Quillabamba is a small town in the Peruvian cloud forest, at about 180 kilometers from Cusco (a 6 hour bus drive). The cloud forest has a tropical climate and the clouds sprinkle the forest in a fine mist. Quillabamba is also known as "the town of the eternal summer", for its pleasant climate. The whole year through, the temperatures are between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius and at night the temperature hardly drops. From December until April it´s the rainy season, the rest of the year is known as the dry season.
If you´ve not had the opportunity to visit the ´real´ jungle of Peru, then this is a trip you should definitely take to get a taste of what the jungle is really like! Because of its fertile soil, Quillabamba is known for its agriculture of coffee, the cacao bean and a great variety of fruits: like mangos, bananas and also less known fruits such as "yaca" and "pakay". It is also one of Peru’s most important tea producing area.
Approaching Quillabamba, we´ll travel by roads surrounded by banana plants and pass by spectacular waterfalls.
About 3 and a half hours drive from Quillabamba are the Vilcabamba ruins.
There are two parts that exist to these ruins: Rosas Pata y Ñusta Hispana. The Vilcabamba ruins were the last place that Manco Inca and his followers stayed after the Spaniards defeated the Incas in Ollantaytambo. |
