Inca sites to the north of Cusco

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
6
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
8
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
6
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
6
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
6
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
67 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
194th/457
Top 40%
continent
South America
country
Peru
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$30 (typically $30 - $40)
Time of year visited
May
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Hilltop towns Inca sites Old town
All Tags
Altitude Ancient ruins Hiking Mountains Temple complex UNESCO world heritage site Wildlife - Llamas/Alpacas/Guanacos/Vicunas
Wow Factor
Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100.
⭐⭐

Summary

Cusco has some great sites, such as those around the Plaza de Armas, the grand Christian Churches and generally walking through the narrow cobbled streets.  Plus there are obviously some of the more world-famous places to check out nearby such as the Sacred Valley (see Driving around the Sacred Valley), Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail and Machu Picchu itself.

But I’d also really recommend taking half a day to see some of the smaller sites just to the North of Cusco, which come as a really pleasant surprise as they are walking distance from both Cusco and each other, and give you a bit of a mini adventure typically away from the crowds of the more famous spots.

Table of Contents

Highlights

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#1 Heading off on a bit of a mini adventure as you wander through the Peruvian countryside

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#2 Seeing some of these really well preserved Inca ruins, often without the tourist hoards of the more famous sites

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#3 Cracking views over Cusco from Saqsaywaman (yeah, pronounced a bit like "Sexy Woman")

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#4 The distant and isolated Red Fort / Guard post of Pukapukara

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#5 Wandering through the narrow Cusco streets on your way out of the city

Travel Tips

There are 4 spots to see (in order of walking from Cusco):

  1. Saqsaywaman (said like “Sexywoman”) – the largest of the four and with the most religious and military significance.  Also with great views over Cusco and the surrounding valley
  2. Q’engo – the zigzag ruin
  3. Pukapukara – the Red Fort, or more likely a hunting lodge / guard post.  Great spot to walk around and see the views of the valley
  4. Tambomachay – a channel for mountain streams to pass through, hence its name as “Bath of the Incas”

 

 

If pushed for time – I’d suggest in order of priority aim for Saqsaywaman for sure, Pukapukara next and then the remaining two.

You can get to them simply by walking or by hiring a car.  The walk took us around 5 hours as we stopped for lunch and walked uphill from Cusco to Tambomachay (in hindsight it may have been easier getting a cab to Tambomachay and walking downhill); was around 8km in total and 18,000 steps according to my iPhone (and just grab a taxi back to Cusco).  If you hire a car, you’ll only need I think round 2.5 hours and should be around S70 / US$20.  The walk is probably the most fun as it becomes a bit of a mini adventure as you try short cuts through the Peruvian countryside and stop by in little restaurants for lunch or just a drink.

For tickets, best just buy the Boleto Touristico which covers all the major sites around Cusco and the Sacred Valley (although not Machu Picchu).  S130 / US$37 and lasts 10 days.

Accommodation – for Cusco itself, we stayed in Casa San Blas Hotel Cusco, which I would recommend based on its great location, nice layout / vibe, and the staff who are only too happy to help you.

General Peru travel Tips

 

Altitude – Cusco is 3,300m / 11,150 feet which is high enough to give you altitude sickness (generally feeling a bit like a bad hangover, which isn’t fun).  You can do various things to help, such as take pills (we took Acetazolamide and felt like it helped), drink coca tea, take pain killers to help with the headache etc, but the best way is simply to give your body time to get used to the altitude.

History of the Inca – this part of Peru is all about the Inca as the real master builder civilisation so it adds a lot to the trip to know a bit about them.   I’d recommend Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams – an easy read as the author re-creates the rediscovery of Machu Picchu and gives enough detail that any first time visitor would need.  For the broader context on the Incas and the other pre-Columbus American civilisations, I’d highly recommend 1491 by Charles Mann which will, I think, open your eyes to just how sophisticated these civilisations were before the arrival, in particular, of Eurasian diseases.

Dogs! – when walking around on your own, just keep an eye out for local dogs.  We had a few run at us from a local farm just outside Cusco, which can be a little unnerving if not used to dogs.  Just remember not to panic, face them and back away slowly.  If they get super close and you feel like you need to defend yourself, give them a kick or see if you can pick up something nearby like a stick or rocks to scare them off.  I know, not fun – but unlikely they’ll be vicious and better to be prepared.

For tips on other great experiences in Peru and for an itinerary for a trip there, see 2/3 weeks for the highlights of Peru.

What to prioritise in Peru

Peru is an amazing country to travel around, but can be a little overwhelming as to what to prioritise. As a first time traveller, I would be thinking about the 3 main clusters of Lima, Cusco and Arequipa (in blue):

 

 

And I would prioritise the key activities this way:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail
43km hike that snakes its way majestically through a combination of dramatic Andes mountains and peaceful Peruvian countryside.  You’ll see perfectly maintained Inca ruins, thick misty cloud forest and end at the Sun Gate, the mountain entrance to the world famous ruins of Machu Picchu.  It is one of those rare travel experiences that really lives up to the hype and should be the focal point of your Peru trip. Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lima
The food is world-class and the coastal neighbourhoods beautiful.  You’ll be passing through Lima on any Peru trip, so make sure to give yourself 2 days.  Lima – a weekend of world class restaurants, super cool neighbourhoods and rapid paragliding.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hiking the Colca Canyon 
A great 3/4 day trip from Arequipa.  Stunning scenery as the canyon is the second deepest in the world (twice the depth of the Grand Canyon) with majestic condors flying overhead, plenty of traces of the old Inca construction and a fraction of the tourists of the Inca Trail.  Hiking and zip-lining in the Colca Canyon.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Driving through the Sacred Valley 
Gorgeous Inca sites such as Pisac, Moray and Ollantaytambo, stunning surrounding scenery and picturesque Peruvian villages.  Driving this is a beautiful thing to do before hitting Machu Pichu and the Inca Trail, but hire a driver rather than doing a tour.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Machu Pichu 
A Wonder of the World and it lives up to the hype.  Wow views, constant gawping and easy to get to from Cusco. Its downside is the crowds, which are intense.  This is why the approach from the Inca Trail makes sense as you have the higher points largely to yourself and your fellow hikers. Machu Picchu.

 

⭐️⭐️ Arequipa 
Super pretty UNESCO World Heritage listed old town with beautifully maintained streets and white stone Baroque buildings.  Entry point for the Colca Canyon and surrounded by three majestic, dramatic, perfectly coned volcanoes.  Arequipa old town.

⭐️⭐️ Cusco 
Great sites abound as you walk around the Plaza de Armas, the grand Christian Churches and generally walking through the narrow cobbled streets.  Plus some of the smaller sites just to the north, which come as a really pleasant surprise for more Inca ruins.  You’ll pass through here on the way to Machu Pichu, the Inca Trail and the Sacred Valley, and its worth a day or so.

Experiences nearby

Wow Factor Score Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100. LowHigh
  • Elite, unmissable
  • World-class, downsides
  • Meets the Wow Factor
  • Worth it
  • Meh
  • Gash

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences - from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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