News network CNN website's travel section continues to praise and promote Peruvian landmarks, this time focusing on South-Andean Cusco region's Sacred Valley of the Incas.
The
article comes just days after featuring the Inca country as its
Released on July 1, CNN's article successfully puts into words the enigmatic —and majestic— beauty of Pisac, Moray, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Machu Picchu, known precisely for rendering visitors speechless.
Pisac
Best-known for its famous Sunday market in the town plaza, the colonial village of Pisac is the ultimate souvenir-shopping spot: from knitted alpaca wool clothing, to ceramics and finely wrought silver.
But —as CNN justly points out— it is Pisac's fortress that makes the town such a must-visit destination.
Stone water channels, a solid granite Inca altar and dazzling views await those who dare venture onto its heights.
Chinchero, birthplace of the rainbow
Also a picturesque village, Chinchero oozes Inca heritage in the form of ruins and intricate traditional textiles.
While unusually private (visitors are required to pay), CNN assures the visit is worth every penny.
"The [textiles'] colors can be as subtle or vivid as the women choose and cover the entire rainbow, with at least five types of green, depending on the leaves used, or bright crimson created by crushing dried cochineal bugs with a pestle and mortar," the article reads.
Moray
Having visited a Sunday market and a textile festival, CNN Travel then takes the reader to an agricultural lab.
"The amphitheater penetrating deep into a hilltop is made of a series of descending concentric rings. Each level, experts believe, simulated a different altitude, allowing the Incas to experiment with different crops for their vast empire," the publication explains.
Centuries later, Moray will now host a different kind of experiments: culinary ones. CNN goes on to inform widely-acclaimed Peruvian Chef Virgilio Martinez has chosen the tiny village to open a culinary complex, where his team will be testing new crops on the center's own land.
Ollantaytambo
The village provides the setting for some great walks and bike-rides in its grid of cobbled streets, which CNN describes as "the finest surviving example of Inca urban planning."
Like all the spots on the list, Ollantaytambo also boasts stunning Inca ruins —two of them— including another terraced fort.
For a taste of classic Andean gastronomy and an atmospheric place to stay, the article presents El Albergue, thought to be the Valley's oldest functioning hotel.
Machu Picchu
No introductions needed here; suffice it to say the citadel is the best proof that man-made manifestations can harmoniously co-exist with mother nature's jaw-dropping wonders.
CNN underscores both Machu Picchu's "sugarloaf mountains draped in emerald cloud forest" and the quality of the archaeological site's exquisitely executed stonework.
The article also drops a few tips for a not-so-rushed tour around the ruins, like overnighting in the small town below to begin the visit as the gates open (5:00 AM) or choosing to go without a guide for a pressure-free experience.
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