Peru Guide
Around Cusco
Urcos
The town of URCOS rests on the valley floor surrounded by weirdly sculpted hills and is centred on the Plaza de Armas, where a number of huge old trees give shade to Indians selling bread, soup, oranges and vegetables. On one side of the plaza, which is particularly busy during the town's excellent, traditional Sunday market, there's a large, crumbling old church; on the other, low adobe buildings.
There's no high-quality accommodation in Urcos, but you can usually find a room around the Plaza de Armas. Try Hostal Luvic, Belaunde 196 (no phone; Price: Under $5), just to the right of the church; Alojamiento Municipal, Jr Vallejo 137 (no phone; Price: Under $5), next to the telephones; the Alojamiento El Amigo, half a block up from the left of the church (no phone; Price: Under $5); or an unnamed place, C Arica 316 (no phone; Price: Under $5), on the street coming from Cusco. All are very basic, crumbling old buildings with communal bathrooms.
There are a couple of reasonable restaurants on the Plaza de Armas, notably El Cisne Azul and the Comedor Municipal, both serving the Andean speciality quinoa soup, made of a highly nutritious grain grown at high altitudes and reputed to be good for skin problems. Although Urcos is not really a tourist town, the occasional traveller is made welcome; in the backstreets you can stop off at one of the tiendas (advertised by a pole with a blob of red plastic on the end) for a glass of chicha beer and some friendly conversation. Note that electricity only lasts until midnight, so take some candles or a torch if you plan to be out late. You can get a truck from Urcos all the way to Puerto Maldonado in the jungle, a journey that takes anything from three days to two weeks depending on how much it rains (at its worst between December and March).