Cusco 4-Hour Private Tour Including Sacsayhuaman and Qenqo

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Saqsaywaman, which can be spelled many different ways, is a citadel on the northern outskirts of the city of Cusco, Peru, the historic capital of the Inca Empire. Sections were first built about 1100 CE by the Killke culture which had occupied the area since 900 CE

   30 min

2. You will fall in love with the Plaza de Armas of Cusco. Its colonial architecture buildings serve as an example of the impact the Spanish conquerors made in the city. However, this place has existed long before the Conquest. This was the chosen starting point to begin developing the Imperial City, which became the capital of the Inca Empire.

   10 minAdmission included

3. The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin, also known as Cusco Cathedral, is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cusco. The cathedral is located on the Plaza de Armas

   20 min

4. Originally named Intikancha or Intiwasi, it was dedicated to Inti, and is located at the former Inca capital of Cusco. Mostly of the temple was destroyed after the 16th-century war with the Spanish conquistadors, as settlers also took it apart to build their own churches and residences. Much of its stonework was used as the foundation for the seventeenth-century Santo Domingo Convent. It was built after the 1650 earthquake destroyed the first Dominican convent.

   20 min

5. This construction is located 6km from Cusco. "Puca" in Quechua means "Red" and "Pucara" means "Fortress-Watchtower. Located at a strategic point along the road to the Antisuyo (the jungle part of the Inca empire), it also served as a checkpoint on the Inca road and was a military and administrative center.

   15 min

6. In Quechua, Qenqo means labyrinth or zig-zag and the temple is named for the crooked canal cut out of its rock. Although it is clear the canal carried some sort of liquid, researchers have been forced to guess at its purpose, and at what liquid it transported. Hypotheses range from carrying holy water, chicha (corn beer), or blood. All three indicate that Qenqo was used for death rituals, possibly to embalm bodies or detect whether a person lived a good life by the course the liquid followed.

   15 min

7. Tambomachay is an archaeological site associated with the Inca Empire, located near Cusco, Peru. An alternate Spanish name is El Baño del Inca. It consists of a series of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls that run through the terraced rocks

   25 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 90 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Cusco

• Its from-price is 47% below the median of the 4460 experiences we list in Cusco.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 236 of 4460.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Cusco

Cusco, the old Inca capital high in the Peruvian Andes, blends massive stone walls with colonial churches and is the gateway to Machu Picchu.

The Plaza de Armas is the heart of the city, framed by the cathedral and the Jesuit church of La Compañía. Inca stonework survives throughout the centre, most famously at the Qorikancha, the sun temple on which the Spanish built a monastery, and in the twelve-angled stone on Hatun Rumiyoc street. San Blas, the artisans' quarter, climbs steeply with workshops and cafés.

Top-ranked sights in Cusco: Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo Ruins.

See all 4460 experiences in Cusco