Cusco City Tour – Half-Day Tour

Cusco Cathedral – Qoricancha – Sacsayhuaman – Q’enqo – Puca Pucara – Tambomachay

We will start our Cusco city tour by picking you up from 1:15 PM to 1:30 PM from your respective Hotel. Then we will go to our first destination:

Cathedral of Cusco

Situated right on the main square, we will first enter the Cathedral of Cusco, one of the most remarkable colonial monuments of Peru. During your guided tour, your guide will be at your disposal to answer all your questions and will explain to you the intricate historical past of this religious building.

Build in the year 1560, it was constructed out of the massive stones that the Spanish took from the Incan constructions. They erected this Cathedral right on top of the original Inca Temple called “Sunturwasi” to demonstrate their superiority. Many artists participated in the construction of this Cathedral, which is why you can nowadays exhibit an array of wonderful wood carvings, gilded high reliefs, and more than 300 paintings of the Cusqueñan School.

Let yourself be enthralled by a vast sample of colonial art, a wonderful mix of renaissance, baroque and gothic architectonical styles, and learn about the complex historical past of the city of Cusco before we continue our journey.

Temple of the Sun – Qorikancha

Our second stop is the Temple of the Sun or originally called “Qorikancha” which translates to something like the Golden Temple. Our guide will explain to you all the details of this fantastic building and how it was the most important temple during the Inca Empire, that was covered in solid gold plates and served to worship primarily the sun or “Inti” and had various chambers to venerate other deities such as Pachamama (Mother Earth), Illapa (lightning), Kuychi (rainbow), Chaska (Venus and the Stars), Quilla (Moon).

Nowadays, this temple is surely one of the most extravagant fusions of the Spanish imposition built right on top of the massive stone-made Inca foundations that you can still observe. Today, it is still used to celebrate a part of the Inti Raymi or also known as the solstice festival. Take your time to marvel at this astonishing construction with its incredible history, take some photos, learn and let’s continue our city tour.

Saqsayhuaman

Our third stop will lead us uphill toward the famous and enigmatic archeological site of Saqsayhuaman. With its three overlapping platforms that are each 390 m / 1279.5 ft long, it constitutes one of the most remarkable UNESCO World Heritages made out of massive stones, some measuring up to 9 m / 29.5 ft high and weighing around 120 tons. This mind-blowing Inca construction demonstrates the incredible precision with which the Incas carved these giant stones and interposed them with each other.

Our guide will go into detail about the significance of this place and explain to you that it once was the head of the puma, which was the original outline of the city of Cusco, and thus served as the religious, administrative, and political center of the Incas. Nowadays, the Inti Raymi, or the Solstice Festival is still celebrated here on June 24. After a fascinating visit to this incredible place, we will continue our journey.

Qenqo

Our fourth stop is located only 1km away from Sacsayhuaman and is called Qenqo. It is said that it was the astronomical and ceremonial center of the Incas, dedicated to Pachamama (Mother Earth). Here the Incas mummified their most important people, made rituals where they placed their dead onto the stone platforms, and had a big monolithic stone carving with images of frogs and apes. However, only half of the construction is still visible nowadays.

In any case, you will still be able to admire the captivating stonework of the Incas, forming a kind of amphitheater. After the explanation from our guide, you will have enough time to walk through the small stone passages, take some photos and explore this fascinating place.

Puca Pucara

For our fifth stop, we will drive for about 10 minutes to the archeological site called Puca Pucara. Translates this site means something like the “Red Fortress” thanks to the amount of iron present in its stones. Due to its strategic location right on top of a hill, it is speculated that it served as a military point, controlling the access to the city of Cusco. You will quickly realize that you are able to view all of the surrounding mountains. While in the past this was good for vigilance, nowadays, it lends itself to take some amazing panoramic photos. After a short explanation from our guide, we will drive only 100 meters further to the next stop.

Tambomachay

Tambomachay is the last stop on our Cusco City Tour. Our guide will lead you through the archeological complex, explaining to you in more detail how this was a center for worshipping the water. You will be able to marvel at the finely carved rocks, that form a thoughtful system of canals and aquifers that were fed by natural springs right from the melted water of the snow-capped mountains nearby.

Take your time to enjoy this last moment of the tour, make some lovely photos to take home as a memory, and appreciate this beautiful quiet place before we head back to Cusco.

RECOMMENDATIONS

After the tour, you can stroll around the historical center of Cusco. Visit the main square or “Plaza de Armas” and its surrounding streets enclosed by a myriad of colonial buildings. Discover the many Cusqueñian artisans in the shops. Find a restaurant that suits your taste or explore the rich Peruvian Cuisine. Relax on the benches of the Plaza Regocijo, with some luck you might even hear some Latin music playing in the background.

Do you like busy nightlife? Go check out the street Procuradores, it’s right next to the main square. Chiefly packed with bars and discos it offers you everything, from live music to loud-sounding speakers, everyone can find something here that suits their taste.