Cusco city Tour

[Carla Barrientos]

It’s 9:35 p.m. now. I’ve already had dinner and in a while I’ll go out to meet friends from all the groups I met during my stay in Arequipa, to go to a disco or so, near Plaza de Armas!
Important: don’t litter the path! And if you take your country flag or other objects, bring them back with you! Mother Nature and other tourists say thanks!

Cusco: Where is it? How to get there? What to do there? What is the best time of year to get around?
Why is it so important?
The answers to these questions you’ll find here!

In western South America there is a country named Peru. In the southeast of this charming country, is the department of Cusco, and its capital city has the same name that means “navel”. That’s why Cuzco is known by natives as the “navel of the world”!
The city of Cusco is considered the oldest “living” city of the Americas, about 3.000 years old! This spectacular city offers all kinds of activities, for all kinds of interests! Its culture, gastronomy, people, nature, tourist services, privileged landscape, not to mention the surrounding ruins, make Cuzco a place for fulfilling wishes!
It is considered by UNESCO a “World’s Heritage” site. It is also one of the “New Seven Wonders” of the world!
1. History
History tells about half-Gods Manco Cápac and his sister-wife Mama Ocllo, son and daughter of the Sun God. They emerged from the Titicaca lake waters seeking for a place to settle kingdom in order to help their people! One day, after walking through the land, their golden scepter disappeared into the ground, signing where their empire was to be raised! This place is what nowadays we know as Cusco.
For centuries, people from all over the Incan empire (from the north of Colombia to the south of Argentina), would come to Cusco, to feel the splendor of the most important city of the empire!
Then came the Spanish conquistadors who brought Spanish lifestyle and architecture. Some of their buildings mixed with Incan fortresses and temples still stand.
But Cusco is not a site that lives only from the past, nowadays it is adapting to modernity with the help of its government, and offers great discos, restaurants, schools, transportation, communication systems, hotels…
And, lets add to all this, the fact that it is from Cusco that we can reach “The Lost city of the Incas”: Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, the Urubamba Valley and many other sites of interest in the region.

2. Getting there
First of all go to Lima (capital city of Peru). There are some options of flights departing from the most important cities in South America as well as buses.
In Lima the best option is to take a flight to Cusco’s airport, which takes 1 hour. The departures are in the morning (first - 05:40 am /last - 3 pm) because in the afternoon it gets too windy to fly. Airfares are cheap if booked inside Peru (USD180 roundtrip). These are the airlines that offers such flights: ????
If you decide to take a bus be prepared for a 20-hour trip (depending on the route, it can be longer!)! They are cheaper but very tiring if you don’t have the opportunity to stop to stretch up and enjoy the view. In this case, one should travel by night. The best bus companies for this route are: ???

3. Where to stay
The start point in Cusco is the Plaza de Armas. The best and most expensive hotels are right there but the noise may be a problem for some people wanting to relax. And high prices may not mean high-quality services. A great option is to stay in hotels in the surrounding areas that offer great services, are well-located and have good prices. If you want to avoid noise and crowds, don’t stay near the market or the train station (I think it’s obvious these places are not so calm!)
If you travel alone or like to stay out late, avoid the area that goes north from the Plaza de Armas. The steep streets may be dangerous. In my opinion the best hotel options are: ????

4. What to do
First of all take a city tour to learn about history and culture by visiting the Colonial Cathedral (Qoricancha ruins), the Temple of the Sun, the “Popular Art Museum”, the Market, the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, Tambomachay, and the Plaza de Armas. Be sure to ask your agent/guide, prior to depart if the entrance fees are included in the price and also about the “Boleto turístico”. The whole tour takes around 5 hours in a tourist bus, and there are morning and afternoon options. Depending on the arrival time in Cusco, you can take the tour the same day! It is important to spend at least 2 days down in Cusco to acclimatize before going up to Machu Picchu, mostly if you’re taking the Inca Trail.
After the city tour, visiting the Sacred Valley is a must-do! It is usually done after the city tour, the day after it, and the tour includes visitation to the most important archeological sites of the Incan Empire! Nature itself is awesome and the tour is kind of circular-shape taking us to the villages of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Urubamba and Chinchero, from where we go back to Cusco. The Sunday fair in Pisac is really worth visiting! Some dare say the Ollanta ruins are greater than the Machu Picchu ones. One must visit both to draw self conclusions! Also in Ollanta it is possible to see the “Viracocha God” face carved in a mountain…
Once you’ve taken both tours, it’s time to enjoy nightlife: bars and discos are open all night (up to 4/5 a.m.) and the best-known ones are near the Plaza de Armas. Very interesting as well, are the live music concerts in pubs, bars and also in Teatro Municipal. Your agent can give you all details! There are also cinema and theatre options both in cinemas and theatres and in pubs/bars that receive international clients.

5. When to go there?
The skies are clearer from April to May, but until November, it’s the best time of year to go to Cusco. From December to March it’s the rainy season there. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is closed in February for maintenance, but the ruins can still be visited form Aguas Calientes or Ollantaytambo.

Now, let’s go deeper into Peru’s best known-ruins: Machu Picchu!