Travel Log: Cusco, Peru

If you follow me on Instagram, you have already seen a peek at my recent bucket list Peru trip. This trip was one that I originally started to plan for spring 2020 and was rescheduled a couple of times; the pandemic and then more recent political unrest have had significant but understandable impacts to tourism. In addition, we also ran into a last minute Peru Rail train cancellation that forced us to shift our entire itinerary, move or rebook flights/hotels/trains/experiences, and incur significant incremental costs. More on that lackluster Peru Rail customer service experience in a future post, but with all that being said I was thrilled to be able to finally make this trip happen the last two weeks of May. Our itinerary included visits to Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Arequipa, Puno and Lake Titicaca, La Raya, Lima, and the last couple of nights in Mexico City. You can read my posts on Machu Picchu here, The Sacred Valley here, The Belmond Andean Explorer Train here, and What I Packed and Wore in Peru here.

For this first Peru post, I am focusing on our first two days in Cusco where we honestly did not plan a set itinerary because we wanted to allow time to acclimate to the high elevation (11,152 feet or 3,400 meters above sea level). Please continue reading to see photos, travel tips, and details of how we spent our two days in Cusco.

Since we flew from Seattle, there were no direct flights to Lima but we were able to leave early afternoon on a Saturday and land in Lima around 5:00am the next morning then transfer to a smaller flight from Lima to Cusco. We gave ourselves about 3 hours in Lima to allow time for any flight delays and immigration, and with the ~1 hour flight time from Lima to Cusco we arrived in Cusco ~9am Sunday. We took an Uber from the airport to our hotel and it was convenient, fast, and inexpensive. I prefer to take Ubers when traveling outside of the U.S. since you know what you will pay in advance, but one tip is to book an Uber XL if you are traveling with luggage since standard cars outside of the U.S. are generally smaller in size and have less trunk space. Another tip if you think you will experience elevation sickness symptoms is to talk to your doctor in advance about prescription medicine. I previously experienced elevation sickness symptoms of a severe headache and nausea for one full day in Breckenridge, Colorado (10,000 feet at the village and 13,000 feet at the ski area summit), so I asked my doctor for a Diamox prescription to preempt symptoms and am happy to report that it worked! Hydration and movement are also key: I drank what felt like gallons of water, kept it light on alcoholic drinks and food (your body processes alcohol and food differently at elevation), and got out of the hotel to walk around both days. 

 

Inca walls are an impressive sight to see in person. We learned that the stonemasons smoothed out granite or limestone stones using harder stones and water until they fit perfectly together. Wow. In Cusco, you can see examples of these walls in a couple of places near the Plaza de Armas/main town square. One option is Calle Hatunrumiyoc a bit north-east of the Plaza de Armas and you can search for "Piedra de los 12 angulos" in Google Maps to find the exact location of the stone wall along that street. A second location is the Loreto alley that you can find south-east of the Plaza de Armas with an entrance between the Starbucks and the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus. Cusco's historic city center is fairly small and easy to explore on foot, and I recommend spending time to walk the narrow streets, check out the shops, and perhaps bring home a baby alpaca wool blanket like we did!

There are plenty of options for hotels in Cusco, and we chose the JW Marriott El Convento Cusco because of its central location in the historic city center, the fact that they pump additional oxygen into guest rooms and offer a variety of complimentary teas including coca leaf tea to help guests acclimate to the high elevation, and their top notch included breakfast. Within the U.S. most hotels offer a sad continental breakfast bar of cereals, bagels, and vats of mediocre brewed coffee...but outside of the U.S. breakfast is actually something you want as a guest. The JW Marriott's included breakfast was a vast buffet of fresh baked breads, fresh fruit, a yogurt bar with a variety of healthy toppings, made-to-order eggs any style, espresso, and a variety of local dishes with multiple ways to try local meats, potatoes, soups, and more. The JW Marriott is a gorgeous hotel located in the site of a former convent, and I loved relaxing in their central courtyard. The service was exceptional as well--everyone we interacted with was wonderful and helpful. Five stars all around and I absolutely would stay here again.

The JW Marriott also offered a complimentary "Pisco Sour Class" with bartender Fredy that of course we had to partake in. We learned about the five valleys in Pisco where pisco grapes are grown: Arequipa, Ica, Lima, Moquegua, and Tacna as well as the eight pisco grape varietals grown in Peru: Albilla, Italia, Mollar, Moscatel, Negra Criolla, Quebranta (most popular and 70% of total), Torontel, and Uvina. Blends are called Acholado and are also common to see. We learned that Peruvians like to sip their favorite varietal of pisco as a digestif and had the opportunity to sip tastings of multiple varietals on their own as well as try a flavored pisco sour (I chose passionfruit - my new favorite!). So much fun and very informative overall, I definitely recommend taking a pisco class if you have the opportunity. You may be able to tell that I took copious notes, now understand the rivalry between Peru and Chile, and want to try more pisco drinks to further my education.

Regarding overall level of crowds and tourist safety, I want to take a minute to share our experience. As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I recognize the impacts of both the pandemic and more recent political unrest to tourism, and we saw low crowds in every city we visited. That being said, I did not feel that Peru was dangerous by any means. We visited major cities and tourist areas, booked our lodging, experiences, and transport through reputable companies, and stayed "on the beaten path" if you will. I fully recognize the privilege I have to travel freely to other countries as a U.S. citizen, that I have the finances to book a comfortable travel experience, and I do not discount that. However, I want to share that every Peruvian person I interacted throughout our stay with was friendly, open, and kind. If you are thinking of visiting Peru this year, I encourage you to do your due diligence in terms of itinerary and logistics but don't hesitate to go.

While we did not have enough days to try all of the amazing food that Cusco has to offer, we did our best to try as many local dishes as possible. There is a significant amount of asian influence in Peruvian cuisine and we enjoyed dishes including trout ceviche, lomo saltado (stir-fried beef with onions and soy sauce), ají de gallina (creamy spiced chicken stew), and of course sushi. Later on in our trip we tried crispy skin guinea pig tacos with hoisin and pork adobo stew. So much amazing food!

Since we were feeling much better than anticipated in Cusco, we decided to hike to the Incan fortress Sacsayhuamán after breakfast our second morning in the city. The hike is 30-45 minutes from the city center, depending on where you are staying, and was basically a straight shot up Calle Pumacurco. Along the route you will pass various restaurants, shops, and maybe even see a friendly pup assessing your progress like the one above. Google Maps will direct you to the highest point that a car can drive, and from there you have another 10 minutes or so walking up the path to the ticket office. Tickets are 70 Peruvian soles (~$20 USD) per person.

While we did not choose to pay for a guide to tour Sacsayhuamán, you certainly can and there are ample guides available in advance or at the gate. We explored on our own, marveled at the stonework in the walls, and said hello to the alpacas grazing in the meadow. Not a bad way to spend a morning! When we were finished, we walked back down to the city center the same way we came.

You will likely see women dressed in traditional clothing leading baby alpacas around the city center. They will ask if you want to take a photo and be aware that they expect to be paid for it. From what we saw, the alpacas look to be well taken care of and we saw multiple occasions of groups taking rest in the shade and feeding the alpacas flowers or other vegetation. You will also see people offering their "unique artwork" on every corner, to us it all looked the same but I don't know enough to say. It is up to you if you wish to partake or purchase.

For our final meal in Cusco, we chose Morena Kitchen in the Plaza de Armas due to its excellent reviews. We enjoyed a pisco sour in their adjoining restaurant, Ceviche Seafood Kitchen, while we waited for our table, and then enjoyed corn croquetas, alpaca risotto, aji de gallina gnocci, osobuco, and affogato with churros for dessert. A fabulous way to end our two days in Cusco!

After our initial two days in Cusco, we prepared to board a train and head to Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu. Stay tuned for my next installment of our Peru adventure. Have you been to Cusco? If so, leave me a comment below to let me know your impressions and favorite moments. Thank you for visiting my blog today, and I hope you have a wonderful week!

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