EXTENDED CUSCO CITY TOUR

Availability: Available now
Group size: 2-10
Tour Type: Traditional/Historical/informative
Max. Elevation: 3300 meters above sea level

110 USD Per person

Let yourself be embraced by the charm of Cusco, know its tourist places: the city, its history, gastronomy, traditions, customs and more. Cusco, also originally called Qosqo for its origin in the Quechua language, was the capital of the extinct Inca empire. Its legendary past can be discovered at the pace in which the city is traveled, its stone walls and historical relics will make you instantly connect with this thousand-year-old city that offers enigmatic tourist attractions. IncaG0 has planned the best Extended Cusco City Tour, that allows you to combine the best of Cusco’s traditions, history and gastronomy.

Extended Cusco City Tour Trip Overview

Tour localization:Cusco city, local restaurants and its outskirts.
Tour type: Full day tour.
Good for: Everybody, done in small groups or privately.
Difficulty: Not hiking, but a lot of walking around the places of explanation.
Highlights: San Pedro market, Cathedral basilica, Coricancha o sun temple, try local food in a traditional restaurant, Sacsayhuaman, Qenco, Puca pucara and Tambomachay.
Inclusions: All entry tickets are included; you only need to pay for your lunch.
Language:This tour is done only in English; If you need a Spanish tour, it must be booked privately and done at the initial booking.
Season:All year around

San Pedro Market

We pick you up from your hotel at 8:00 am. and we walk for 10 minutes to the oldest market in Cusco. The San Pedro market is one of the most picturesque places in the city. Hundreds of Cusco citizens congregate there to purchase various food products as well as handicrafts of all kinds. It is a great opportunity to learn a little more about the culture of Cusco. It is located in the historic center of the city, a few steps from the Plaza de Armas.

Currently, there are 1,180 stores that sell all kinds of vegetables, breads, utensils, home remedies, food, crafts of all kinds and exotic fruits (get ready to taste exotic flavors). Your guide will explain in detail all the products and curious and bizarre things that you will see.

Cathedral basilica

Back on the streets, we walk for 5 minutes to the main square, where it is located the Cathedral basilica, that is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Cusco. Its colonial architecture is photographed by almost all visitors who come to the Plaza de Armas. Inside, the temple boasts paintings, canvases, sculptures and a collection of valuable treasures and antiques. This is one of the largest art repositories in the city. The most outstanding thing to observe in the cathedral is «The silver room». It is a small side chapel that contains a varied collection of religious objects made of precious stones, gold and, above all, a lot of silver. Among these objects you will find an embossed silver coffin used to carry the statue of the ‘Lord of tremors’ (It is the Jury Patron of Cusco also called Taytacha Temblores). You can also see interesting canvases such as the painting of the last supper where the apostles are eating a guinea pig, a delicacy from Cusco.

Coricancha or sun temple

Then we headed for a couple of minutes to the Coricancha; the Inca Temple of the Sun, was one of the most sacred and respected buildings of the Inca empire. Populations from all over the Empire came to the place to worship and pay tribute to their most important gods, however the interior of the enclosure was reserved only for the Inca nobility and royalty. Due to its importance, the Coricancha was built with andesite stone finely joined with impressive precision that give it a sober and imposing image. The most outstanding shrines in the Coricancha are the temple of the sun, the moon, the stars, Venus, the ray, the thunder and the lightning.

Lunch in a traditional restaurant

After taking instagrammable photos and learning cool facts; We go to a local and traditional restaurant in the city, where there is a varied menu of typical dishes from Cusco and Peru. You can taste an exquisite baked guinea pig, chicharrones, zarza de patitas, chicken caldo, trout ceviche, aji de gallina, lomo saltado and a variety of more than 30 typical dishes (there are also typical vegetarian dishes). You will also be able to taste typical drinks from Cusco: such as «chicha de jora», «frutillada», «chicha morada», «inca kola» or better known drinks such as pisco sour, coca cola or simply a well-chilled Cusco beer. We will taste all these flavors with a live show of typical Cusco dances.

Note: This lunch is not included in the price of the Extended Cusco City Tour.

Sacsayhuaman

After having recharged energy, we will be driven for 15 minutes to Sacsayhuaman. This complex, which occupies an area of 3,000 hectares, would have required the work of 25,000 people, including architects, astronomers, engineers, carvers and stone carriers. Sacsayhuaman according to archaeological studies, it is estimated that its construction lasted more than 90 years. This archaeological complex was destroyed in more than 60% by the conquerors; however, you can still see the remains of its greatness. The most remarkable detail, are its walls made of limestone and that have a height of more than 5 meters and weigh between 75 and 125 tons. According to the chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega, this ceremonial fortress «was the greatest architectural work that the Incas would ever carry out during their heyday.» Although its usefulness has not been fully clarified, it is believed that it was intended for religious purposes.

Qenco

Place located 5 minutes from Sacsayhuaman. Qenco fulfilled a purely religious function, there existing in the outer part a semicircular amphitheater with trapezoidal niches and a monolith that simulates being a puma, which measures approximately six meters.

This enclosure also has a semicircular and semi-artificial cavern, where there is a table or altar where Inca mummifications were probably carried out. In the upper part of this cavern there is a series of stone seats, steps and carved stairways. There is also a meandering channel which ends in a circumference being the representation of a snake, as well as a puma’s head and a bird, all these elements are of religious connotation.

Puca Pucara

Back in the van, you are driven for 10 minutes to Puca Pucara, which is also known as the red fortress, thanks to the color it takes in the twilight sunsets, it is a military construction of Inca origin, built on a raised platform, composed of high terraces or superimposed platforms, passages and stairways that interconnect the whole place. Here you can also buy many trinkets displayed by local vendors.

Tambomachay

Finally, we go to the last site of our visit. Tambomachay, which is also known as the Inca spa, is composed of a set of aqueducts or underground water channels, of whose origin until today there is no exact knowledge, these feed 3 sources or waterfalls, of which the main one located in the upper part, it feeds the secondary channels that have an exactly identical torrent or flow of water, being able to verify this by using two identical containers that are filled at the same time, which is a sample of the high level reached by the Incas in hydraulic engineering. In addition, the 6 niches that are in the place, on the impressive main water source of magnificent carving, immediately confirm the ritual use of the place, which according to the incomplete structures that surround it, it is possible that it was a closed enclosure in sometime, Tambomachay was probably used as a temple of worship to water.

After having visited the last tourist attraction of this Extended Cusco City Tour, you will be driven for 15 minutes back to your hotels.

Included on the Extended Cusco City Tour

Professional local English speaker Guides: All our super leaders grew up in Cusco region and studied tourism for five years at Cusco’s university; they are friendly, funny charming, knowledgeable, professional and will care your safety in this Extended Cusco City Tour.

Briefing: You should come to our office at least one day prior to your tour to pay the balance; and provide exact information about your accommodation and receive some details for the tour.

Permits: As soon as we get your details and deposit, we will purchase your permits for the tourist attractions you will visit. The tour includes a visit to the San Pedro market, the cathedral basilica, Coricancha, lunch in a traditional restaurant, Sacsayhuaman, Qenco, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay.

Transportation: Incas Path will be providing all transportation for this extended tour. You will be picked up from your hotel at 8:00 am.

First Aid: Every guide has got training in first aid from a clinic and firemen. We elaborate mandatory training sessions every February on our tours; which every INCAS PATH tour guide must attend. Your tour leader is going to have always a first-aid kit for basic medical problems.

Not Included on the Extended Cusco City Tour

Gratuities for our staff: Incas Path ensures all staff are fairly paid; and therefore gratuities are optional and at your own discretion
Travel Insurance: Highly recommended for all tourist
Daypack: We suggest you to use a daypack that not exceed 25L to carry passport, water, sunhat, sunglasses, sun cream, bug spray, rain jacket and a warm jacket
Water bottle
Flight tickets
Hotel in Cusco

Prices

We would love to tour the Cusco City with you and your loved ones and take care of immortalizing your visit to the land of the Incas.

Our day tours can leave any day of the week, twelve months a year.

Group Price (2022):

$110 per person

Private Tours are based on Group Size (2022):

Priced per person

Two people: $110 per person
Three people: $90 per person
Four people: $80 per person
Five people: $72 per person
Six people: $66 per person
Seven people: $64 per person
Eight, or more, people: $61 per person

Important Note II: We sometimes offer to combine private tours (with your permission) into small groups with a discount. Let us know if you would like to others joining you.

Student Discount:

– $ 10 discount per person

Student discounts apply to anyone who has a valid International Student Card (ISIC), at the beginning of the hike; or who is 17 years old or younger. For those who use an international student card or for children under 17; we need to see a copy of their card or passport at the time of booking to receive the discount of Machu Picchu.

Please send everything to info@icagoexpeditions.com

Extended Cusco City Tour Packing List

We suggest you to carry lightweight backpack; that the is key to feeling good during this Extended City Tour.

Essentials:

Original passport
STUDENT CARD (if you book as a student)
Good daypack (the smaller, the better).
Comfortable shoes.
Down jacket, it gets cold in the planetarium, due is located on an open mountain.

Inside Your Daypacks:

Daypacks can be any size for walking, but we always recommend the smaller, the better. Some items are listed below

Sunhat.
Fleece.
Rain jacket.
Camera.
Hand sanitizer.
Extra Money for Souvenirs, Drinks & Tips.
Personal medication.
Sunscreen.

Arriving to Cusco

The airport in Cusco at the present time is only for domestic flights, so all international travelers by plane must disembark in Lima and go through Customs. Even if your flight to Cusco is the same day by the same airline carrier, you must grab your bags in Lima and then check them back in.

The best way to arrive to Cusco is by air and there are several options in airlines. LATAM tends to be the most expensive, but has the most options and flights.

Expect delays or flight cancellations; due to the high altitude of Cusco, it tends to be difficult to land and any weather inconvenience will stop air traffic.

Bus travel is always available and while the trip can be long, especially from Lima, the buses company such as: Oltursa, Cruz del Sur, etc., are very well maintained and comfortable; this option is strongly encouraged if coming from a city closer to Cusco, like Puno or Arequipa.

Altitude

As soon as people book their trip to Peru, specifically Cusco, they start wondering about altitude sickness. The air at high altitudes contains less oxygen than at sea level and forces your body to work harder to get the oxygen it needs. Over several days at high altitude, your body adjusts to the lower amount of oxygen in the air; that is why we advise you to arrive in Cusco three-day prior your trek begin or taking a tour of easy physical demand.

With altitude sickness, you may first feel like you have the flu or a hangover. You may have a headache, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, trouble sleeping, trouble breathing during exercise. If any of these effects become severe, please contact our representatives and we will help you get to a physician.

Most of the time, these symptoms will be mild. We always recommend easing into activity slowly, allowing your body to adjust, drink plenty of fluids such as water, electrolytes or coca tea: coca tea has been used since ancient times to help prevent altitude sickness, leaves from the coca plant contain alkaloids like the globulin alkaloid which helps creating red cells in your body that captures the oxygen faster, so helping your body avoid the effects of altitude sickness.

Avoid drinking a lot of alcohol it will cause you to urinate more often and become dehydrated, avoid smoking due it will make more difficult for your body to get oxygen and also avoid sleeping pills because it may cause shallow breathing at night, making it more difficult for your body to absorb oxygen while you sleep.

Your healthcare provider may prescribe medicines, such as acetazolamide better known as the brand Diamox and dexamethasone, to help prevent altitude sickness; start medication two days prior you get to a high altitude and continue to take it while you are at high altitude.

Weather

Of course weather is unpredictable. Typically, the dry season in Cusco is from April through October, but this does not stop rain from falling in June or the sun from coming out in December, just be prepared; no matter what month you are doing the trek or tour, please make sure that you have rain gear that includes a waterproof jacket, pants, poncho and waterproof gloves.

Travel Insurance

To protect your journey investment, we highly recommend the purchase of travel insurance; acquiring travel insurance before you leave home, is strongly encouraged and very easy.

Vaccinations

The body’s immune system helps protect against pathogens that cause infection; most of the time, it’s an efficient system, it either keeps microorganisms out or tracks them down and gets rid of them.

However, some pathogens can overwhelm the immune system; when this happens, it can cause serious illness.

The pathogens most likely to cause problems are the ones the body doesn’t recognize: vaccination is a way to “teach” the immune system how to recognize and eliminate an organism; that way, your body is prepared if you’re ever exposed.

Vaccinations are an important form of primary prevention; that means they can protect people from getting sick, vaccinations have allowed us to control diseases that once threatened many lives, such as: measles, polio tetanus, and whooping cough.

You may require some additional vaccinations before traveling to Peru; it is advised you consult to your physician specially if you are taking any trip to the jungle