Yucay

Location: Rediscover Machu Picchu > The Sacred Valley > Yucay

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The Village of Yucay in the Sacred Valley

Yucay is located in the Sacred Valley (Urubamba Valley) near the bigger town of Urubamba. The Vilcanota River runs close to the road linking the two settlements.

By road one can easily reach the towns/villages of Calca, Písac, to the east, the towns of Ollantaytambo and Urubamba to the west, Maras and Chinchero to the south and city of Cuzco to the southeast.

Yucay is not among the top attractions in the Sacred Valley, but if you have the time to travel between the towns, then you should also stop here.

About Yucay

The altitude level of Yucay is 2.890 m. Which is quite high for a North American or European tourist...

After staying a week in Cuzco, you should get used to the altitudes and climate.

Interestingly, Yucay is actually lower than Machu Picchu. (which is about 300 m below this altitude).

Yucay's Attractions and Tourist Activities

The Palacio de la Ñusta (Palace of the Ñusta) is  one of Yucay's most important buildings. These are the ruins of the palace that belonged to Inca Sauri Túpac.

Inca andinas are also found in the area around Yucay.

The soil around this village is highly fertile and even during Inca times it was highly productive agriculturally.

Close to the village you will have the opportunity to hike, bike, sometimes they even organize aerostat flights.

Yucay's area is particularly adequate for downhill mountain biking.

Agents sometimes organize trips to the nearby lakes of Lago Negro (Black Lake) and the mountain peak of San Juán, located in the east, in the direction of the Huayllabamba village.

There is even a luxury hotel called Posada del Inca in Yucay.

But, most likely you are a budget tourist. Then, the Alhambra Hotel (a 300 year-old building) could be a place to stay. A nice building with 17 rooms. It is said that one them is haunted.

Yucay's name is Spanish and it means something like "deceit".

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Yucay was an Inca village. An Inca rebel called Inca Sauri Túpac was is builder. He was also one of the Vilcabamba Incas who rebelled against the Spaniards during the colonization.

Getting There

A trip to Yucay can be very short, duration of just a few hours, meaning that sleeping there is not necessary. Though, if you need it, you will find hotels there.

Yucay is between Urubamba and Písac, so there will be many travelers going through it. Perhaps the best idea is to go from Cuzco to Písac and from there to Urubamba and stop over at Yucay.

From Urubamba you could continue your journey to Ollantaytambo and from there with the train to Machu Picchu.

A bus/car from Cuzco will the you to Yucay in about one and a half hours. The distance is approximately 80 km (48 mi).

Calca is 30 km (18.6 mi) away from Yucay and Urubamba at about 3 km (1.8 mi) away.

You could even walk from Yucay to Urubamba, however, some drivers are pretty fast and walking on the road might not be a nice experience. But it can be done.