Magic of Cusco

Mystical sacred city, considered the capital of the Tahuantinsuyo Empire with a great historical and architectural legacy. Surrounded by green valleys with imposing tourist attractions, culture, tradition and faith still dormant. Known as the navel of the world for being the political and territorial center of the Inca Empire, the department of Cusco shows a striking geographical variety from natural mountain ranges and reliefs, to rivers like the Urubamba. The city of Cusco, located in the Andes mountain range at 3 399 m.a.s.l, was declared the Historical Capital of Peru, being an impressive sample of high Inca engineering whose main tool was stone. As well as places like Choquequirao, Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Tambomachay, Ollantaytambo and especially Machu Picchu, architectural jewel built with the wisdom of the ancient Incas that served as political, religious and administrative center of the time. The Inca citadel, located in the middle of the tropical rainforest, at about 2,430 meters above sea level, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981 and a new wonder of the modern world in 2007, it is a fantastic architectural complex built in the time of the Inca Pachacutec in the middle of a great variety of flora and fauna. The department of Cusco also has several tourist attractions such as the Sacred Valley, considered the center of production of the best grain of corn; the Neighborhood of San Blas, called the Artisans' Quarter because it houses renowned popular artists of the city; Maras, a place that has salt mines that were used since the Incas; Paucartambo, a town that still maintains its ancestral Andean culture.

Overview

Itinerary

Includes

Before you go

Quick Itinerary

Day 01: Cusco City Tour

Day 02: Sacred Valley of the Incas / Machu Picchu
Day 03: Machu Picchu

Day 04: Departure Day

Cusco is famous for:

The words are not enough to describe Cusco, just visit it and let yourself be trapped by the telluric air that is impregnated in streets and houses combined with history and modernity.

Cusco, living city and of continuous settlement in time

Cusco is the ancient capital of one of the most important cultures of Humanity, the Tahuantinsuyo and today, according to the Political Constitution of the State, is the Historical Capital of Peru. As Angel Avendaño Farfán said in "History of Qosqo Literature": "The Qosqo has the fate of great human forges like Athens, Baghdad, Cairo, Rome, Mexico, Tenochtitlan, Chichicastenango, where a corner is turned you hear the hierarchies of history ... ", adding that Cusco is one of the few heritage cities in the world, where human settlement has been continuous and permanent over time.

Cradle of intellectuals and brave men and women

Cusco is the cradle and trainer of personalities that marked a milestone in national history, such as José Gabriel Condorcanqui; Túpac Amaru II, who after completing studies at the San Borja school, initiated the revolutionary feat with repercussions in South America. In this city was also born the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Chimpu Ocllo, intellectual, famous for his Royal Commentaries, Florida del Inca. Cusco, was also the birthplace of María Trinidad Enríquez, the first woman to attend university studies in Peru and South America and the first jurist woman in Peru, also in Cusco, the first worker deputy of Peru, Francisco Gonzales, promoter of the Society of Artisans of Cusco, who left his political life to go to war with Chile, like Ladislao Espinar. They wrote pages of history and important contributions, illustrious sons that if we mentioned them and their works, they would not reach the pages of hundreds of books.

Main monuments of Cusco breathe history and resistance

The Cathedral of Cusco that rises majestically in the Main Square as the emblem of Catholicism in Cusco, was the scene of the Manco Inca uprising, between 1536 and 1572, during which the rebels besieged not only the Imperial City, also Lima and Trujillo . Behind this temple is the Major School for children of Inca chieftains, "San Borja", where Tupac Amaru II studied. Also in the main square, is the temple of the Company of Jesus, one of the few Catholic world with three doors and Cathedral level, was the scene of the torture of the great rebel Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui, after his revolution was defeated in May 1781. Seven years before independence, in Cusco, the taking of the city took place almost half a year, between August 1814 and March 1815 by the Angulo brothers and Mateo Pumacahua, who in open rebellion to Spanish power sent expeditions to Arequipa, La Paz and Huamanga, seeking their expulsion. Another place, the University Hall of the National University of San Antonio Abad, a three-hundred-year-old house of studies, was the scene of the first University Reform of America, in 1909, nine years ahead of the reform of the University of San Antonio.

Faith and tradition with intangible heritage come together in Cusco

Cusco, also shows catholic temples of fine factory such as San Blas, where the famous pulpit is located, made by indigenous sculptors, in a single piece of cedar, in the baroque style with more than a thousand details; the temple of San Cristobal is the old palace of Manco Capac and is half an hour from the historic center; the temple of La Merced, where not only a beautiful cloister is observed but also houses the famous "Custodia de la Merced", a jewel made of 24 carat gold and inlaid with 1518 diamonds, 615 stones (rubies, topazes and emeralds) and a great pearl in the shape of a mermaid, considered the second largest in the world. Cusco, is a good example of the architectural miscegenation where on Inca construction palaces with gigantic rocks weighing five or more tons each, there are palaces, temples and mansions, one of them is the Palace and Religious Museum built on the Palace of the Inca Roca, in one of its walls there is the Stone of Twelve Angles, in the emblematic Hatun Rumiyoq street; It is also located on Sol avenue. Santo Domingo or the famous Qoricancha, where the Inti Qancha was the principal Temple in the Incas time, one of the most important temples of the Cusco Valley.

SUGGESTED TOURS:

DAY 1: CUSCO CITY TOUR

Our awaited City Tour in Cusco begins with the pick-up of our passengers from their hotels and then we head to the first place to visit. The Cathedral of the city of Cusco that has in its walls artistic treasures of incalculable value, you will be impressed .Then we will visit the temple of Qoricancha (temple of the Sun) the maximum expression of Inca architecture and engineering, nowadays it is also the Santo Domingo convent. We continue with our guided tour to the archaeological center of Sacsayhuaman which means "hawk satisfied" in this place highlights the construction with huge blocks of rocks in addition we will have an impressive view of the entire city of Cusco. Now it is time to visit Qenqo, which means a labyrinth or zigzag, where an amphitheater is found in the semicircular part. We continue our tour to Puka Pucara "red fort" which is built with stones of that color tone. Finally we will visit Tambomachay archaeological site that was destined to the cult to the water this place is considered also baths of the Inca. Our tour ends at approximately 6:30 p.m.

DAY 2: SACRED VALLEY OF CUSCO

We begin this long-awaited day with the picking you up from your respective hotels to start our travel at 7:20 a.m to the Sacred valley, where we will visit the taray viewpoint from where we will have an unparalleled view of the entire Sacred Valley of the Incas, after We will arrive in Pisac where we will visit the artisanal center of said town as well as the archaeological zone, Therefore we will arrive to Urubamba where we will have a well deserved buffet lunch after having enjoyed the delicious lunch we will go to Ollantaytambo where we will visit the ruins and finally we have the town of Chinchero where the remains of the royal treasury of Túpac Inca Yupanqui in this place we will get to know the colonial temple of Chinchero.

DAY 3: MACHU PICCHU

We began our tour with the pick-up of our passengers from their hotels two and a half hours before the departure of their train. We will drive you in our mobility to the town of Ollantaytambo from where the trains depart. Arrived in Ollantaytambo you will have to board your train to be driven to hot waters, where our transfer will be waiting to take you to the main square of the town, after this you will have time to go to breakfast. Upon your return we will board the bus that will take you to Machu Picchu. After arriving at Machu Picchu we begin with our tour, you will have your guided for 2 hours through the main parts such as the temple of the sun, the three windows, the urban area, etc. At the end of the tour you will have time to learn more and take pictures. Then you will have to get off in the bus from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes to enjoy an exquisite lunch. In the afternoon you will board your train and our car will be waiting for you at your arrival in Ollantaytambo to bring you to the city of Cusco.

THIS TOUR INCLUDES:

Welcome by our Representative at arrival.
Private transfer from/to the Cusco´s airport at arrival and departure.
Accommodation: 3 nights
All entrance fees according to the itinerary.
Professional bilingual Tour Guides
Meals: 3x breakfast, 1x buffet lunch (during the Sacred Valley Tour).
Transport by a private van during the tours and local transfers.
A tourist train round trip to Machu Picchu.
Bus (Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Aguas Calientes)
Private transportation from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.

NOT INCLUDED:

Pre & post tour accommodation,
International and local flights nor airport departure taxes,
Meals not mentioned,
Huayna Picchu entree
Travel Insurance
Tips

What to bring?

Clothes and accessories

Suggested clothing may vary according to the weather on the day of your trip; we recommend you check the weather forecast; however, know that in Cusco you can go from a clear sky to a heavy rain, in just minutes. We suggest you to carry: