Cusco

 

Glorious Inca and colonial past and picturesque geography 

Located at 11 151 feet / 3 399 meters above sea level, Cusco is not a city that one easily passes through. One could easily stay there to live, and in fact many travelers have done so. It has preserved the splendor of its ancient imperial Inca past, over which the Spanish erected their dazzling colonial architecture. At night the city wears its cosmopolitan face and the urban landscape takes on new life. Only Cusco can boast such admirable contrasts: from majestic Inca walls to beautiful baroque churches and the melancholy light of old plazas. Beyond the city of Cusco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas offers visitors charming villages where lifestyles have changes little over the centuries, along with the megalithic vestiges of the great empire established by the Incas.

Hotels

Temperatures 

Max 23ºC / 75.2°F

Min 0ºC / 32°F

Useful tips:

  • The rainy season is from December to March.
  • There are regular flights to Cusco from the following cities: Lima (1 hour) and Arequipa (30 minutes). Overland Cusco can be reached via the cities of Lima and Arequipa (26 hours), following the route Lima-Nazca-Puquio-Abancay-Cusco (20 hours), or from Puno (8 hours). There is a train service from Puno (10 hours).
  • Machu Picchu, one of the most beautiful archaeological monuments on the planet, has been acclaimed by both Peruvians and foreign nationals alike as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and UNESCO has listed it as a World Heritage Site.
  • Inti Raymi, the Inca Festival of the Sun, is held on June 24th every year on the esplanade at Sacsayhuaman, to honor the principal deity of the Inca pantheon.