August 2026
CUSCO — Where the Adventure Goes Higher
After spending several days in LIMA, it was time to head to CUSCO — and quite literally, my adventure was about to go higher!
Located high in the Andes at around 3,400 meters above sea level, CUSCO is one of those places where you notice the altitude almost immediately. I knew altitude sickness could be an issue, but knowing about it in theory and actually feeling your body react to the thin air are two very different things!
CUSCO was once the capital of the Inca Empire, and today it is one of the most popular gateways to the Andes and MACHU PICCHU. But the city itself deserves plenty of attention. Ancient Inca stone walls, Spanish colonial buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, colorful markets, and mountains surround the city, creating a fascinating mix of past and present.
What I loved most was exactly that mixture. You could walk past a perfectly preserved Inca wall, turn a corner, and suddenly find a modern café or trendy restaurant. Llamas and alpacas appeared in the tourist areas as if they were part of the scenery, while local people simply went about their everyday lives around them.
I had been looking forward to CUSCO for a long time, but as a solo traveler, I wasn’t quite sure how my body would handle the altitude.
Still, I was excited.
This was the next chapter of my South American adventure, and CUSCO was about to take me much higher — both literally and figuratively.
Arriving in Cusco — Welcome to “Peru Time”
When my flight arrived in CUSCO, it was already almost dark. Fortunately, I had arranged an airport pickup in advance, which made things much easier after a flight to a city at 3,400 meters!
There was just one small problem: my driver was about 10–15 minutes late.
When he finally arrived, he was accompanied by his son, who was also in the car. At the time, I was slightly wondering what was going on. But later, I learned that people in Peru can sometimes be a little relaxed about appointment times. My city tour guide was also about 15 minutes late, and she simply called it “Peru Time.”
Ah, okay. So that’s how it works!
Once I learned about “Peru Time,” I stopped worrying about it and just went with the flow. I was on vacation, after all.
My Home in Cusco
I stayed at Way Kap Hostel Cusco, which turned out to be a very convenient base.
It was only about a 10-minute walk down a straight road from the popular Plaza Mayor de Cusco, and roughly another 10 minutes via a narrow shortcut to Mercado Central de San Pedro. Shops, restaurants, travel agencies, pharmacies, laundry shops, and ATMs were all within easy walking distance.
The area also felt very safe and was full of tourists, so even though I was traveling alone, I had no problem walking around or going out for dinner by myself at night. The traditional chicken soup in Peru contains chicken, egg, potatoes and noodles. I often ate chicken soup as dinner.
One particularly useful discovery was Lavanderia La Nieve, a laundry shop recommended by my hostel. They were fast and inexpensive, and I could drop off my clothes and get everything back the following afternoon. For a traveler carrying everything in a backpack, a reliable laundry service is basically a luxury hotel!
A Hostel Full of Solo Travelers
I stayed in a women’s dormitory at the hostel, and I ended up making friends there — including one woman I later went sightseeing with.
There were actually quite a few solo female travelers staying at the hostel, which made me realize something important:
I wasn’t the only one traveling alone.
The front desk was staffed 24 hours a day by cheerful young people who were always happy to give me advice. There was also free hot water, tea bags, and even coca tea leaves in the lobby.
I was very happy about that.
I’m much more of a hot-tea person than a cold-water person, and at this altitude, having hot tea whenever I wanted was especially comforting.
Exploring Cusco on Foot
One day, I went sightseeing with a friend I had met at the hostel. We packed a surprising number of places into a single day, including San Blas View Point, Mirador de San Cristóbal, Qorikancha, Twelve Angled Stone, and the Cusco Handicraft Center.
Walking around Cusco was almost like going through layers of history. One minute I was standing beside an Inca wall built hundreds of years ago, and the next I was wandering into a colorful shop or stopping for coffee.
A Very Good Vegetarian Lunch
My friend was vegetarian, so we decided to have lunch at The Vegan Temple by Prasada.
I wasn’t expecting too much from vegetarian food in Peru, but the food was surprisingly good. It was one of those meals that makes you think, “Okay, I could definitely eat like this more often.”
After lunch, we took a long, relaxing coffee break at Pampa, near Qorikancha.
My friend ordered a coconut coffee and liked it so much that she ordered a second one.
That pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the coconut coffee!
Taking It Slowly — Getting Used to the Altitude
Because I had just arrived in such a high-altitude city, I deliberately didn’t try to do too much during my first few days.
Instead, I joined a Cusco City Half-Day Tour, visiting Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay, followed by a Sacred Valley Full-Day Tour the next day.
I found Round Trip Travel online before my trip, and their office was conveniently located right in Plaza Mayor de Cusco, which made booking and arranging everything very easy.
I also purchased the General Tourist Ticket for S/130, which covered 16 sites within 10 days. In addition, I paid separately for Qorikancha (S/20) and Salineras (S/20).
It sounded like a lot of tickets and extra payments at first, but they were definitely worth it.
Sacred Valley — Salt, Ruins and a Twisted Ankle
The day tours were very comfortable. Minivans picked us up and took us from one site to another, which was much easier than trying to organize all the transportation myself.
The Sacred Valley tour even included a buffet lunch at a nice restaurant with live music. Unfortunately, the schedule was so tight that we only had about 40 minutes for lunch.
Forty minutes for a buffet lunch?
That’s barely enough time to decide what to eat!
Still, the scenery made up for it.
The Salineras de Maras were particularly beautiful. The thousands of salt pools covering the mountainside looked almost unreal, and this was one of my favorite places in the Sacred Valley.
Moray and Ollantaytambo were also impressive, although my day took an unexpected turn at Chinchero when I twisted my ankle.
That meant I couldn’t walk the entire route or climb all the stairs to the top at some of the sites.
It was a good lesson:
Never underestimate a “day tour.”
Even when you’re sitting in a comfortable minivan for part of the day, you may still end up walking, climbing stairs, and hiking far more than expected. From then on, I tried to bring my trekking poles whenever possible.
At least there was a reward waiting for me in Pisac — some adorable alpacas!
I couldn’t resist taking photos with them.
Rainbow Mountain — But Make It Easier
After returning from my five-day Salkantay Trek, I had originally planned to join a full-day tour to Vinicunca, the traditional Rainbow Mountain.
But there was one problem.
I was exhausted.
After five days of trekking, I really didn’t feel like doing another demanding hike at high altitude. So I changed my plan at the last minute and booked the Palccoyo Full-Day Tour instead, also through Round Trip Travel.
Both Vinicunca and Palccoyo are famous for their colorful mountain landscapes, but Palccoyo is farther away, less crowded, and generally requires much less hiking. The colors are also somewhat less dramatic than those of the famous Vinicunca viewpoint.
For me, that was perfect.
I wasn’t looking for another challenge. I wanted a relaxing day with beautiful scenery.
And I got exactly that.
The landscape was still spectacular, with layers of colorful mountains stretching across the horizon. But what I enjoyed most were all the llamas and alpacas wandering freely across the hills, casually eating grass as if they owned the place.
Honestly, they probably did.
A Taste of Peru — My Cooking Class
On my last free day in CUSCO, I decided to do something completely different.
I had found a cooking studio and chocolate shop near my hostel, so I booked a full cooking class at PETE’s Peruvian Cooking Class for S/170.
I didn’t have particularly high expectations, but it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable experiences of my time in Cusco.
In fact, I was the only student that day.
So instead of a group cooking class, I accidentally got myself a private cooking lesson!
My teacher was a young Peruvian woman, and we started by walking together to Mercado Central de San Pedro and a supermarket to buy the ingredients.
This was actually a great way to experience the market. I had visited Mercado Central by myself before, but this time I noticed so many things I had completely missed — the soup and food counters, fresh produce, chocolate, and all kinds of local groceries.
Sometimes you see a place completely differently when you’re there with a local.
Pisco Sour, Ceviche and Ají de Gallina
During the class, we also had fruit tasting and chocolate tasting, which was certainly not a bad way to spend an afternoon!
Then we got to work.
We made:
- Pisco Sour
- Ceviche de Pescado
- Ají de Gallina
And I have to say, I think it was the best Pisco Sour and ceviche I had ever tasted.
The secret to the ceviche, according to my teacher, was the chicken soup and the huge amount of fresh coriander we added.
Whatever the secret was, it worked.
The whole experience made me appreciate Peruvian food even more. It was not just about following a recipe — I was learning about the ingredients, shopping at the market, tasting local foods, and understanding a little more about everyday Peruvian cooking.
It was one of those experiences that I probably wouldn’t have had if I had simply followed the usual tourist itinerary.
One More Day in Cusco — Thanks to the Weather
Ironically, even after carefully planning my time in Cusco, I ended up getting an unexpected extra day.
My direct flight to La Paz was cancelled because of snow.
At first, this was not exactly the kind of travel surprise I wanted.
But as often happens when traveling, an inconvenience turned into a memory.
While waiting at the airport, I met some other travelers who were also affected by the cancellation. We started talking, and somehow we ended up going out for drinks together on our unexpected extra night in Cusco.
So, instead of worrying about the cancelled flight, I simply enjoyed one more evening in a city I had already grown very fond of.
Sometimes travel plans go wrong.
Sometimes you twist your ankle.
Sometimes your tour guide arrives 15 minutes late.
Sometimes your flight gets cancelled because of snow.
But somehow, those unexpected moments often become some of the best stories.
Of all the places I visited on this South American trip, CUSCO became my favorite town — and also the place where I spent the most time.
Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe it was the combination of Inca history and modern life. Maybe it was the mountains, the cafés, the markets, the alpacas, or simply the feeling of being surrounded by travelers from all over the world.
But I think it was also because I felt comfortable there.
As a solo traveler, I met people at my hostel, joined tours, made friends, explored the city on foot, took long coffee breaks, tried Peruvian cooking, and even found myself enjoying an unexpected extra night after my flight was cancelled.
Conclusion — My Favorite Stop in the Trip
CUSCO was more than just a stop on the way to MACHU PICCHU.
It was a place where I slowed down, adjusted to the altitude, met new people, tried new things, and became part of the rhythm of the city — even if I never quite mastered “Peru Time.”
And after everything I experienced there, I left CUSCO not only at a higher altitude, but with a very high opinion of this beautiful Andean city.