Cusco - Capital of the Inca Empire

Once the heart of the Inca Empire, at the centre of their universe they considered it ‘the navel of the world’. Cusco is an important stopping point on any journey to Machu Picchu, but it is worth some time to explore too if you visit.

Cusco (also spelled Cuzco) is a city located in Southern Peru in the Andes at 3,000 m (11,000 ft). It was considered to be at the very heart of the Inca’s world, where the four provinces of their empire met. After the arrival of the Spanish in 1533 the Inca empire fell apart and this great city of the Incas was gradually covered in colonial buildings, many of them built on the foundations of the Inca buildings and temples.

In 1950 a major earthquake hit Cusco, and damaged many buildings. Interestingly the Inca’s stonework, long believed lost was revealed in many places as plaster fell away. The Incas extraordinary skill with stone meant that their buildings were stronger, often with no stright lines that are weak in an earthquake and so they remained.

It was decided that many of the buildings would be kept with the old Inca stonework on view and in many streets you can see the strange combination of Inca stones and Spanish Colonial buildings merged together.

There are also many ruins nearby that are worth visiting, such as Pisac and Sacsayhuamán, where you will be impressed by the huge stone walls built by the Incas and their predecessors.

From Cusco to Machu Picchu

Of course, many people visit Cusco as part of a journey to Machu Picchu. You cannot travel directly to Machu Picchu from Lima or even Cusco, but from Cusco you can take the train to the village of Aguas Calientes (meaning ‘Hot Waters’ due to some hot springs there which can be visited). Then from Aguas Calientes you can get a bus to the tourist entrance for Machu Picchu. The train journey is about 3 ½ hours, travelling up over the hills outside Cusco then down the Urubamba river (Machu Picchu is at 2,400 m or 8,000 ft. – so is lower than Cusco). 

If you have not organised a specific trip do not worry, many people will sell your trips to Machu Picchu or other sights, select carefully and ask for ID if you are not sure. Your hotel may be able to recommend someone. I have used a service through the hotel I stayed in and we got our tickets for the train, a hotel in Aguas Calientes and entry into Machu Picchu for a good price.

Travel to Cusco, Peru. Some helpful travel tips

Cusco can be reached by road or air from most major cities in Peru. If you are travelling from outside of Peru you will most likely need to fly to Lima and then get a connecting flight to Cusco. However many international flights to Peru arrive in Lima too late to travel onwards to other cities by plane or by bus. So you expect and plan to spend a night in a hotel in Lima before starting your journey to Cusco.

The bus journeys are very long and often involve sleeping on the bus. They are very affordable and saves a night in a hotel or hotel. A good choice for back packers who want to see the land close up.  See ‘Bus Travel in Peru‘ for more details about the bus services.

I recommend selecting companies with modern and well maintained buses, such as Cruz del Sur who also have comfortable reclining chairs to sleep in.

Bus from Lima to Cusco:
Cruz del Sur – operate two services each day. Journey times are about 21 hours (travelling overnight). Have an excellent 1st class section.
Ormeño – from Lima via Arequipa or Ayacucho – 22 or 24 hours respectively. (No online booking when I checked)

Bus from Arequipa to Cusco:
Cruz del Sur – at least one departure daily. Journey time is around 10 hours.

Flights to Cusco are more expensive but very quick and can show you some amazing views of the snow capped Andes and the deep valleys around Cusco. Be warned the journey from the coastal climate of Lima to the high altitudes of Cusco is so fast that your body may struggle at first to cope with the thinner air. Altitude sickness can affect tourists, although many just find they are breathless when walking. When you step out of the pressurised airplane you will notice almost immediately. Just do as the locals do and try the Coca Tea to ease your symptoms.

Flights from Lima to Cusco:
LAN Peru – several flights each day to and from Cusco, flights from Lima are approx 1 hour 15 minutes.
Star Peru – two flights each day from Lima to Cusco. Flight time is also 1 hour 15 minutes.

Flights from Arequipa to Cusco:
LAN Peru – You will need to change at Lima, which makes a combined flight of about 3 hours 30 minutes.

International flights to Cusco from Europe, United States, etc:
All international flights will connect through Lima, then onto Cusco with LAN Peru or Star Peru.

Flights from La Paz, Bolivia to Cusco:
AeroSur – From La Paz there is a 55 minute flight to Cusco. It is possible to fly AeroSur from Madrid to Cusco via La Paz.

Links:
LAN Peru airline – www.lan.com
Star Peru airline – www.starperu.com 
AeroSur, Bolivian airline - www.aerosur.com
Cruz del Sur, Bus company – www.cruzdelsur.com.pe 
Grupo Ormeño, Bus company – www.grupo-ormeno.com.pe 
Peru Rail, trains from Cusco to Machu Picchu – www.perurail.com

Machu Picchu is an incredible example of the Inca's skill at stonework

Machu Picchu is one of the most famous places in the world. Many millions of people who have never been there have seen the classic picture of Machu Picchu high in the Peruvian Andes. I want to tell you about Machu Picchu but also show you some other views.

If you want to visit Machu Picchu you will have to first travel to Cusco, which was once the captial city of the Inca Empire, so it is worth a visit to see that. Obviously the Spanich colonialists destroyed most of the original Inca building but it is full of character and there are some amazing ruins in the hills outside the city called Sacsayhuaman.

You can reach Cusco by bus or plane. I would recommend a good company like Oltursa or Cruz del Sur if you choose to go by bus. LAN Peru are a good choice to go by plane.

There are many hotels in Cusco to suit all budgets. If you are just back packing there are backpackers hostels and if you have the money there are very luxurious 5 star hotels that even have oxygen pumped into the room to help you cope with the altitude.

Travel by train to Machu Picchu from Cusco

From Cusco you can catch a train to the small town of Aguas Calientes which is very near Machu Picchu. The train line is Operated by PeruRail who are jointly owned by Orient Express. They have different classes of train for backpackers and travellers who prefer (or can afford) luxury.

The train follows the Urubamba River into the Sacred Valley

The trains travel firstly up over the hills surrounding Cusco and then along the valley towards Aguas Calientes. Cusco is actually higher so you will be following the course of the river as it cuts through the mountains. The journey lasts about 4 hours and will take you past small towns, farm and some interesting landscapes. You will see evidence of the Incas long before you get to Aguas Calientes, if you watch out of the window you will see stone terraces that the Incas built to grow their crops. 

From there you will probably want to to stay overnight in a local hotel before going to Machu Picchu. It is good to go early in the morning and see the sun rising over the mountains which is an amazing sight. You can travel from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu by one of the fleet of small buses there that take people up the winding road to the top of he mountain where you can enter the site .

Of course a tour operator can organise all of this for you. Even local tour operators can do this if you have not made all your plans before you get to Peru. Most hotels in Cusco will know trusted tour operators who will have organised hundreds, or thousands of tours for travellers.

The incredible skill of the Incas at Machu Picchu

When you first get to Machu Picchu you will probably be organised into a tour, which is good because even though it looks beautiful you need a guide to really understand everything. If you get close to the stonework you will see just how skillful the Incas were.

Just imagine how much each stone you see weighs, and try to imagine how it got all the way to the top of this mountain. That is amazing to think of but then look closer, all of the stone is carefully carved and shaped. It looks crazy, but because there are no straight lines these walls are not easily affected by earthquakes which is why you can still see them today.

Huayna Picchu and the Inca's terraces over the steep canyon

Another thing you will see is the terraces all around Machu Picchu where the Incas grew their crops. They were expert at growing food in difficult environments and they used their skill with stonework to create enourmous terraces. In the photo above I am climbing up to Huayna Picchu (say it like ‘Why-Nah’), which is the tall peak you always see in the ‘classic’ photos. It is a hard climb as it is VERY steep and the stone steps are very uneven but what makes it harder is the lack of oxygen which you rally notice when your leg muscles are working hard, so I would not recommend this for everyone. It can take around an hour to climb up and it is great to finally get to the top and see the views. You will of course have to share the place with the other tourists – and the french man writing a poem and sitting at the very highest point! 

Just one of the unusual plants you mights see at Machu Picchu

Also very few people stop to see the plants and trees around them, you can find wild begonias, fuschias and other plants and flowers worth a moment of appreciation!