S: The most peaceful places in Peru

Place 1: Sacred Valley

Cusco was a very energetic city with many tourists from around the world. In Plaza de Armas there are many people asking if you need a massage, if you want to buy souvenirs, make a reservation for a Machu Picchu tour or if you want to buy drugs.

The last one was the only thing that interested me. :-) After more than a week in Cusco, I bought some weed and we went to the Sacred Valley, which is near Cusco. In the Valley, there are small towns and different interesting places to visit. Most tourists visit Machu Picchu and perhaps some other Inca sites in the Sacred Valley. And if they visit, it's only for a day with an agency from Cusco. Fabienne and I, therefore, went individually to the Valley with local transportation and also with our backpacks. It was the right decision. The first two days, we slept in the small and mystical town of Pisac. Pisac is known for its Inca ruins, its tourist market, and its mystical attraction for "hippies" from all over the world. During the day, there are many tourists in the main square where the market is also located. But at night and in the ruins 300 meters above the town, there were almost no tourists. Visiting the ruins without other tourists and in this wonderful landscape was an extraordinary experience. The Incas placed the stones in a surprising way. While the stones, there is hardly any space for a knife's edge. It is also unimaginable how they built the terraces.

After Pisac, we went to Urubamba. It is a small town that is also in the Sacred Valley. In Urubamba, there are no Inca ruins, but the town is located between two other important places: Ollantaytambo, Maras, and Moray. In Urubamba, we stayed at a small and friendly B&B. A bed with its own balcony and a nice view over the Sacred Valley.

500 years ago, Moray was a place where the Incas experimented with plants like potatoes or corn and cultivated new types of crops. In Maras, salt is still extracted from the earth. Because Moray and Maras are close to Cusco and Machu Picchu and both are easy to visit, there are always many tourists who visit these places. Lots of blah blah, lots of selfie sticks, lots of souvenir shops, etc. The most beautiful thing about visiting these two places was the walk from Moray to Maras. Beautiful landscape and seeing the rural life of the locals.

Ollantaytambo is probably, before Machu Picchu and Pisac, the most interesting archaeological site in the Cusco region. But because it is also on the "Gringo Trail" and between Cusco and Machu Picchu, there are quite a few tourists who visit this place.

We liked all the tourist places in the Sacred Valley very much. But the closer we got to Machu Picchu, the more tourists there were. That's why we decided not to visit Machu Picchu. The decision was not easy, but we do not regret it.

Place 2: Amantaní Island in Lake Titicaca (3810 meters above sea level)

4 years ago, I went with my mother to Isla del Sol, which is also on Lake Titicaca, but in Bolivia. I remembered very well the tranquility and isolation. That's why we wanted to go to an island to relax.

In Amantaní, there are no cars or roads. The locals live off agriculture and a little bit of tourism. We stayed for three nights with the family of Teodosia and Gabriel. The private bed with balcony and including breakfast, lunch, and dinner cost 45 soles (approximately CHF 14). During the day, we walked a little on the island and enjoyed the tranquility of the island (and I needed to smoke all my weed because we were going directly to Bolivia and needed to cross the border :-)). Amantaní cannot be explained. You need to experience it.