The city of Cusco is situated in a
valley surrounded by the hills of
the Andes, about 3400m above sea
level.
It it’s centre we find a lot of
history: temples,ruins, archaeological
sites, colonial churches and squares.
It is worth to visit all, on foot or
in a tour, but we have some
recommendations:
In high season it is difficult to
guarantee a tour in which the client is
100% satisfied. People in agencies,
hotels and other jobs make their mistakes,
which are more frequent in high season
when there is a lot of pressure and
limited tickets for trains and trails.
High season is from mid-June to the end
of September.
In November starts the rainy season until
March, which means that sometimes flights
are cancelled, roads and railway blocked
by mudslides and rocks, so that even you
can not reach Machu Picchu.
Best you `ll be prepared and most important:
have patience!!
GENERAL INFORMATION
City tour:
Daily from 1.30 to 5.30pm
Visits cathedral ,
Sun temple or Coricancha ,
ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo,
Puca Pucara and Tambomachay.
IN BOTH TOURS YOU NEED TO
BRING YOUR VISITORS
TICKET TO ENTER THE RUINS,
ENTRANCE FEES TO THE
CATHEDRAL AND TEMPLE
OF THE SUN ARE SEPARATE!!!
Sacred Valley tour:
On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Leaves 8.30am and returns about 6.00pm.
Visits the markets of Ccorao and Pisaq,
lunch in the valley and then visits
ruins and village of Ollantaytambo and
on the way back the temple and ruins
of Chinchero (sometimes it is too late
to have this last visit)
Machu Picchu and incatrail:
If you want to go to Machu Picchu by the famous
incatrail you should make your reservation AT
LEAST HALF A YEAR IN ADVANCE! Due to new
regulations there are limited entrances,
500 maximum, including tourists, guides, cooks
and porters, that means about 280 tourists max.
The licensed agencies, guides and dates with
availabilities you can find on www.inc-cusco.gob.pe.
The agency will ask you a deposit to make
the reservations.
In high season it can happen that:
agencies sell where there are no more tickets
they don`t give the service you paid for; especially
in train tickets, but that is done by PERURAIL, not
fault of the agency.
Too much people in a group
Changes at the last moment.
tour to Machu Picchu by train:
there are 2 services:
- Vista dome: a little more luxury
- Backpacker
The tour includes: transfer to the train station,
train tickets, bus tickets, entrance to Machu Picchu, guided tour.
You can stay 1 night in Aguas Calientes, down in the valley just before Machu Picchu.
It has hot springs and a nice relaxing atmosphere.
ALTERNATIVE HIKES:
There are very nice alternatives instead of the
incatrail, such as: LARES, SALKANTAY, and
CHOQUEQUIRAO OR TIPÒN
These are hikes in beautiful, more remote areas,
with nice villages with Quechua speaking people,
archaeological complexes or breathtaking views.
You need more information?
Festivals
During the year there are many festivals and
activities in Cusco, mainly religious.
The most important dates are:
March 28 - 29 Semana Santa, Holy Week
May ...3 .........Fiesta de la Cruz, ......................Festival of the Cross
May ...30 .......Corpus Christi
June ..24 ........ Inti Raymi, Festival of the Sun
July ...28 ........ National day of independence
August 30 ....... Santa Rosa de Lima
Interesting Links Tanager Tours - Tanager Tours is a leading Tour Operator for Birding trips to Peru and other South American destinations.
Hostal Marani
Carmen Alto 194
San Blas
Cusco - Peru
Tel / fax: +51 84 249462 .............+51 84 974 984991
E-Mail: ....info@hostalmarani.com
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