Cusco, Peru
16 July 2023
I don’t think I had seen any location on social media as much as I had seen Machu Picchu. It deserves the hype. I was less prepared for how cool Cusco and the surrounding area were.
Day 1 - Cusco
- Twelve Angled Stone
- Plaza Mayor de Cuzco
The previous evening, I boarded the PeruHop bus at 9:30 pm in Puno. We drove through the night to arrive in Cusco at 5:00 am. Indi had departed from Sacramento at 3:20 pm the previous day and arrived in Lima at 7:30 am. From there, she flew to Cusco and arrived at 10:45 am.
Twelve Angled Stone
After meeting up and checking into our Airbnb, we walked to our first destination – the Twelve Angled Stone.
This was our first taste of the exquisite craftsmanship of Incan architecture. The stones are cut and placed so precisely that, after all this time, many stones still have perfect alignment with no gaps between stones. Famously, the gaps are so small, not even a piece of paper can fit between them.
Plaza Mayor de Cuzco
We walked to the Plaza Mayor de Cuzco. It felt like there were churches all over the city. Walking around, I was struck by how beautiful and ancient the city felt. Much of the architecture is colonial, some of it newer, but there were plenty of older Incan building remnants left.
We got some food at a restaurant with a view of the plaza. I ate a llama burger that was quite good. The restaurant Papacho’s has since closed down.
We were both beat from travel, so we called it early and returned to our dwelling to rest up for a big day on the morrow.
Day 2 - Machu Picchu
- Incarail
- Aguas Calientes
- Machu Picchu
We had to get up very early to arrive at the Incarail office at 3:50 am. We got on a train at 4:20 am that took us to Aguas Calientes – the gateway to Machu Picchu.
After we got there, I realized that the tickets to Machu Picchu I had bought were invalid. My credit card company had canceled the transaction because it looked suspicious. I didn’t catch the notification. I was sent tickets, but they were only reservations for the tickets, not the tickets themselves. This was a very stressful realization. There were a lot of guides trying to get business, I approached one of them and explained my dilemma. He led me to a building where you can buy same-day tickets if there are any left. We got super lucky and got tickets. I hadn’t planned on hiring a guide but felt obliged because he helped. So, we took the bus up to Machu Picchu with our guide in tow.
Machu Picchu
The bus ascended a series of steep switchbacks. The view of the mountains was stunning. Indi insisted on the window seat but then managed to fall asleep 5 minutes in.
I had seen so many photos of the famous view of the ruins, I was unaware how incredible the surrounding Andes mountains are.
I’m not going to lie, standing here was surprisingly anticlimactic for me. The view was spectacular, and we had perfect weather. I had just seen this view 1,000 times on social media, and that managed to rob the specialness of the moment for me. The memory is actually better and more special now that a few years have passed.
Our guide explained some things I knew and some that I didn’t. I became annoyed with him pretty quickly because he was going so fast. It was clear he wanted to rush us through so he could get more clients after us. You aren’t allowed to walk backwards, so once you pass something that’s it.
Despite our hurried guide and our sleep deprivation, it was really, really cool.
An unforgettable experience.
When we got back to Aguas Calientes, we got some weird food that looked like scat and tasted only slightly better. After that, we returned to the hotel and passed out.
Day 3 - The Sacred Valley
- Chinchero Archaeological Site
- Ollantaytambo Archeological Site
- Pisac Archaeological Site
Indi’s parents visited Peru the year before us and had a great trip. They hiked to Machu Picchu, which is no easy task. On their trip, they met a great tour guide and became friends. When we visited Peru they told us we needed to look him up. We did just that for our tour through the Sacred Valley.
Chinchero Archaeological Site
Our first stop of the day was the Centro Arqueológico de Chinchero. It’s a late 15th century Incan site that shows remarkable planning and engineering. I don’t have a photo, but there were massive terraces covering the surrounding steep hills used for agriculture. When the Spanish came, they built their church on top of the Incan foundations.
Locals sell artisanal goods to tourists in the square. There are sections where the rock is cut precisely, and others with uncut rock + mortar.
We stopped on a hill top and I asked the tour guide to pull over so I could get a few drone videos. I wish I had gotten more photos.
Ollantaytambo Archeological Site
Ollantaytambo Archeological Site was one of the most memorable stops of our Cusco trip for me. The town at the foot of the hill is charming. We walked through the plaza to the entrance of the archaelogical site, which is accessed by a long flight of stairs.
It is incredible to see the size and scale of the construction here. There are massive rocks cut precisely to fit in with others. It’s even more incredible that they don’t make them all a uniform size, The rocks are cut into all different sizes and shapes to create the walls.
There is one section of wall with incredibly tall stones that once sported the heads of animals. Some of them weigh 50 tons and were dragged from across the valley to this spot. I believe it was once a military fortress.
Pisac Archaeological Site
Pisac Archaeological Site probably had the best view of the three we visited. The site is set on a crest high above the valley floor. To get to the main area, you need to walk past the terraces and up some stairs.
On the way, our guide pointed out a burial site built into the mountainside. It’s one of the largest burial sites in the Andes.
Some sections of a few structures still had stucco covering the rock walls.
At this point in the day, we had walked up and down a lot of stairs, so I was beat. I’ve also neglected to mention that for most of my time in the Cusco area I was sick.
The view from the top was awesome and I still remember it vividly (At least, as of Feb 2026).
Pisac concluded our tour through the Sacred Valley. Thinking about it now, it’s one of the most memorable days of my life.
We got stuck in traffic on the way back because there was a parade on the road back to Cusco from Pisac. We finally got back and then found a place to eat. We ate dinner at Cicciolina – an Italian restaurant with great reviews. Peruvian cooks are so good that they do foreign cuisines extremely well. We both liked what we got.
Day 4 - Cusco
- Cristo Blanco
We both felt destroyed after two days of go-go-go. We slept in to try and recover. I’m now not sure what time we left the hotel but I’d guess 1:00 or 2:00 pm. We got lunch at Chicha por Gaston Acurio. I honestly don’t remember much about this meal. It’s been 2.5 years, give me a break.
Cristo Blanco
We went for a walk and passed Saqsaywaman. We had seen parts of the complex twice now and were impressed with what we saw. We decided to come back the next day to check it out.
We hiked up to the viewpoint at Cristo Blanco for a view of the sun setting over Cusco.
I don’t remember how we picked where to eat for dinner or where exactly we ate. That’s a shame because the sushi I ordered was incredible. We ate somewhere close to Qura (possibly at Qura, but I’m not sure). This roll is the only freshwater trout sushi I’ve had, and it was surprisingly good. The roll was smothered in a Peruvian chile sauce. It was the best sushi I had had up until I went to Japan.
A very mellow rest day, but there are no bad days in Cusco. We also switched hotels this day and ended up loving the new place – Abittare Hotel. I highly recommend for a mid-range accomodation.
Day 5 - Cusco
- Qorikancha
- Q’enco Archaeological Complex
- Saqsaywaman
Qorikancha
Qorikancha was the most important spiritual site in the Incan empire. In the photo above, you can see the dark, large stones at the base of the church. Those are the originals stones of the structure. The spanish built their church on top. When the Spanish arrived, the walls were covered in sheets of gold. They were promptly melted down and shipped back to Spain.
Q'enco Archaeological Complex
Q’enco Archaeological Complex is a ceremonial Inca site just outside Cusco, known for its massive limestone outcrop carved directly with stairways, zigzagging channels, and sculpted surfaces.
The site was used for religious rituals tied to the Inca belief that stone and landscape were sacred, with channels likely guiding liquid offerings such as water or chicha during ceremonies.
Saqsaywaman
We slowly but surely wandered our way toward Saqsaywaman. We passed through some carved rock corridors called chincanas.
It’s such a shame that so much was destroyed or lost when the Spanish conquistadors arrived.
We made it to a lookout over a large grassy field at the foot of the zig-zag walls.
The stones making up the walls were huge and some, truly enormous.
Wondrous to behold.
We heard a tour guide telling a group that this is the foundation of what was once a tower.
We took the long way back to the hotel and stopped at Calle Siete Borreguitos to see the scenic view of Cusco from the steep city street.
We got dinner at Chull’s Peruvian Cuisine & Craft Beer. I ordered roast guinea pig for our last dinner in Cusco and liked it.
Our time in Cusco was unforgettable. It should have been the highlight of the trip. The fact that it wasn’t speaks volumes about how much I loved our next destination: The Amazon Rainforest.
Next time
On our next adventure, we go hiking through the Amazon Rainforest.
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