This tour is available in the morning (9 am) or afternoon (1pm).

At your chosen time your guide will pick you up for your tour of the Imperial City of Cusco. Cusco is like a living museum of a mix of Andean and Spanish cultures. Despite being a small city, Cusco somehow maintains a bustling vibe with plenty to see and do.

We begin the tour at Qoricancha, the ancient Inca Palace and the main worship center of the Sun God, Inti. The entire palace was once filled with gold, but was plundered by the Spanish conquest.

The next stop on our tour is to Sacsayhuaman, the fortress that overlooks the city. Built with 100 ton boulders, the sheer magnitude of this structure is awestriking.

Finally, we explore the archeological sites of Q’enqo, Puka Pucara and Tambomachay before heading back to your hotel in Cusco.

Qoricancha and the Convent of Santo Domingo

The convent was built on top of the spectacular Qoricancha (Quechua for ‘Field of gold’). This was the most important temple in Cusco, dedicated to the worship of the Sun and the walls of which were lined with solid sheets of gold.

All that remains now is fine stonework. Conquistadors took the rest and destroyed most of the temple to build the convent on top.

Qoricancha was also used as an observatory, where priests kept track of major celestial events. Today, some of the original architecture has been restored and it also houses an impressive collection of canvas paintings from the Cusco School of Art.

Sacsayhuaman

Sacsayhuaman is one of the most impressive sites built by the Incas. It is generally referred to as a military fortress. The stones in the wall are incredible and the largest one weighs 128 tons, with no clear explanation on how they were transported to the site.

The Incas designed Cusco in the shape of a puma, with Sacsayhuaman as the head. Sacsayhuaman is still used today for the Inti Raymi festival held to celebrate the winter solstice on the 24th of June.

Q’enqo

The site of Q’enqo (meaning ‘maze’ in Quechua) contains very impressive hand-carved sections of bedrock. There are many carvings that they have identified everywhere, with some being very clear, such as a llama, a condor and several snakes.

There are many zigzag channels on top of the natural rock, probably used for pouring sacrificial chicha (a local fermented beverage made from corn). Below the rock, there are a number of caves and passageways, and an altar which was used for the sacrifices of llamas.

Mummified people have been discovered by archeologists in these caves.

Puka Pukara

Puka Pukara is translated to ‘the red fortress’ in Quechua. This is a small site and although the name suggests that it was a fortress, it does not appear to have had any defensive purpose. Archeologists theorize that it could have been used to protect the water source at Tambomachay.

Tambomachay

The name means “place of rest” in Quechua. It was the royal home of the Inca Yupanqui when he went to hunt in the surrounding area. This site was also thought to have been used as a Temple to the Water. There are some interesting aqueducts, canals and cascades sculpted out of stone, designed to channel water flowing from a nearby stream.