Cusco

Most trips give the city one night before rushing to Machu Picchu, which skips Cusco’s own sites: the Qorikancha (the Inca sun temple), the artisan quarter of San Blas, San Pedro Market, and the Sacsayhuamán, Q’enqo, and Tambomachay ruins on the edge of town.

We run full-day tours to the Sacred Valley, Maras & Moray, and Rainbow Mountain, plus the South Valley’s ruins at Tipón, Pikillacta, and Andahuaylillas — along with 3 and 4-day Cusco packages for a longer stay.

Altitude tip: Cusco sits above 3,000 meters. Plan a day to adjust before anything strenuous — most people feel it in the first 24 hours.