After Manco Inca lost Cusco and the Sacred Valley to the Spanish in 1535, he retreated to Vilcabamba Valley and the city of Vitcos. They resisted the Spanish for over 40 years before surrendering.

After you visit the main city of Vitcos, follow the trail to Yuraq Rumi, above, which means White Rock. This is one of the great enigmas of the Inca culture, as very little information about the Inca’s life in Vitcos survived the Spanish occupation.

Vilcabamba is the new up-and-coming birding destination in the Cusco region. There are a lot of endemic species you can see in the valley but not many tour agencies have specific birding tours here-yet. Ask my recommended birding companies first before shopping around.

It’s a long drive from Cusco to Vilcabamba, so I recommend going for 2 nights. That gives you a day to drive, so you can stop at all the interesting places along the way. The second day you can visit all of Vitcos and the third you drive back to Cusco.