Location & Climate :
Location & Climate Cusco is located in the country to Peru, on the western coast side of South America. The weather in Cusco is consistently mild. The temperature stays between 50° and 70° Fahrenheit. Avoid June and July because those are the chilliest months! The best month of the year to be here is between August and October, the driest and warmest time of the year. Enjoy the safety of knowing the closest volcano (Quimsachata) is a vast 4 hours away.
Geographic Highlights :
Geographic Highlights Cusco is nestled in a high mountain valley, at 3,500m. Here you can get the best of all tropic landscapes: mountain ranges coupled with deep and fertile valleys. This fluvial landscape looks like it was created for the gods. From here you can observe the towering Andes around you, and the erosive streams that created the dramatic, rolling valleys that separate them. The explorer is all of us can’t wait to start this adventure! Cordillera Vilcabamba (left) and the Urubamba River (above)
Inca and Peruvian Culture :
Inca and Peruvian Culture The Incas were skilled masons. The site at Machu Picchu (Cusco attractions: coming next!) is a testament to this great skill. It was their final retreat from the Spanish. Only in Peru will you be able to get such a variety of drinks like Chicha. A drink made from corn that was masticated (communally chewed) and left to ferment. Mix it up with some chicha morada. Thought to be emperor Sapa Inca (left) and chicha (right).
Attractions: Machu Picchu :
Attractions: Machu Picchu The “lost city” of the Incas is located just 66 mi northwest of Cusco. Travelers get a choice of a three hour train ride to the ruins, or the more favored route: a 2-4 day hike. You will need at least two days to enjoy the ruins, Huayna Picchu (mountain towering over the ruins), and the Vilcanota section of the Urubamba river that flows below. At the top be sure to imagine how these mountains came to be, by the subduction of the South American Plate. (And they have llamas!)
Attraction: the Sacred Valley :
Attraction: the Sacred Valley The Sacred Valley, located 19 miles north of Cusco, was a popular place for Inca nobles. It has a warmer climate and fertile soil (mostly inceptisols or entisols). It a gorgeous valley/floodplain that eventually narrows and turns into the Urubamba river. It makes an abrupt descent to the Amazon basin.
When can you come? :
When can you come? Call Caitlin at 734 -224-8566 to set up your magical Cusco adventure today!