Pirwa Hostales Cusco:

About Cusco Peru

OVERVIEW

Cusco has a diverse Relief, consisting of fertile inter-Andean valleys with impressive mountains to hike, till to the forests, where the temperatures rise and the countryside changes to more divers vegetation. The city itself has a lot to offer or even more to impress the visitors. A mixture of the Inca and colonial architecture shows great evidence of the past. Put yourself back in time while walking through the narrow streets. The impressive temple of the sun Qoricancha speaks for itself and underlines the former times. You will find a great quantity of archaeological complexes in the surroundings of Cusco such as Sacsayhuamán, Q’enqo, Pucapucara, Tambomachay, which give you a good idea about how this massive empire of the Incas was reigned. A trip to the Sacred Valley of the Incas gives you a better understanding, of why the Incas had concentrated their civilization in and around Cusco. The Sacred Valley has a great fertility and the climate is agreeable. The great quantity of museums in the city gives you a good impression about Cusco’s heritage of ancient times.

TOURISTIC TICKET

To realize the different excursions in the city of Cusco it is necessary to by the tourist ticket, which includes the entrance for the following museums and archaeological centers: Museo Histórico Regional, Museo de Sitio del Qoricancha (not to the complex), Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Museo de Arte Popular, Monumento al Inca Pachacutec, Convento de Santa Catalina, Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Pucapucara, Tambomachay, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Tipón and Pikillacta.

ALTITUDE

Capital: 3.399 m above sea level (Cusco).
Minimum: 532 m above sea level (Pilcopata).
Maximum: 4.801 m above sea level (Suyckutambo).

CLIMATE

The city Cusco has a moderate to cold climate. The maximum mean annual temperature is about 19,6°C and the minimum mean annual temperature is about 4,2°C. The raining season begins in November and ends in March, the time when the mountains turn green. In general June and July are the coldest month, during this time there is a chance of snow, nevertheless, this does not happen very often.

TRANSPORT

To move around within the city of Cusco you can use the public transportation system, which includes buses and mini-busses, which follow a certain route and the tariffs are relatively cheap. In case of the taxi service, you have to negotiate the price before you get into the taxi. With Machu Picchu as the destination visitors can use a direct train connection to Aguas Calientes and from there a bus to the citadel.

The most common way to get to Machu Picchu is the train. The distance between Cusco and the train station in Puente Ruinas in Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu is 112 kilometers.

One of the train stations from where you can take a train to Machu Picchu is situated in Poroy, a village in 20 minutes distance of Cusco. You can take a taxi to get there with a cost between S/15.00 and S/.20.00 soles.

The other train station is situated in the village of Ollantaytambo, in about an hour and a half from Cusco. You can get there with public transportation, which leave every hour form the Calle Pavitos or from Plaza San Francisco, which cost between S/. 70.00 and S/.100.00 from 2 to 11 people. Many visitors use the alternative to drive to Ollantaytambo and combine the excursion of the sacred valley with the visit of Machu Picchu.

AIRPORT

Velasco Astete International Airport.
Telefax: (51-84) 22 2601.
Information: (51-84) 22 2611.

GROUND TRANSPORTATION

Bus Cruz del Sur