Things to Do in Cusco

Many travelers to Cuzco are familiar with the Inca, the native inhabitants of the Peruvian Andes who were brutally conquered by the Spanish. Fewer people, however, are familiar with the Moche, Nazca, Chimu, and Chancay whose histories date back for thousands of years. Though only a handful of sights remain from these cultures, their legacy remains through the various art forms which have survived throughout Peru’s many conquests.

When visiting Cuzco, the Pre-Columbian Art Museum is a private collection of over 450 pieces which highlight the art from these ancient cultures. Set inside of the Casa Cabrera—itself a masterful piece of architecture which was once a ceremonial house for the Inca—the 11 different showrooms highlight art which dates as far back as 1250 BC.

Fine pottery and ancient ceramics accompany sculptures of silver and gold. There is jewelry made from seashells and bone, and numerous carvings etched out of wood tell the story of Peru’s native people. Unlike a number of other museums, photography is allowed throughout the exhibit, and displays in English provide informative tips for gaining some deeper insight on the art. There is a small café as well as a store which are located within the complex, and the fact the museum stays open so late makes it a late-evening option for when other museums are closed.

Though not as large as the Larco Museum in Lima, the Pre-Columbian Art Museum is still a fascinating stop in Cuzco for those who appreciate cultural art.

For those who don’t want to book their tour dates six months in advance for the Inca Trail (especially during high season from June through August, when permits sell out quickly), the Salkantay Trail is a great alternative. Not only is it easier to plan because you don’t need to book in advance, it’s more affordable, less touristy and is often said to have a more authentic feel than the classic Inca Trail. Salkantay is a remote and scenic trek located in the same region as the Inca Trail, and immerses you in a world of glaciers, villages, lakes, tropical valleys, mountains, jungle and more, with postcard-worthy views every step of the way.

Keep a lookout for the snow-capped Salkantay Mountain, an impressive peak at 20,570 feet (6,270 meters). On the fourth day of the trek you come to the cloud forest-covered town of Aguas Calientes, named for its hot thermal baths which you can rest your tired muscles in.

Typically hikers spend the night in a hotel before taking an early morning train to Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the highlight of the journey. After hiking the challenging Salkantay Trek for four days, you’ll really feel like you earned the right to be there. Keep in mind you’ll be trekking at high altitudes, so make sure to arrive in Cusco a few days early to acclimatize.

The Quechua are the indigenous people of the Andes, and their language is also called Quechua. The Inca used the Quechua language to unify their empire, fanning out from Cusco, where the language was also influenced by Aymara.

The word Quechua was used to describe an area of land that was suitable for growing maize, and it remains the ideal word to describe the fertile Sacred Valley.

Today the Quechua villages provide a window into the past, inhabited by the Inca descendants who have preserved the handicraft traditions of their forebears.

Visit a Quechua village like Pisac, Pisco or Chincheros on market day and you’ll get a real feel for daily life in these Andean mountain towns. Bartering and haggling are the norm, and the stalls are filled with colorful woven clothing, rugs, ceramics and toys.

To join in community life in a Quechua village, join a Sacred Valley Community Small Group Tour to Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Along the way you’ll visit a traditional Quechua village and have the chance to meet the locals and join in a community activity if you like - depending on the time of year, it could be fishing, farming, sport, cooking or teaching.

San Blas is the artisan precinct of Peru’s most famous handicrafts town, Cusco.

This area of workshops and studios, galleries and shops is the home of Cusco’s weavers, sculptors and potters. The artists’ enclave is ideal for a stroll, its cobblestone streets lined with whitewashed adobe houses decorated with contrasting blue doors and window frames.

You’ll also see remnants of Inca walls in this hilly enclave, where some narrow streets are so steep they are stepped.

San Blas is a perfect late-afternoon destination, with bars and restaurants, galleries and studios for relaxed visits into the evening.

One would think that a rainbow-colored mountain would be fairly easy to spot, but in the case of Vinicunca, set high in the Peruvian Andes, getting a view of the multihued wonder means waking up early to trek through mountains that burst with natural colors, but are thin on air considering they rise over 17,000 feet (5181m). Despite the physical challenges, however, seeing Vinicunca in person is a once-in-a-lifetime visual treat where you’ll likely find yourself gawking in silence and wondering, “how is this real?” With impressively straight and colorful lines, “Rainbow Mountain,” as it’s come to be known, explodes with hues of lavender and red that are caused by minerals in the soil, and looks like something from a coloring book as opposed to an actual Andean peak that few are lucky to see.

The Inca site of Qorikancha forms the foundations of the colonial church of Santo Domingo, creating an unusual combination of monolithic Inca and arched colonial architecture.

Qorikancha means ‘Golden Courtyard’, and in Inca times the temple walls were clad with 700 sheets of solid gold, proving a tempting lure for the conquistadors. The gold sheets and gold and silver statues are gone, melted down and recast by the Spanish, but the impressively hewn curved wall of basalt stonework remains.

The temple complex is thought to have been built by the first Inca emperor, Manco Capac, 100 years before the coming of the Spaniards. It was built as an observatory and religious temple to the sun, housing the mummified bodies of the Inca rulers.

When you enter the courtyard, imagine the octagonal front clad with solid gold, flanked by temples to the moon and the stars draped in solid silver.