Cusco City Tour Review: Exploring Inca Ruins and History

So, Cusco! It’s almost like stepping back in time, you know? You find yourself in a place that’s totally dripping with history, I mean Inca history meeting Spanish colonial influence is that very cool combo you didn’t even realize you wanted to see. That’s very much what Cusco delivers. Anyway, I recently did a guided city tour that took in the main sights as well as a handful of Inca ruins right outside town. This review shares what I made of the whole thing, I mean everything from what I expected very beforehand to whether I thought it was, like, worth the money and the time.

What This Cusco City Tour Includes

That tour, more or less, covered a fair amount of ground. You tend to see a pattern in what these Cusco city tours include, so I guess, this wasn’t, like, wildly different but maybe a slightly more comprehensive option. First off, very many of these tours often start with a walk through the Plaza de Armas. This is very much Cusco’s main square. You know, like, the heart of the city. From there, you might visit the Cusco Cathedral, which is just a really, like, huge and pretty incredible building full of super elaborate colonial art. After the Cathedral, many tours include a peek into Qorikancha. It’s known as the Temple of the Sun, you know. What’s cool about Qorikancha, in some respects, is that you can see the Inca foundations with a Spanish monastery sitting right on top of them. The ruins are, kind of, cool, very.

Right outside of Cusco are four, actually impressive, Inca ruin sites that, typically, get included on city tours. First is Sacsayhuamán. It’s really, really interesting to see those, very big, stones they used. Secondly is Q’enqo. I mean that’s, kind of, an odd ceremonial site, alright. The guide I was with, I think, told me people that think it was some sort of spot where they performed sacrifices. There is Puka Pukara, it could be a sort of a red fortress used for military purposes. And finally Tambomachay is maybe, typically, considered a water temple. You, kind of, see some pretty, rather intricate aqueducts there and stone fountains. All four are, arguably, up there, so worth checking out.

The Good Parts of the Tour

The guide was, like, full of really interesting facts and stories. She was super, really passionate about Inca history and culture, alright. It showed, alright. The fact that she was fluent in both Spanish and English meant it was that much more easy for her to deal with any questions, anyway, that cropped up from what I guess was a pretty multinational tour group. So, if you get a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide then they can, very easily, make any historical tour a bit more special, very. It makes the experience very unforgettable. And, you know, she knew her stuff, which definitely, typically, came across.

I thought having transport provided made it much, much easier. Puka Pukara, Q’enqo, Sacsayhuamán, and Tambomachay are maybe, really, cool, but they are not within what you may know as walking distance from Cusco’s center, so, too it’s almost easier to book a tour which sorts the transportation to save having to barter with cab drivers, as a matter of fact. It also helps, really, keep everything running to schedule and not, very, waste a bunch of the day waiting, maybe, for folks who get lost.

The ruin sites themselves were worth visiting, really, worth visiting. Sacsayhuamán kind of, stood out because of its, almost, colossal stones. Q’enqo’s rock formations were worth the visit as well, alright. It helped paint what I felt was that full picture of Inca civilization. Even better? You may want to remember that, really, pictures never do these places justice. Being there kind of lets you see their size and also see how well they integrate into the landscape surrounding the Cusco area, still.

Things That Could’ve Been Better

The time allotted at each ruin site might be the single, nearly biggest thing that I, arguably, didn’t love. We, virtually, only spent, perhaps, like 45 minutes at Sacsayhuamán, as a matter of fact. That’s barely enough time to walk the entire place, in some respects. I wanted more, in other words. Very some folks in the group said they wanted to stay even longer, which, actually, sort of reinforced what I was feeling. The whole tour, in effect, feels a tiny, honestly, rushed at certain points, you know?

And speaking of feeling rushed, I want to touch on the shopping. Like very many tours, what I felt like was a, almost, mandatory stop was a small local craft shop. The stuff inside, by the way, ranged from textiles to carvings and jewelry and other artisan stuff. You may or may not want to buy it. What happens here? The hard sell, actually. Which I hated, actually. Like I understand small workshops rely on tourist money and business, yet I don’t need pressure when I’m on my holiday. I will go shopping and buy stuff in Cusco at my leisure, that I promise. Next time, in a way, I might like my Cusco tour operator to cut the shopping trips, by the way, so folks get more time at the proper sites and ruins.

That transportation van might have been slightly, almost, too cramped, in a way. It might be something, too it’s almost worth you considering. I get that I booked an inexpensive, actually budget-friendly, trip, yet being sardined into a mini-bus isn’t my idea of an ideal way to travel. Basically, maybe, this is an aspect of choosing that less pricey tour option, arguably.

Tips for Taking This Tour

You may or may not be at risk of altitude sickness if you show up, totally unprepared, to Cusco, yet the elevation is at 11,000 feet. In other words? It hits hard, seriously. I have been to Cusco before, and to avoid it I always spend a few days there, very, getting used to the thinner air before any kind of active exploring. Very even gentle walking can leave you short of breath if you have never been to the Andes before, I swear. That’s why altitude sickness tablets can make a big difference to some people. Or, you know, coca tea works, too. Anyway, avoid big meals the moment you arrive in Cusco, perhaps, and you, kind of, give your body a bit of time to adapt.

Bring, what I like to call layers, really. High in the Andes, too it’s almost warm under sunshine. When clouds cover the sky then, as a matter of fact, temperatures will quickly drop, too it’s almost drastically, which is that one aspect that makes dressing in layers really, really worthwhile. That sun is that strong too, like. You really do need sunscreen. As you might guess, hats can be useful. Just a little windbreaker tends to be just what you need if clouds suddenly appear over your head. In effect, be prepared for all kinds of micro-climates during the day!

Actually listen to what your guide is trying to say. What they have to say will enrich your tour experience big-time. That information is gold, honestly. Even if it gets slightly boring. As a matter of fact, showing you appreciate and value what your guide offers always ensures they offer their expertise that you should value. So, very some tour guides do expect to be tipped if they did a grand job. Yet, in general, this is really at your discretion to what level. It depends on your opinion.

So, Is the Cusco City Tour Worth It?

This city tour has something to give if you are that newcomer, right, in Cusco and, naturally, short on time. Being able to cram pretty much everything into the space of, like, one day is ideal. However, some aspects could stand to be improved upon. Next time I would think about ditching this one tour in favor of multiple trips instead. This, actually, can let you appreciate all the ruins better, too. Yet, in effect, for very many travellers, really many, this kind of whistlestop tour really is the best option that there is, almost. It is really helpful, you know? I wouldn’t go out of my way not to take one, you hear?