Tipon Pikillacta Ruins – Piquillacta Ruins and Andahuaylillas Church

South Valley Tour in Cusco is a half day tour. It takes you to three lesser known sites. Tipon Pikillacta Ruins and Andahuaylillas town.

The tour is a perfect combination with the Sacred Valley tour. Combining both these tours will give you a complete overview of Incan and Pre Inca Wari architecture.

It is best to do this while you are acclimatising before your trek to Machu Picchu. Since most treks like Lares Trek or Inca Trail needs you to be acclimatised to avoid altitude sickness.

Sacred Valley, South Valley and Cusco City tour will give you an introduction on what to expect in Machu Picchu.

Tipon:

The Incas built Tipon in the 15th century. The archeological site is over 239 hectares. Infact, it is among the most impressive sites in the Sacred Valley.

The site comprises of agricultural terraces and finely designed water channels. Tipon has one of the impressive irrigation systems. These water channels feed the site with fresh natural spring water.

Tipon is popular for guinea pig meat or cuy. It is considered as the cuy capital of the country. During weekends, locals travel here to eat their favourite meat.

Pikillacta Ruins:

Pikillacta is a pre-Incan archeological site. It was built by Waris. It gets its name from two Quechua words. Piki means flea and llacta means town. The Waris ruled the region for 400 years. They were the first ones to inhabit here.

The archeological site served as religious, political and administrative centre to Waris. On this guided tour you will get an introduction to Wari culture.

There is no direct water supply. The prime source of water is from Wakrapay lagoon. It is located roughly one kilometre away. 

Andahuaylillas:

Andahuaylillas is a small village near the city of Cusco. The village is home to a white washed church, San Pedro Apostol. It is the Sistine Chapel of America. In the late 16th century, the Spaniards built the church to cement their conquest over Incas.

The church is now a heritage site. Although to most, it may not seem attractive from the outside. It’s interiors however, are stunning. The artistic walls of the chapel harbours colonial paintings. 

Why Encuentros Peru Adventure?

As a local travel agency based in Cusco, we operate the South Valley Tour on a daily basis. All our tour guides are locals. They are born and raised in the region.

Our guides have a wealth of knowledge about the history and culture. They are also fluent in English. You will have the best experience with us exploring the Inca and Pre Inca sites.