Day 448 – Cusco
Incan Ruins around Cusco
Today we had a nice breakfast at Cusco International Hostal. We are going to visit some of the ruins around Cusco that are covered on the Boleto Turisticos del Cusco Pass that we purchased yesterday (Day 447). After packing our day packs, we left into a sunny Cusco day.
Saqsaywaman Ruins
To get to the Saqsaywaman Ruins, we once again had to climb to the Cristo Blanco statue, which we did a few days ago (Day 446). I thought it would be easier to climb this time around. Unfortunately I was wrong.
The climb up and the short walk to the Saqsaywaman Ruins took us 30 minutes. The ruins were really busy with tour groups and other travellers. We used our Boleto Turisticos del Cusco Pass to enter the site. There were offers from private guides for 1.5 hours tour that would have cost 50 PEN (~23.50 AUD). We declined and explored the ruins by ourselves.
I still have no idea how to pronounce Saqsaywaman, but the stone work is exquisite. Some of the stones are larger than us. The main section of the ruins had a cool zig zag shaped wall.
Zig Zag Walls There is also a nice viewpoint here. Main Plaza from above
We spent almost 2 hours here.
Q’enqo Ruins
From Saqsaywaman, we walked 1.5km to the Q’enqo Ruins. These ruins are surrounded by eucalyptus trees, which instantly made me miss home. The Q’enqo ruins are also included with the Boleto Turisticos del Cusco Pass. There is a small site called Q’enqo Chica, which is free for all.
However, there isn’t much going on there. There was a playful dog that kept running around us as we climbed the ruins. The dog became aggressive once we were trying to leave though, which was unexpected. It wasn’t a massive dog, so neither of us were fearing for our lives.
The main site has a few interesting structures. It’s nothing compared to the Saqsaywaman Ruins if I am honest.
Puca Pucara Ruins
From Q’enqo, there is a long walk to the Puca Pucara Ruins. We walked through mainly isolated streets and a handful of small villages. The walk took us 1 hour.
Puca Pucara is a fortress with an amazing location in the Valley of Cusco. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains. The name translates to “Red Fortress” in the local language of Quechua. Apparently the rocks become reddish at night time. The site is smaller than Q’enqo but more intact. We only spent around 15 minutes here. Puca Pucara is also included in the Boleto Turisticos del Cusco Pass.
Tambomachay Ruins
A short 5 minute walk from Puca Pucara is the Tambomachay Ruins. These ruins are quite small but look nice. There are a few fountains, which are apparently coming from nearby hot springs.
There is an elevated section, which has a nice vantage point of the ruins. Besides the fountain, there isn’t much else to see. However, we did see a few people walking up some walkways. Before we could climb, it started to rain with the occasional thunder.
Tambomachay is also included in the Boleto Turisticos del Cusco Pass.
Getting back to Cusco from Tambomachay
Since we were tired and wanted to beat the worst of the rain, we decided to catch a bus back to town. Just outside of the ruins is a bus stop. At 3pm a bus arrived. There appears to be regular buses between Cusco and Tambomachay.
The journey to Cusco only took 15 minutes. We got off the bus some distance from the Main Plaza and our hostel. It would have been better to get off near the Cristo Blanco statue and walk down the stairs. Luckily we made it back to the hostel without getting wet as the rain had stopped.
After a recommendation from a friend in Huaraz, we visited a restaurant called Organika. The food was nice. The waiter was also super friendly and entertaining. We really enjoyed the meal.
Travelled November 2019
Expenses and Transport
Boleto Turístico del Cusco – 10 Day Pass – 130 PEN (~$62 AUD) per person
Bus – Tambomachay to Cusco – 1 PEN (~$0.50 AUD) per person with Huerto