By Marisol Discovering Cusco and the Urubamba Valley There are so many new options coming up in Cusco and the Urubamba Valley - to stay the night, to dine and to be active - there was no doubt that part of our trip was going to be spent in the area, trying out new services and hotels. I define the Urubamba Valley as the area between Pisac and Ollantaytambo and also encompassing the town of Chinchero and the archaeological remains of Maras and Moray. This is an area where Aracari guests stop for a few days after they land at Cusco airport. The reason they do this is because it is a valley of absolute beauty that lends itself to a variety of outdoor pursuits, and lies at lower altitude than Cusco, making acclimatisation easier. Plus there are wonderful places to stay:  luxury hotels, lodges and private villas. After our guests visit this area, they go to Machu Picchu (which is the goal of most everyone's trip), and then they visit the city of Cusco. The whole area has changed much over the years since I have been travelling here,  and there is so much on offer: different options for different tastes, which is a wonderful thing. We also have new people to meet and old friends to visit,  and there was a great deal of fun to be had! On arrival into Cusco Wanchaq Station, after our 11 hour train ride from Puno on the Andean Explorer, we were swiftly whisked to Urubamba town  (1 hour and 30 minutes), on the outskirts of which the lovely Rio Sagrado hotel is situated.  On the way, we saw the sunset over the Vilcabamba range, which was fantastic. Urubamba is a sad case of poor (or rather a complete lack of) orderly development,