Cusco, Peru

Cusco is a captivating city in the Peruvian Andes at an altitude of 3400 meters above sea level. It is known to be the "historic capital" of Peru.

Traveling to Cusco

As many people pass through the City of Cusco on their way to see Machu Picchu, not many get the chance to actually get out and explore this fascinating city. What many don't realize is that the City of Cusco is actually situated higher in elevation then Machu Picchu. This being said, it is recommended to fly into Cusco and stay for at least 24-hours (resting and getting acclimated). Most travelers are flying in from Lima, which is sea level. When you arrive in Cusco, getting off the plane there are barrels of coca leaves (cocaine) that you can take. They recommend making tea or just chewing on the actual leaf. The coca leaves were sacred to the Incas and have been known to help with the symptoms of altitude sickness.

3 Days in Cusco

Three days in Cusco is enough to see the highlights of the city without rushing around, yet if you have more time you could easily spend more time here and not get bored.

ATV's to Moray

These are gigantic natural holes in the surface of the land that were used to build terraces or agricultural terraces with their respective irrigation canals, it is known as a biological experimental station quite advanced for its time that helped the settlers of the time. We hopped on some ATV's and rode all around the surrounding areas. The morning we decided to book our excursion it was about 40 degrees! FROZEN. and wearing like 27 layers.

Salt Flats

Fixed in geometric shapes on terraced hills, the surreal, photogenic pools were created by the Incas 2,000 years ago, and the mines are still harvested for their pink salt. Consisting of about 3000 small wells, in times of drought are filled or “watered” every 3 days with salt water emanating from the earth’s surface located at the top of the wells, so that when the water evaporates, the salt contained in it gradually solidifies, then the salt is beaten and thus granulated. This is probably one of the top ten most breathtaking views to be able to walk around and see in person. Let alone, its on the side of a cliff.

Choco Museo

We had really too much fun at the Choco Museo in the center of the city. We signed up for the "bean to bark" experience and it was such an amazing time. Our group was made up of about 12 people from all different ages and ethnicities. Our tour guide was really knowledgeable of all the different chocolate in all different areas throughout her country. During our experience we had small competitions and even a sing off! (James won :)!! We made chocolate from the actual bean, toasting the beans, grinding it down to a paste and then warming it up. We even got to create our own chocolate molds and came back the next day to pick them up!

White Water Rafting & Ziplining

A rafting adventure to the Urubamba River, where we rode class II and III rapids. Along the route were excellent scenic riverside views, including big eucalyptus trees and beautiful flowers. Again, while we were there it was frrreazing but the company we signup up with had body suits and jackets to keep us warm. After the lovely ride down the river, we were taken back to their camp where lunch was prepared as well as a warm fire :) After lunch we all suited up to go to three different zip line cables near by the camp. The ziplining was short but sweet and the views going over the river were just out of this world!

Explore the Historic District

The heart of the historic center of the imperial city is the Plaza de Armas, bordered by the magnificent cathedral, and just a few meters from the twelve-angled stone and a few blocks from the San Blas neighborhood.

The culinary scene is also unique: from exclusive restaurants to the enormous corn cobs with cheese sold on street corners. It is no surprise that many tourists come… and decide to stay.

Take a picture with a baby LLAMAAAA!

Wow, talk about adorable!!!! This was the cutest little llama/alpaca I've ever seen. The locals will sit around town in very vibrant colored dressed and hats with baby llamas. Hoping that tourists will give in and want a picture with the llama. These locals work based off tips they get for doing this on the streets. Some ladies are very pushy and will put the animals in your arms and then reach out for money. Without ever asking! Be aware of this!

We did tip her for this photo :)