Day 10: Parcco to Cusco
Plotting our trip itinerary a couple months ago, we figured today was simply a travel day at the end of our nine-day Sacred Valley expedition. Or better yet, a sleep-in and travel day! Either way, not much was planned, except Explora would bid us adieu at some point and drive us to our next destination in Cusco.
Then during our return to Explora last night, the staff asked us about our plans for today. They mentioned breakfast, a half-day exploration, lunch, our checkout time, and our transfer to… WAIT… did you say “half-day exploration”?!? Heck yeah! We can sleep-in when we are back in Chicago. As long as we are in Peru, let’s set those alarms and get after it. So we asked Brai for his favorite half-day exploration and inquired if Mati would be available as our guide. The exploration was good-to-go, but it was late and the Explora guest/guide speed-dating hours had concluded, so we didn’t hear back from Mati. Only (morning) time would tell.
Walking into the dining room at 6AM today, it was a promising sign when we saw a Patagonia R1-Air Hoody-draped figure sitting mysteriously in the corner like Explora Strider. Yeah, he tried to make us sweat it out a bit, but we got him. “See you at the big map shortly!” Mati said. We’ve won the guide lottery and the day is off to an incredible start.
Yapa Cappucino!
Speaking of incredible, Luis was spot-on about the French Toast
After stocking up on Sublime chocolates and stepping over to the big map at 6:45AM sharp, Mati filled us in on additional details about our hike for the day, called Parcco. The hardest part was the two-hour drive to get there, up windy dirt roads for the last 30 minutes. Jo got pretty car sick, and needed 5-10 minutes of fresh air, but recovered quickly and we were on our way.
Welcome to ACTUAL Peru Dry Season™
The hike started at over 4300m with a steep uphill over the straw/grass vegetation we’re familiar with in the Puna zone. Much easier to walk on without the snow. We walked along nature paths built by white tail deer (we saw one!) and pumas (we saw none) until we got to a high point with an unobstructed view all around us. There were zero clouds in the sky and visibility forever. We had a better view of Salkantay on this hike than we did from the Salkantay trail.
Explora guide lottery winners
Picture-perfect Pitusiray
Picture-perfect Panorama
We continued to hike, walking along a ridge until we reached another high point. We saw more great views of the surrounding hills, mountains, and lagoons. To the south, Mati pointed out his favorite full-day exploration called Huchuy Qosqo (we’ll have to do that one next time). To the west, we could see the Auzangate Mountain Range, quite a distance away. And while Explora’s official “Five Lagoons” exploration is not too far away from this location, we found a “Four Lagoons” version at our feet.
Pointing out future Peru hikes
Puna primary color palette
Hear me out… FOUR Lagoons Exploration
Perfect Parcco day with Mati
Mati remains a huge fan of botany, so he also talked about the various plants we found along the way, including the one that looks like the emoji flower on WhatsApp.
There is definitely a resemblance… 🌺
We grabbed a snack break on a flat section just below the high point and kept a lookout for pumas that have been known to wander and nap in this area. Given our luck spotting Pumas, we were completely safe. We took in one last 360-degree view of the landscape and continued hiking down the mountain, passing hairy cacti we made sure not to fall on. As we got close to the car, we opted to skip the picnic table of snacks and drinks and eat in the car in order to save some time. We weren’t in a complete rush, but we still had a lot to do back at the hotel before our departure at 3:30PM.
Don’t argue with these guys
No Pumas sneaking around today
One more for the calendar
Parcco hike details
Fortunately, our ride down to the valley went much better and Jo did not get car sick. First order of business back at the hotel was using our gift shop credit for a collection of Explora t-shirts and a snazzy teal zip-up jacket for Jo. Second order of business was lunch! We started Explora with ceviche and we ended Explora with ceviche. It’s so good. The server also recommended sharing ALL the appetizers on the menu, and we gladly agreed. Beet pasta, causa de pollo, watermelon ceviche, and caprese salad were all amazing.
One more delicious Explora lunch
After lunch, our third order of business was a mad dash back to our room to pack up ALL of our stuff in time for our 3PM checkout. The later checkout was extremely helpful last night when we needed to go to sleep for our morning hike, but now we had about one hour to re-organize and re-pack. Thankfully, we made it just in time. The staff grabbed our bags, we gathered in the lobby, and awaited our transportation to the Montesario Belmond Hotel in Cusco.
Only Puma we saw today… on our way thru Calca
Leaving Explora is sad, but there is some great news! In a complete coincidence, Nan and Britt are also travelling to Cusco for the next several days AND they are also staying at the Montesario Belmond Hotel. What are the odds?! So, in addition to sharing our ride to Cusco, we’ll get to spend a couple more days with them (if they don’t mind).
Upon our evening arrival to the Montesario in Cusco, we bid our Explora diver farewell and we checked in to the new hotel. As the name implies, it is a refurbished Baroque seminary built in the 17th century on Inca foundations. So yeah, the place has plenty of character. They even presented our room keys in a tiny little treasure chest with a dramatic flourish. We somehow got upgraded two levels to a room with a lofted living room area, a nespreso machine, and a minibar with everything included in the rate. This is an excellent way to ease of pain of leaving Explora.
Montesario has character in spades
300-year old Andean Cedar is courtyard centerpiece
Nan and Britt had dinner reservations at Limo, a Peruian and Japanese fusion restaurant located on the Plaza de Armas, and invited us to join. The food was amazing — as was the company! — and, as a bonus, the restaurant overlooked a parade below. We already knew the city’s Inti Raymi festival was two days away. What we didn’t know was that the entire city has been celebrating for the last 12 days in preparation! We went outside to watch the parade for just a few minutes before heading back to the hotel and immediately falling asleep.
Quebranta tabernero pisco, togarashi ginger, passion fruit, and limo chili. YUM.
We’ve had a lot of early mornings, but tomorrow we have no set plan! Just eat breakfast before it ends, wander around Cusco and see if any of the places/museums we want to go to are open, and maybe catch a hotel art tour later in the afternoon. How relaxing!
