Destination

Cusco

At 3,399 meters, Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and remains the gateway to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, and Rainbow Mountain. Walk five minutes from the Plaza de Armas and you’ll find Inca stonework still holding up colonial buildings built directly on top of it.

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.

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