As part of our Peruvian adventure, we had to stop in Cusco. This is the go to place to start any journey to Machu Picchu. We spent roughly 3 days here: 2 days before heading to Machu Picchu and then one day on the way back. We had to make it a round trip because Peru Rail (the train company we took to Machu Picchu) didn’t allow luggage on the train, so we had to leave our bags at the hotel in Cusco for the days we were adventuring to Machu Picchu.

Day 1:

We left Lima bright and early this day and arrived Cusco just before lunch. At the hotel, we were greeting with a cup of coca tea. The elevation of Cusco is super high (roughly 3,400 meters above sea level) and the coca leaves are used as a natural remedy for altitude sickness. While you’re in Cusco, you will often be offered coca tea or coca leaves to chew on.

After getting our stuff settled into the hotel room, we were off to explore the city. First stop being lunch, were we grabbed some empanadas.

After lunch, we stopped at the Cusco Cathedral. Sadly, no photos were allowed inside.

Next to the cathedral, was a nice square and neighborhood with lots of lovely shops to explore.

We had dinner reservations at a restaurant called Kusykay. Ali wanted a place were he could try guinea pig (a very common thing eaten there for special occasions). We were not expecting it to come out in a hat though.

Then it was back to the hotel for the night.

Day 2:

We started the day bright and early with a big breakfast at the hotel with eggs, juice, tea, & all the fixings, to fuel up for our hike for the day.

After breakfast we set out for our long walk up to Saqsaywaman. With the high elevation, and walking up hill the whole way, we took our time getting there. And as a warning to anyone with asthma, make sure to take your inhaler! I definitely needed mine for the hike up.

After what felt like hours, we finally made it to Saqsaywaman, which are ancient Incan ruins. And while we were there, we got our first llama sighting!

After the ruins, we were ready for lunch! Ali got to add alpaca to the list of meats he’s tried while traveling. And I got to try aji de gallina, which is a popular Peruvian dish.

Then, we walked around the San Pedro Market before heading back to the hotel.

From there, we headed out to start our journey to Machu Picchu.

Day 3:

We arrived back in Cusco the previous night. And this day we had to wake up super early to go on a day trip to see Palccoyo Mountain, which is known for its colorful mountains. We had to drive for 4 hours to get to the trailhead. But we got to enjoy some beautiful landscapes and llamas along the way.

Once we arrived at the trailhead, we had a quick breakfast of avocado sandwiches and tea. And then the hike begins!

We couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a llama photo op.

Then we reached the main viewpoint, were you get a good view of the “rainbow”.

With the elevation being even higher than in Cusco, I was very much struggling to breathe, so at this point, I opted to walk back down to the parking lot, while Ali and the guide traveled up even higher.

We met back up again after and hopped back into the van to drive 2 hours to our lunch spot, which was a buffet.

After lunch, we drove another few hours back to Cusco. We said bye to our guide and went to walk around town to grab some last minute souvenirs. Then we grabbed a small dinner to celebrate the end of our time in Cusco.