Luxury hotels in Cusco

Cusco guide

Cusco: the Inca capital, at altitude and at leisure

Inca walls beneath colonial churches, Sacsayhuamán above the town and how to acclimatise well.

Cusco, at about 3,400 metres, was the capital of the Inca empire, and its most cited sights show both worlds: the Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun, beneath a Dominican convent, and the Plaza de Armas with its cathedral. Above the town, the fortress of Sacsayhuamán has stones fitted without mortar.

Take the first day slowly; many travellers sleep lower, in the Sacred Valley, before coming up. Explore San Blas, the artisans' quarter, and the San Pedro market. Cusco is the starting point for Machu Picchu, and May to September is the dry season.

Sacsayhuamán and the Inca sites above Cusco

Sacsayhuamán, the Inca fortress above Cusco whose zigzag walls are built of stones weighing many tons fitted without mortar, is one of Peru's most cited sights. A tourist ticket also covers Q'enqo, a shrine carved into the rock, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay, the Inca baths.

On 24 June, the Inti Raymi, the Inca festival of the sun, is re-enacted at Sacsayhuamán in a grand ceremony; tickets for the seats and hotels in Cusco must be booked months ahead. Walking down from the site to San Blas at sunset is lovely.

Rainbow Mountain and the Andean highlands

Vinicunca, the Rainbow Mountain, whose slopes are striped in red, yellow and turquoise by minerals, has become one of the most cited excursions from Cusco. The trail reaches more than 5,000 metres, so full acclimatisation in Cusco or the Sacred Valley beforehand is essential.

Tours leave around 4 am for a drive of about three hours, followed by a walk of one to two hours; horses can be hired. Palccoyo, a nearby alternative with several rainbow ridges, involves a much shorter walk and fewer people.