EXCURSIONS IN CUSCO THAT YOU CAN DO IN YOUR FREE DAY
Cusco is one of the most incredible cities in the world, because it offers endless natural and cultural tourist attractions, where visits can be made with an agency or on your own.
These are some of the best places you can visit in a day or half day.
1. SAPANTIANA HUACA
The Sapantiana Huaca or also known as the Colonial Aqueduct of the Sapantiana, taking as a reference the Plaza de Armas of Cusco is located a few minutes from that point.
How to get there?
On foot: First, you must arrive at the Main Square of Cusco, go to Hatun Rumiyoq Street, where the stone of the twelve angles is located, and you can take some pictures in this place, then in a few meters more you will arrive at Choquechaca Street.
When you arrive to Choquechaca you must walk straight ahead until the end of the street, where you will find a sign and a channeled stream, you must continue and you will find the colonial aqueduct of Sapantiana.
When you get there, you can take magnificent pictures and enjoy the beautiful scenery that surrounds it.
2. SAN BLAS SQUARE
The Plaza de San Blas is located a few blocks from the main square of Cusco and is reached by following the slope of San Blas, along the way we will pass through the street where the stone of the 12 angles.
What to see?
Arriving at the San Blas square, you will see the oldest church in Cusco, this church according to some authors was built on a sacred Inca sanctuary where the god lightning was worshiped.
One of the characteristics of the San Blas square is that it hosts fairs every Saturday, where the exhibition of works of art, music and gastronomy of the locality takes place.
When visiting the San Blas square you can walk through its streets that have the appearance of zigzagging, steep, most of these streets still maintain their original construction that was made of stones and next to their blue balconies where they still place the traditional pots of geraniums.
If you choose to visit the San Blas square at night, you will also have a magnificent experience, since during the night San Blas offers one of the best views of the city, also the waterfalls are illuminated, being perfect for taking splendid pictures.
3. PACHACUTEC INCA OVAL
This monument is located south of the city of Cusco, to get there you must go down several blocks by the El Sol Avenue, the journey can last between 20 to 30 minutes depending on the pace you make the walk. Moreover, if you take public transportation you will arrive in approximately 10 minutes if there is no traffic on the way.
What to see?
Inside this building is a museum of the same name, which has six levels where the historical development of the city of Cusco exposed in inclusive educational material such as a sample of ceramics to the touch, as well as an animation that shows the warriors of the Inca Pachacutec.
Entrance
To enter this place you can use your tourist ticket, with which you visited or will visit other tourist attractions in Cusco.
4. DEVIL’S BALCONY
The Devil’s Balcony is located approximately 40 minutes from the Main Square of Cusco and 20 minutes from the Archaeological Center of Sacsayhuman, at an approximate altitude of 3750 meters above sea level.
How to get there?
To find the place, you have to get to Sacsayhuman; at this point, you will find signage to guide you to reach the devil’s balcony.
What to see?
Some people consider this place creepy, because it hides many stories, but it is a peaceful place where you can have contact with nature. This balcony has a triangular shape and has a large natural space that looks like it has been flattened
5. APUKUNAQ TIANAN OR THE ABODE OF THE GODS
It is located 13 kilometers from Cusco‘s Main Square, by the Tica Tica Arch at 3450 masl approximately.
How to get there?
There are two options for you to visit on your own:
You can take a cab service from the Plaza de Armas of Cusco; the journey will take approximately 40 minutes to the same place.
You can also take an urban service called Expreso Santiago, the trip will last approximately 30 minutes, this transport will only take you to your last stop, from there you must make a walk of 30 minutes to reach Apukunaq Tianan or also to reach the end of the urban service can take another private transport that will take you to the same place.
What to see?
When arriving to this attraction you will have the fortune to observe several sculptures carved in stone and most of these are representations of the Gods and mythical characters that are:
– The Pachamama
– The Puma
– The three-dimensional door
– The viewpoint