Yucay is as small as Lamay and as untouristy as Urubamba. That’s most of its appeal. It’s a quaint and very old fashioned town where almost all buildings are adobe and almost everybody is a farmer. It’s a great place to stop for an hour or two and wander around. It’s only a 10 minute drive from Urubamba, on the road towards Pisac.

There are also paths through the fields from Urubamba to Yucay, if you want to go for a walk. It can take an hour or so to wind your way along the edge of the fields. Start at the Huayna Capac palace in Urubamba and keep walking east where the hills meet the edge of the fields. There are always people out working their fields, so don’t hesitate to stop and ask for directions. This is the sort of place where it’s polite to greet everybody that you pass. If you don’t speak Spanish, at least learn to say buenos días & buenas tardes.

There are Inca terraces all along this hike, some of which lead to an old Inca mill. Like the mills of old in other parts of the world, it was a water-powered stone to grind corn or quinoa into flour. Below is a photo of me at the stream that leads up to the Inca mill.

Transport

Any transportation going between Pisac and Urubamba can drop you off in Yucay. If you walk through the fields from Urubamba to Yucay, you can flag down just about any passing van to get you back to Urubamba or continue on to Pisac.