[All content and prices updated July 2013]
Why you should add Cusco to your Indie/RTW trip
If you are considering traveling to Cusco (AKA Cuzco) you are no doubt thinking of using it as the staging area for a trip to Machu Picchu. Yes, this is the place for that, but there are plenty of reasons to visit Cusco on its own or at least hang around for a while before or after your trip to the lost Incan city.
- Cusco has been an important colonial city and capital for many centuries and an important city for the Incas long before that.
- Cusco is in the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the area is as scenic as it is fascinating.
- If you’re trekking to Machu Picchu, Cusco is a great place to acclimate to the altitude. Stick around for at least a few days, preferably a week, before heading off to the Lost City of the Incas.
- Many travelers come to Cusco as part of a longer, RTW trip. If you’re one of these people and are a bit road weary, Cusco has all the comforts of home.
- The museums are top notch, and you can learn a lot about the Inca culture before setting off to see the crown jewel of them all.
Indie travel tips for Cusco
- First things first, Cusco is in a little valley, but its elevation of around 3,500 m (11,500 feet) makes it even a little higher than Machu Picchu itself. It’s important to plan on spending at least a day or so getting used to the altitude before you get involved in too much adventure.
- Once settled, start by checking out the breathtaking main city square known as the Plaza de Armas. It’s lined with Cusco’s most famous and important buildings and the area around it is filled with restaurants, bars, and shops.
- Take a bus tour of the Valley and you’ll have a guide explain everything thoroughly and give you chances to hike up to some interesting ruins on cliff sides with no guardrails that you’d never see in the USA or Europe.
- Or take a tour yourself and hike up to the ruins above the city.
- If you go on Sunday you can take in the famous market in Pisac. Nearly every other business in Cusco is a travel agency of some kind and all of them will sell tickets for these popular bus tours. The prices can have a big range, but the tours tend to be the same so you can shop for a cheap price with some confidence.
- Speaking of bus tours, there is a bus that looks like a trolley that runs a big loop around all the famous sights in Cusco itself. Look for it in the Plaza de Armas. It’s quite cheap and comes with a good commentary so you can really appreciate the various other town squares as well as some further-flung ruins and statues. If the weather is nice this is a great introduction to the city when you first arrive.
Transportation
You can fly to Cusco on the very frequent flights from Lima, but you can also get to Cusco from a few other regional airports in Peru and Argentina. The airport is small, but they do a professional job of moving large groups through quickly. Buses can take you into the center of town, but taxis are fairly cheap so they can be a good option if you are in a group of any size.
You can also take a bus from Lima or Arequipa. Journeys are along, but buses in Peru are quite nice, and if you spring for a reclining seat, you can sleep on the overnight journey.
Accommodations
There are tons of hostels in Cusco to house all the Machu Picchu travelers. Many of the cheaper ones
are on the outskirts of central Cusco, but it might be worth it to stay closer in since the city has great nightlife and is really magical at night. As with anywhere, the better and cheaper
ones tend to fill up early so book ahead.
Photo credits: fortherock