Most people land in Cusco with a headache waiting to happen and a list of Inca sites they want to see. This guide is for your first or second day in the city. It helps you choose between the morning and the afternoon start, sort out tickets before you leave the hotel, and decide how much you can ask of yourself at this height.
Why this is a first-day tour
Cusco sits at roughly 3,400 metres. Altitude sickness usually shows itself between two and twelve hours after you arrive, and it feels like a hangover: a headache, often with tiredness, dizziness, nausea or no appetite. Medical guidance for travellers is to keep to mild exercise and avoid alcohol for the first 48 hours, and being fit does not lower the risk.
That is the case for doing the city's Inca sites by car. Sacsayhuamán is about two kilometres from the city and uphill all the way; Tambomachay is about seven and a half. Walking up on your first day is the kind of effort the guidance tells you to avoid. With a driver, the climbing is done for you and your own walking is limited to each site, on uneven ground. If your symptoms get worse rather than better, stop and rest. Your driver can take you straight back to your hotel.
Morning or afternoon
You choose a 07:00 or a 13:00 pick-up when you book. Both cover the same stops in the same five hours.
The weather is the main reason to pick one over the other. Cusco's rainy season runs from November to March, and in those months the mornings are usually clear while the rain tends to come in the afternoon and at night. From April to October, the dry months, days are mostly sunny but nights can drop close to freezing, so the late part of an afternoon tour gets cold quickly.
The afternoon start suits you if you fly in early in the morning and want a few quiet hours at the hotel first. The morning start suits you in the wet season, or if you would rather have the rest of the day free to rest.
What you see, and what you are looking at
The route starts in the centre and climbs. Qorikancha comes first. The Dominican convent of Santo Domingo was built on the foundations of the Inca temple, and the site was handed to the Dominicans in 1538. It is still a working convent. When an earthquake struck in 1650, the repairs went into the colonial building above and the Inca stonework below was left as it was. Look for the inclined walls with trapezoidal niches and openings: that is the Inca part.
After the Plaza de Armas, the car takes you up to Sacsayhuamán. The main wall is three zigzag walls, one above the other, built of fitted stones without mortar. The largest block is estimated at about 125 tonnes. The archaeological park around it covers some 3,000 hectares, so you will see only the central part.
The three smaller sites come next, on the same road. Q'enqo has underground passages cut into the rock and was used for ceremonies to the Sun, the Moon and the stars. Puka Pukara means "red fortress", for the colour its stones take at sunset; it was probably a resting place for the Inca and his court. Across the road, Tambomachay has two aqueducts carved in the rock and was tied to the worship of water. The last stop, Cristo Blanco, is for the view.
Tickets: sort them before the day
Entrances are not part of the tour, and two different tickets are involved.
- The Cusco tourist ticket (Boleto Turístico). Its first circuit covers Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay, and is valid for one day. The full ticket covers all three circuits and lasts ten days. If you are also going to the Sacred Valley or Moray, look at the full ticket rather than buying circuits one by one.
- Qorikancha. This is paid separately at the convent. The tourist ticket's second circuit includes a "Qoricancha site museum", which is a different thing from the temple and convent itself, so do not assume the boleto gets you in.
The official seller of the tourist ticket is COSITUC, with its main office on Avenida El Sol. It can also be bought at the entrance of some sites, including Sacsayhuamán, but those desks often take only cash and can have queues. If you are a student, ask about the student version and carry your card. Your driver can take you to a sales point. Rules and inclusions change, so check them with COSITUC before you go.
On foot, by taxi, or with a driver
You can do part of this on your own. Qorikancha and the Plaza de Armas are a short walk from most hotels in the centre. The sites above the city are the harder part: they are spread along a road that climbs out of Cusco, and at this height the walk between them is long.
A private car joins them up without waiting or bargaining at each stop, and you can change the order or drop a site on the day if you are tired. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
Around 24 June
Inti Raymi, the festival of the Sun, is held every 24 June and uses the same places this tour visits. The ceremony starts at Qorikancha in the morning, moves to the Plaza de Armas before midday, and ends at Sacsayhuamán in the early afternoon. Seats for the main ceremony at Sacsayhuamán need tickets bought in advance, and June is one of the busiest months of the year in Cusco. If your dates fall around the festival, message us before you book so we can plan the day around it.
Who it suits
It suits a first day, families with children (who are as likely as adults to feel the altitude, so keep an eye on them), and anyone who wants the Inca sites without the climb. If you have a full day and want more of the city on foot, the full-day Cusco tour adds San Blas and San Pedro market at an easier pace.
Think twice if you want long, slow visits to each site: five hours for seven stops keeps things moving. You can ask your driver to drop a site and spend longer at another.
Questions people ask
Can we go back to the hotel at the end instead of the centre?
Yes. The tour ends wherever you like: your hotel, the Plaza de Armas or a restaurant. Tell your driver on the day.
Can we cancel if one of us is unwell?
Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you get a full refund. See our cancellation page.
What comes after this tour?
Our guide to day trips from Cusco sets out the order: the city first, then the Sacred Valley, and Rainbow Mountain last.
Booking
Choose the morning or afternoon start, buy your tourist ticket, and keep the evening light. Times, stops and what is included are on the Cusco private city tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
