Yes, Cusco is a city, and one of the most incredible in South America and one of the main destinations in the world.
Its name ‘Qosqo’ means ‘Navel of the world’ in the language of the Incas, Quechua. Today it is known as the ‘Archaeological Capital of America’ due to its Inca and colonial temples that survived over time. It is a city where people come from all over the world to visit its main tourist attractions: Sacsayhuaman, the Sacred Valley, the Mountain of 7 Colors and, of course, Machu Picchu.
Cusco was the ancient capital of the Inca empire. During the colonial period, the Spanish built churches, palaces and other structures on top of the Inca temples and palaces. There you can see people dressed in traditional costumes with llamas as pets. You can also buy clothes made of alpaca fiber. From the city of Cusco, the Inca roads ‘qhapac ñan’ departed towards all the ‘suyos’ or regions that made up the Tahuantinsuyu empire. Because of this, ‘Qosqo’ means ‘navel of the world’. There the Incas built their main temples and fortresses such as Coricancha and Sacsayhuaman.
During the Incan period, the inhabitants who visited Cusco were treated with respect. It was considered a sacred city.
Cusco is in the southern part of the Andes Mountains in Peru. The city of Cusco is located at 3,399 meters above sea level (11,151 ft). The most important snow-capped mountains in the region are Ausangate and Salkantay. The Vilcanota River runs through almost the entire Sacred Valley of the Incas, including the town of Aguas Calientes. Cusco also has its jungle region, where the Incas knew how to build important cities like Choquequirao and Machu Picchu.
If you take into account that most tourists spend 4 days in Cusco, you can follow the following itinerary:
Day 1: Cusco City Tour – After resting from the trip to Cusco, you can get to know the city in the afternoon on a ‘City Tour’ that includes the Cathedral, Coricancha, Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Pucapucara and Tambomachay. This way you can better acclimatize to the high altitude of the city.
Day 2: Sacred Valley of the Incas – The Sacred Valley is a great option since its attractions are not at a high altitude, which allows you to better adapt to the climate and altitude. The tour of the valley lasts almost the whole day. You can visit Pisac, Urubamba, Chinchero, Ollantaytambo or even Maras or Moray. Adventure sports are also an option.
Day 3: Machu Picchu – Visiting Machu Picchu in 1 day is an option if you don’t want to spend a night in the town of Aguas Calientes. To get there you have to travel by train and bus for approximately 4 hours. Most tourists visit the Inca city on the third or second day of their visit to be better adapted to the altitude and not suffer from the symptoms of altitude sickness.
Day 4: Rainbow Mountain – On the last day, after several days of adaptation to the altitude of Cusco, it is a good idea to take a hike to the Rainbow Mountain. If you don’t want to walk in such high and extreme places, you can choose another less demanding alternative such as the South Valley of Cusco. There are also other similar hikes such as to the Humantay lagoon.
