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The least popular tour and the least visited sites in the Sacred Valley (Valle Sagrado) are on the Southern Circuit (Circuito Sur). It’s unfortunate because these ruins are equally as spectacular as the others in the valley.
Tours
The tour runs from 9am to 2:30pm and covers three different sites. You’ll likely have a much smaller group and the ruins to yourself on this tour. It costs US$14 (as of July 2023) and can be booked at any tour office in Cusco. You’ll need to have a Cusco Touristic Ticket (Boleto Turístico) to enter most the sites on the tour.
Tipón
Hidden away in the mountains is Tipón, our first stop. Tipón is one of the more visually appealing ruins I visited. Admission is covered in the Cusco Touristic Ticket.
It was an Inca town with an important irrigation system that is wonderfully intact today. The source is an underground spring from the mountains.
The small water channels flow along the terraces down each level.
The remains of a royal bath sit along one of the terraces. Inca rulers and their wives used to bathe there in privacy.
There are also a few structures at the site but they aren’t nearly as interesting or impressive as the irrigation system.
Pikillaqta
Next, we stopped at Pikillaqta. This pre-Inca city was founded around 850 by the Wari culture. It was a walled city supporting about 12,000 inhabitants. Admission is covered in the Cusco Touristic Ticket.
The walls were sometimes three levels high. The entrances to all homes and buildings were located within the walls.
The site was occupied until about 1100 when it was abruptly abandoned. It was incomplete at that time, and archaeologists believe that residents set fire to the town as they left. One section of the site is covered and shows that the walls were covered with white plaster.
Andahuaylillas
Just a short drive from Pikillaqta was the pleasant town of Andahuaylillas. This small town in the mountains has the Temple of San Pedro Apóstol (Templo de San Pedro Apóstol), one of the most spectacular churches in Peru. Admission is an extra S/15 (as of July 2022), and I was given a CD containing photos. Photos are prohibited inside.
The interior is one of the most beautiful churches I have seen and is well worth a visit. It’s nicknamed the “Sistine Chapel of the Americas”.
The church sits on a large plaza. There are a few historical buildings around the plaza.
Andahuaylillas has a few historical buildings in town that are well marked. It’s a small place and wandering through the streets doesn’t take long.
Oropesa
Our final stop before heading back to Cusco was a bakery in Oropesa. This town is famous for its bread.
