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- Huchuy Qosqo ruins — A compact, quietly impressive Inca site of stone houses, terraces and irrigation channels that feels almost untouched compared with bigger sites. You can wander the platforms and small fountains with hardly anyone around, which makes the intimate scale and clever farming engineering stand out.
- Panoramic view of Nevado Verónica and the Sacred Valley (personal favorite) — From the ridge above the ruins the valley plunges away toward the Urubamba and the snow-capped peak of Verónica dominates the skyline. That contrast—lush, terraced valley below and a towering glacier above—makes for one of the most dramatic, camera-ready views in the region.
- Original Inca trail sections and stone stairways — Parts of the route are the actual old Inca camino: worn stone slabs, steep
- Huchuy Qosqo ruins — A compact, quietly impressive Inca site of stone houses, terraces and irrigation channels that feels almost untouched compared with bigger sites. You can wander the platforms and small fountains with hardly anyone around, which makes the intimate scale and clever farming engineering stand out.
- Panoramic view of Nevado Verónica and the Sacred Valley (personal favorite) — From the ridge above the ruins the valley plunges away toward the Urubamba and the snow-capped peak of Verónica dominates the skyline. That contrast—lush, terraced valley below and a towering glacier above—makes for one of the most dramatic, camera-ready views in the region.
- Original Inca trail sections and stone stairways — Parts of the route are the actual old Inca camino: worn stone slabs, steep steps and narrow causeways that still guide you through the landscape. Walking on those stones gives the hike a real ”you’re following footsteps from centuries ago” feeling you don’t get on modern tracks.
- Highland villages and local life — The trek threads tiny farming communities where llamas and alpacas graze, locals tend terraced fields, and you’ll often pass people in traditional clothing. It’s low-tourist, so simple local interactions—sharing mate de coca or watching shepherds—feel authentic rather than staged.
- Rapid change of ecosystems, wildflowers and birdlife — In a short distance you’ll climb between valley, puna and cloud-forest edges, which brings surprising plant variety and lots of small birds (tanagers, warblers) and the occasional raptor. That sharp ecological shift in one day is a neat reminder of how varied the Andes are, even on a modest trek.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past decade, I’ve backpacked through 80+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.