So, is Cusco, Peru worth visiting? Yes.
The time I spent in Cusco was probably the most extreme, tiring, fun and magical time I’ve had bundled all into one. Is Cusco worth visiting? Absolutely and without any hesitation. Honestly, I want to go back soon because I don’t think I’ve been there nearly as long as I wanted to. I was never bored in Cusco, even during down time. There was always somewhere to go and places to see.
For an active, outdoor and nature adventure traveler, Cusco has everything. Great food, affordable accommodations like hotels and even hostels, the absolute best activities and world famous attractions. I honestly won’t ever get bored of Cusco.
I visited Cusco in May and I think that’s one of the best times to visit because of less crowds and it’s the start of the dry season so the weather is good too.
In this article, we’ll answer what a lot of people ask: is Cusco worth visiting? I will talk about things I love, things I didn’t like and tips for you to know before coming to Cusco.
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Is Cusco Worth worth visiting: My experience
I spent 5 days in Cusco Peru and it was always somewhere on my list of places I absolutely need to visit. Unfortunately my girlfriend couldn’t accompany me on this trip.
I actually think it’s really easy to realize why Cusco is worth visiting. If you do any research whatsoever about visiting Peru and things to do here, you’ll see that Cusco is at the top of that list.
Compared to Lima and the cities, Cusco has a really rustic and old feel to it. People here still dress in traditional clothing. There are alpacas everywhere and the locals here are fully aware that the area is full of tourists.
One of the main things you’ll notice about Cusco is the temperature. It’s really cold at night and early in the mornings. Everyone wears basic winter clothing at night. But, when it gets later in the day, like after 2 pm, it’s warm and sunny.
Cusco is the base for all the other activities and tours you’ll go on in the Andes region of Peru. But, there are also huge amounts of fun things to do in Cusco itself. Activities like horseback riding in Saqsaywaman, atv tours, Inca cave tours, amazing restaurants, local markets and so much more.
What I really love about Cusco Peru
Adventure travel activities
I honestly felt like I was going constantly with almost no proper rest in between. We would wake up at 4 am to get ready for the tours. We were just constantly doing stuff and still, there were loads of things we didn’t get to do. That’s just how many amazing and adventurous things there are to do in Cusco.
Amazing food and Places to hang out
We arrived at our hotel really late at night, around 10 pm. We were really hungry and I realized there was this amazingly cool and bustling place right opposite from our hotel called Loki. It had great food, fun vibes, amazing people working there and many fun tourists to hang out with.
There were so many tiny, simple looking restaurants in Cusco that would just serve the most amazing food. A lot of people call Peru the food capital of the world and I can definitely see why.
Historic atmosphere and overall vibe of Cusco
I really felt like everything in Cusco was really old and rugged. Cars had to drive on cobblestone that was laid hundreds of years ago. The architecture of the buildings in the square and all the other shops and hotels just looked like I was watching a very old cowboy movie. This, coupled with all the locals wearing very traditional clothing also added to the immersion.
What I don’t like about Cusco
Cusco is cold
One of the first things I noticed about Cusco having arrived at 10 pm at the airport, is how cold it was. It reminded me of how it felt when I was in Norway. Now, I wasn’t shocked by this because of how high up in the Andes we were and because of all the research I did online before coming here. But still, at night it gets really cold and you have to layer up properly so you don’t freeze.
The coldest moments for me were at night when I was sleeping. Even with covers on, it’s cold. Based on the hotel room, you can get even colder. Just wear proper layers and you’ll be fine.
Lack of oxygen from high altitude
One of the most important things to consider when coming to Cusco is the altitude. I genuinely had an extra tour scheduled for my first day in Cusco. But, after thinking about the risk of altitude sickness and reading that you need a few days to acclimate, I decided to just have a free first day. Luckily, both my travel buddy and I had no symptoms at all.
We did drink a lot of coca tea though, which is offered for free at every restaurant and hotel we went to. They also sell altitude sickness pills that you can take to ensure even further that you don’t feel sick.
If you want to know how to prevent getting altitude sickness in Cusco, check out my article.
Peru is expensive
Peru is one of the most expensive Latin American countries I’ve ever visited. The hotels, food and your average spending each day will be more than most other countries in Latin America. It is worth it still though. Because the prices are not that outrageous like some other places I went around the world like Scandinavia and even the Caribbean.
Things to do in Cusco Peru
Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain was probably my most enjoyable tour in Peru. This was the 2nd one I did in Cusco and we decided to take a horse this time. Everyone that comes to Cusco usually does the rainbow mountain trek and take lots of pictures.
It’s really high up here. Standing on top of rainbow mountain means you are at 5200 meters above sea level. Just walking up the first couple steps at the beginning put me out of breath. You might feel like me and get tingly all over due to the lack of oxygen that high up. Rainbow mountain is a 10/10 hike and I fully recommend you include it on your Peru itinerary.
Humantay Lake
Honestly, for me, Humantay Lake was really hard and it was the first tour I did on this trip. I wasn’t that well adjusted to the altitude yet and I hiked the entire way on foot. The scenery here is out of this world. There are constantly mountain glaciers in the distance looking like something out of a fantasy. This tour was so worth it, especially when I finally arrived at the actual Humantay glacier lake. You’ll definitely get some amazing pictures and videos.
Sacsayhuaman trail on horseback
The Sacsayhuaman trail on horseback is one of the most relaxing day trips you can do from Cusco. This was a spontaneous tour we did after meeting a guy at the San Cristobal viewpoint. He asked us if we would like to do a tour. We said yes and jumped in his car. The rest was cinema.
This is an absolutely amazing tour when they carry you to the horse ranch, you get onto one of the horses, then a guide will ride with you through wide open fields and mountains. He’ll take you to different ancient ruin sites where you could spend about 10 minutes looking around and taking pictures.
The second part of this tour was in the cave tunnels of the Incas. We walked and jumped across rocks and caverns looking at old Inca cave drawings and where they would perform rituals and stuff like that.
The third part of the tour, we got into the guide’s car and drove about 5 minutes higher into the mountains to a very cool village where they produce real baby alpaca fur. They gave us a full breakdown of the alpaca fur industry and showed us how to identify fake alpaca fur from real alpaca fur.
I was honestly surprised and impressed by how complete, fun and so worth it this tour felt. It’s definitely something to do on a lighter day in Cusco.
Where to stay in Cusco
I am a huge fan of walking everywhere because I find it lets you explore things better as a first timer. Cusco is very much a walkable town with cobble stone streets and shops and restaurants everywhere.
But, it’s really important to note that if you plan to do tours in Cusco, she tour bus only picks you up if you are in the city center. We stayed really close to the city center in Cusco and we still had to walk to a more central area of the city. If you stay in an area on the far reaches of Cusco that might be quieter and nicer, you might have to get up extra early to meet the tour bus.
So, I recommend staying in a central location in Cusco. I stayed at Anata hotel. There’s free breakfast here, an outdoor grassy area where you can sit, laundry services, Wi-Fi and tv in the rooms.
I really think this hotel is located in a prime spot. It’s in the city center, just off into a side street and about 5 seconds from one of the main roads in Cusco. A place like this is perfect if you plan to do a lot of tours. It’s directly opposite Loki Bar and Hostel. Loki is another place you can stay if you don’t mind staying in one of the best hostels in Peru.
So, is Cusco worth visiting? Yes, 100%. You can visit Cusco for 5 days or you can visit for 1 month and you’ll have a great time every single day. The number of tours, activities, sites to see, people you’ll meet and general vibe of Cusco makes it one of the best places a traveler can visit in their lifetime.
