Traditional Cusco Tours
City Tour
The Cathedral
Built between 1560 and 1664 with large blocks of red granite extracted from the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, is one of the most impressive buildings of the city.
Qorikancha and Convent of Santo Domingo
The convent was built over the spectacular Qorikancha or Gold site, It was the most important temple dedicated to worship the sun, whose walls were covered with gold sheets.
Saqsayhuaman
An imposing example of Inca military architecture, this fort was built with large blocks of granite to guard the city of Cusco from the invaders’ attacks.
Qenqo and Puka Pukara
Qenqo is a ritual site built on a unique outcrop limestone, with underground galleries and a semicircular amphitheater. Puka Pukara (red fortress in Quechua) is a military construction made up of stairways, terraces and large walls which are part of the defense system of the empire's capital
Tambomachay
Also known as the Inca Baths apparently was a place to worship the water and rest of the monarch of the empire. Outstanding in its system of aqueducts, canals and cascades carved in stone, designed to channel water from a nearby spring.
Sacred Valley
Pisac (Mercado Ruins)
Pisac is located 33 km from Cusco by a paved road. There is an old town, an archaeological site considered among the most important of Cusco, and a modern town from colonial origins. Pisac also has a Sunday’s market which attracts thousands of visitors not only tourists but also from remote villages, dressed in their colorful traditional clothing.
Chinchero
This village is located 28km from Cusco on the road to Urubamba. In Chinchero there are the remains of what was the royal house of Tupac Inca Yupanqui, as well as a beautiful colonial temple built on Inca foundations.
Its main attraction, however, is its Sunday market, originally dedicated to the exchange of goods between residents from the valley and residents from the highlands.
Ollantaytambo
Typical Inca town located 21 km from Urubamba (2800 m.a.s.l.). It was named in honor of the chief Ollanta, famous for his romance with an Inca princess, Pachacutec’s daughter. One of his best preserved areas lies north of the square Hanan Huacaypata: A total of 15 blocks of houses built on walls.
South Valley
Tipon
This beautiful set of agricultural terraces, long stairways and channels carved on stone are located about 20 km to the south of city. Apparently, the site of Tipon was part of the real house of the Huaca Inca Yahuar, at the same time it was use for experimentation in agriculture.
Pikillacta
Built during the peak of the Wari culture (500-900 AD) this large urban and ceremonial center of about 2 square kilometers of extension stands as a massive set of stone and clay structures concentrated on a hill overlooking the beautiful Lucre lagoon. Pikillacta or Flea City is perhaps the greatest pre-Inca city in the region and its name is derived from the presence of many enclosures of only 4 square meters, which apparently were part of a military garrison.
Andahuaylillas
One of the most beautiful colonial towns in the region, located at 40 km from Cusco. It has a beautiful square dominated by pisonay leafy trees and surrounded by old houses.
Its main attraction is its unique church, San Pedro of Andahuaylillas, built in the seventeenth century and considered as Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Maras Moray
Maras
Maras is a small village located 40 km from Cusco, taking a detour on the road to Urubamba.
Its unique appeal, besides its colonial church, are mine salt or salt mines, located near the town, that captivate observers and, above all, photographers.
Moray
Moray (3,500 meters) is located only 7 km from Maras, although dirt road that leads to it’s not always in good condition. It is famous for its sunken amphitheater, made up of four circular terraces which seem to disappear into the interior of the puna l, like an artificial crater. Apparently, the place was an Inca agricultural research center devoted to testing agriculture fields around the different altitude levels of their land (some more than 100 meters deep).
Machu Picchu
The citadel of Machu Picchu is by far the most important tourist attractions of Cusco. Located 3 hours by train from the city, but can also be reached on foot (4 days by the Inca Trail).
Discovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, this citadel is considered one of the most extraordinary examples of landscape architecture in the world.