Besides the beauty of the landscape in the towns located in the " Valle Sagrado de los Incas" (Sacred Valley of the Inca), near Cusco, other towns are located, that also because of the importance of their archaeological locations, beauty of their fields and landscapes, are an excellent destination. We recommend the visit to the places that are described next.

Chinchero
Located at the northwest of Cusco, at 28 km.(17.4 miles), called "El Pueblo Del Arco Iris" (the town of the rainbow), it is located in a valley, the town of Hispanic architecture is built on old Inca constructions. Its people are the most conservative of the Inca traditions, wearing picturesque clothing. Every Sunday they carry out the "catu", exchange fair of agricultural products, in which the use of the currency is discarded and everything is made in exchange. Also outstanding the textile crafts (crafts as well as local produce).

The town, has a beautiful colonial church, with famous paintings of the Escuela Cusqueña . Beautiful Andean landscapes surround the town, outstanding the beauty of the snowy mountains Chicon and Veronica of the Mountain Range of Urubamba.

Moray
This is a strange place. Area located at 53 km northwest of Cusco, highlights an admirable Inca experimental farm, where a natural depression has been transformed in enormous terraces superimposed in concentric form with a shape of a great coliseum, achieving up to 150 meters in difference of height levels. This technology allowed the old Inca farmers to study the effect of altitude on different plants and create diverse weathers, to experience and to obtain varieties of plants that improved their crops. It was a great laboratory.

Maras
It is a bizarre site. Area located at 60 km. (37 miles) and 7 km (4.3 miles) of Moray, where layers of beige and white salt pants are still used to crystallize salt from water. These mines were exploited from pre-Hispanic time. The disposition in the ways used for the extraction of the salt, transforms it into a spectacular scenario. These mines are located very near the town of Maras.

The following places and towns are in the route and to the margin of the train line between Cusco and Juliaca - Puno, on the valley of Huatanay.

San Sebastián
Town located at 5 km. (3 miles) southeast of Cusco, in front of their Main Square highlights a beautiful colonial church, with facade of carved stone and richly ornamented, of Baroque style, beautiful collection of paintings with Saint John the Baptist's life. Their two towers are identical, in spite of the fact that they were built with a 155 year-old difference. Very near this church, is located "Capilla de San Lázaro" (the chapel of San Lázaro), where numerous Spaniards were buried death in the "Guerra de Las Salinas" (War of Las Salinas), in the battle that was sustained between the Spanish conquerors Hernando Pizarro and Diego de Almagro for the domain of Cusco in 1538.

Tipón
Inca archaeological area, located at 23 km. (14 miles) southeast of Cusco. Agricultural area, megalithic buildings and a citadel. A great "andenería" (terraces) group, with terraces of great size that diminish of area when ascending to the mountain. A great wall goes over all the contours of this area; at the center a group of buildings built with immense rocks, and remains of an old citadel. In this area a great Inca population existed.

Lucre
Small town located at 35 km. (22 miles) southeast of Cusco, beautiful Andean landscapes, and a beautiful lagoon, where families living in Cusco go on Sunday for walks, vacation and recess center.

Piquillacta
Inca archaeological area, located at 38 km. (23.6 miles) southeast of Cusco, remains of a city that occupied an area of 50 hectares, big buildings, some of two floors, embankments, big walls that reach up to 7 m height, aqueducts. Also highlights the great quantity of colcas (deposits of grains), and the style of their construction, with small stones, put together with mud. This location is a place where you can also magnify the reach achieved by the Inca in the architecture and urban organization. The historians attribute to this place a character of military defense and center of supplies, for the big deposits of agricultural products, tools, dresses and war weapons that have been found.

Rumicolca
Inca archaeological area, located at 39 km. (24.2 miles) southeast of Cusco and at 1 km. (0.62 miles) of Piquillacta. It constituted the main and obligatory entrance to Cusco in the route to the Collasuyo (county of the south, in the Tahuantisuyo), with functions of customs. A great and imposing cover built in carved stone, surrounded with high walls in which inferior vertex a water channel runs, also a great aqueduct that was used to take water to the population of Piquillacta.

Andahuaylillas
Town located at 45 km southeast of Cusco; it has a church with humble external aspect that keeps one of the most valuable jewel of the colonial art in Peru, denominated the Capilla Sixtina of Peru." The interior of the Church of San Pedro of Andahuaylillas is an explosion of Baroque art with great quantity of decorations. It was built in 1631, and according to the Spanish tradition, about an Inca temple, it has numerous and beautiful paintings of the Escuela Cusqueña; its altars and wood carvings are beautiful pieces elaborated in leaf of gold, its colored roof is a perfect beauty.

Paucartambo
Town of Spanish Colonial and Inca (mestizo) architecture, 4,300 meters above sea level (14,107 feet). It is located northeast of the city of Cusco, on the Andean area, with beautiful landscapes, and it is the entrance door to the forest area of Cusco. It has rich Inca archaeological locations in its periphery. Known as the folkloric capital of Cusco, for the abundance of autochthonous dances of Inca origin that are conserved in this region.