I have never been to a country filled with as much history and beauty as Peru...and that's saying a lot because we only did Cusco!

Most people go to Cusco to trek to Machu Picchu. That was our primary reason for going....but keep in mind that there is SO much to do in the area. So, whether or not you want to participate in the overnight treks, you are in luck. 

Here is the low down....

We needed 10 days (including travel days) for this trip!

If you are trekking, I recommend getting to Cusco at least 3 days early to explore the surrounding areas. This will not only give you time to explore a lot of beautiful sites in the area, but more importantly, will help you to acclimate to the altitude. The altitude is VERY real and if you don't take time to adjust, you could end up ruining your entire trip. I've seen it happen. Consider yourself warned!

We stayed in Cusco for 3 days and 2 nights prior to departing for our trek. 

Accommodation in Cusco:

Terra Viva Cusco Centro

  • This definitely has a higher price point for Cusco (~$120/night)

  • Very quaint and clean rooms

  • Great location

  • They stored our bags for us while we were trekking, which was a plus

  • Most treks depart from Cusco, so if you are doing one, make sure to stay in this area beforehand even if you do not stay in this hotel! There are more cost effective hotels/hostels nearby if you are traveling on a budget. 

Activities in the local Cusco area (walking distance):

  • Walk around San Pedro Market (souvenir shopping; great local produce)

  • Cusco Cathedral 

  • San Blas Temple

  • Note: you could easily spend an entire day just walking around the downtown area (but any more than one day is unnecessary).

There are a lot of things to do surrounding the Cusco area too. There are two ways to go about venturing out (requires transportation):

  • Go on group excursions (with big busses)

    • If you are balling on a huge budget, this will work

    • Keep in mind that tour busses do not go to a lot of the places that I list below

  • Hire a private guide to take you around (this is what we did)

    • This was still very cheap for US standards

    • I preferred this because we got more of a local experience, and could stop whenever we wanted

    • They will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel/hostel

Our Guide:

Like I said above, we hired a private tour guide to take us around. His name was Roger and was absolutely amazing. He was a walking history book--filled with so much knowledge about every ruin, lake, and site that we saw. His grandma was an Inca, so his perspective is extremely interesting. He was also a fun guy to spend a day with! I highly recommend him.

Where did we go with our guide?

Keep in mind that you can customize your itinerary with him prior to departure, so do not stress about planning too much in advance. If you are going with a tourist bus, you will still have a great time, but there is less flexibility around everything that I am about to tell you.

Day 1: Alternate Rainbow Mountain & Lake Pumacache