Sacsayhuaman, Cusco & Inca Ruins Day Tour

Sacsayhuaman, Cusco & Inca Ruins Tour Itinerary

We pick you up from your hotel at 8:30 am. Our private vehicle starts first with a 20-minute uphill drive to the hills above Cusco.

This day trip is ideal for acclimatisation at high altitude in Cusco (3,400m/11,155ft). Our first port of call is Puca Pucara.

More about Puca Pucara

Puca Pucara is an impressive starting point for the tour. It is a hilltop fort featuring large walls, terraces, and staircases, just outside Cusco. Indeed, these military ruins were once the base for the defense of Cusco.

The views from Puca Pucara are beautiful, looking down the valley of Cusco. Of course, such views were perfect for the Incas protecting Cusco from raiders. It’s a nice place for the sunset, and you can buy a few trinkets from local vendors, too.

Information on Tambomachay

This spring is thought to have been worshipped by the Inca population. Many people refer to Tambomachay as the ‘Baths of the Incas’. The site is a series of waterfalls, aqueducts, and canals that run through the terraces. The waters still flow today, making these ruins an awe-inspiring sight.

One theory is that the leaders used it as a spa, and others that it was a religious site. Water fountains are a common theme at major Inca temples – similar structures are found near Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu.

More about the Sacsayhuaman ruins

The ruins of Sacsayhuaman, or Saqsaywaman, are an essential part of any visit to Cusco and indeed, Peru. Both Cusco and Sacsayhuaman were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983, demonstrating their intrinsic value.

Sacsayhuaman (3,701m/12,142ft) features an enormous plaza and three massive terrace walls. The stones in these terraces are among the largest seen in any Inca buildings. Some of them are more than 9 meters (30 feet) tall, and they are estimated to weigh up to 125 tons.

More amazingly, there is no mortar holding the walls together. Every stone was cut to fit perfectly. Also, it wasn’t the Incas that founded the site; some sections were built as early as 1,100 AD by the Killke culture.

Your guide will point out some of the Inca’s religious symbols built into the ruins: condor, puma, and snake.

After taking time to enjoy the majestic views over Cusco, we are picked up by our driver and return to Cusco. We enjoy lunch at a restaurant in the main square.

San Pedro Market

After lunch, we take an in-depth city tour of Cusco.

Our first stop is to the bustling San Pedro market, with stands that sell everything from fruits and vegetables, meats and medicinal plants. There are street vendors in traditional dress, hawking snacks, herbs, and other dry foods. Stalls sell everything from local food to souvenirs to freshly squeezed juices from a dizzying array of fruits (make sure yours is made with bottled water to avoid an upset stomach).

Haggling can be great fun and this is a great market to pick up a bargain.

Plaza de Armas and Cusco Cathedral

After enjoying the market, we walk to Cusco’s main, central plaza, called Plaza de Armas.

Our first point of call is The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin (Cusco Cathedral). This impressive building was built between 1560 and 1654 in the Gothic-Renaissance style. Look out for the Incas’ personal touches - the carved head of a jaguar on the main cathedral doors is just one.

Once inside the cathedral, we’ll view a massive silver altar and a painting of the last supper where they are eating guinea pig, a local delicacy. Back out in the Plaza de Armas, the next stop is the Temple of the Sun.

More about Coricancha, Temple of the Sun

This is the most sacred Inca temple dedicated to Inti, the Inca Sun God. When the Spaniards arrived at Cusco, they demolished the Coricancha temple but kept the foundations on which they built Santo Domingo Convent.

If we have time, we will visit Museo Machu Picchu, home to artefacts from Machu Picchu. The tour ends with your guide dropping you off at your hotel.

Don’t forget to read our FAQs, covering altitude, money, and more.

What’s included?

Local professional guide, round-trip private transfer, hotel pickup and drop off, & private tour

Suggested tours

Sacsayhuaman day tour gallery

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