Those many of us star-struck by Peru and its Inca heritage will perk up at news of this inspired trip. Land of the Incas jumps us off the usual, inevitably rather rutted travelers' routes in the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba, Machu Picchu, and Cusco, taking us on a series of rare and beauteous day hikes, allowing us to walk around and up and down to these intriguing ruins, putting them in geographic, historic, and aesthetic context.

Clark Kotula, who pays tribute to his beloved Peru with Land of the Incas, lived and worked in the Inca heartland for many years. "This is a stop-and-smell-the-roses trip," Clark says, "taking us on the path less trodden, allowing us to interact with the Andean people and their soaring landscapes along the way. These are the hikes that guides in Cusco take on their days off."

Our rambles around the Sacred Valley take us to classic sites like Huchuy Qosqo, the third-largest and perhaps most important ruin in the area, which sits on an exposed bluff 1000 feet above the valley, graced with vast views. We reach the ruins by hiking in sweet solitude through alpaca grazing lands, and finally through a hidden canyon, light-years off the bus routes. And after hiking to Huancacalle, Taray, Pisac, Huyallabamba, Patacancha, Ollantaytambo, etcetera, we return each of five nights to the Sol y Luna, a tranquil garden oasis hotel that utterly lacks, we're happy to say, in-room television sets.

We end with a day on the famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and, after a good look at the fabulous ruins, we'll enjoy a little more inspired day hiking and city-wandering in Cusco before heading home.