Cusco
~3,400 mInca walls under colonial balconies, at about 3,400 metres
Destination
Cusco & the Sacred Valley
The old Inca capital, the valley below it and the mountain citadel everyone comes for. This is where altitude and permits matter most, so it's where we put the most care into the order you do things.
- Altitude
- ~2,000–5,000 m (verify)
- Best months
- Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct (verify)
- Regions
- 5
- Journeys
- 6
Regions in Cusco & the Sacred Valley
Where to go
The Sacred Valley: lower, greener and the best place to start
Machu Picchu
~2,430 mThe citadel itself, and everything you need to get the timing right
The Inca Trail & Salkantay
~4,215 mTwo great walks to Machu Picchu, each with its own rules
Rainbow Mountain
~5,000 mStriped mineral slopes at about 5,000 metres. Only once you're acclimatised
What to eat in Cusco & the Sacred Valley
Native potatoes
Peru grows thousands of potato varieties: purple, yellow, knobbly, striped. Ask for papas nativas and see how many you can tell apart.
Cuy
Guinea pig, roasted or fried. A festive dish in Andean homes, and the star of a famous Cusco cathedral painting of the Last Supper.
Chicha morada
A sweet, spiced drink made from purple corn, pineapple and cinnamon. Non-alcoholic and very popular with kids.
Mate de coca
Coca-leaf tea, offered on arrival at many Andean hotels. A traditional mild remedy for the altitude, though not a substitute for acclimatising.
Alpaca
Lean and mild, often grilled as a steak. On the altiplano, alpaca herds are a family's savings.
Market tour
San Pedro market in Cusco: fruit juice stalls, cheese, bread from Oropesa, and more potatoes than you thought possible.
Cooking class
Cook with Andean ingredients in a farm kitchen or a Cusco home, then eat the results.
Chocolate workshop
Roast, crack, grind and temper your own bar from bean to chocolate. Good for a rainy afternoon in Cusco.
Choclo con queso
Giant-kernel white corn from the Sacred Valley, eaten on the cob with a slab of fresh cheese.
Journeys
Journeys that go here
10 daysFirst Peru, Done Right
Lima's tables, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, in the order your lungs would choose.
From US$4,200 pp
8 daysThe Classic Inca Trail
Two nights acclimatising first, then four days on original stone paths to the Sun Gate.
From US$3,600 pp
9 daysSalkantay to Machu Picchu
A wild, permit-free trek from a glacier pass down through coffee country to the citadel.
From US$3,900 pp
14 daysAndes & Amazon
The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, then down into the rainforest, and a last night by the Pacific.
From US$6,800 pp
10 daysPeru for Food Lovers
Lima's tables, Sacred Valley farms, Cusco's markets and Arequipa's picanterías.
From US$4,800 pp
11 daysPeru with Kids
Sea lions, Inca ruins, a train through the gorge and three days in the rainforest, at a family pace.
From US$4,600 pp
Accommodation
Where to stay
Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Maras & Moray · hacienda
A hacienda in the Sacred Valley
An old valley farmhouse with adobe walls, an orchard and llamas on the lawn. The gentlest first Andean night we know.
Cusco · boutique
A boutique house in old Cusco
Built on an original Inca wall two blocks from the main square, with oxygen-enriched rooms and coca tea on arrival.
Machu Picchu · lodge
A riverside lodge below Machu Picchu
A riverside lodge in Aguas Calientes, close to the first buses up to the citadel and away from the noise of the station.
Ready when you are
Tell us when you'd like to go and what you'd love to see. Your Peru Specialist will come back with ideas, honest advice on altitude and timing, and a clear price.