart of Pisac.
Nicola
4 responses ↓
Hi there, Nicola! Thank you for your post. Your ideas are great, and the pictures of the food make my mouth water! I was wondering if you have to have a good handle on the Spanish language to live in Pisac, or if English is understood well enough? Thanks!
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Fran Reply:
April 1st, 2013 at 12:55 pm
Hi Amanda :) While it’s better to know some Spanish (it will make your trip SO much easier)… I went to Peru with only about 10 Spanish words and I was okay. Cusco and the Sacred Valley are also easier with limited Spanish than the jungle or other more remote areas.
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Amanda Reply:
April 8th, 2013 at 9:43 am
Ladies, thank you very much for your advice. I appreciate the time you take to keep this blog up. If I cannot make it to Peru, at least I can live vicariously through you. Thanks, and take care. =)
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Hi Amanda,
Thanks for your comment! I agree with Fran, there are quite a few foreigners with no Spanish in Pisac and they manage to get by. However, being able to communicate in Spanish defintiely gives you a richer experience as you are able to communicate with locals and get a real feel for the culture.
Thousands of tourists come through the Sacred Valley each year to visit Cusco and Machu Picchu so the tourism infrastructure is quite developed and most people involved in the tourism industry speak some level of English which also makes communicating a little easier.
However, like any place you visit it’s always nice to speak a few words of the local language. Hasta luego!
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