The City of Cuzco nestled deep in the Andes at 3400m is the heartland of the Inca Empire and the central hub of tourist activity in Peru. Narrow cobbled stone passageways with Spanish colonial buildings constructed atop of beautiful Inca foundations define the city’s streets. Cuzco was considered the navel of the earth and the capital of the Inca empire – an empire that at its peak spanned north to Colombia, south to Chile and Argentina, and west across the Andes to the Amazon basin. The Incas were outstanding stonemasons and town planners which can still be noted today by admiring the walls that serve as foundations for colonial buildings. Cuzco is not only culturally fascinating and beautiful to look at, but also easily walkable on foot.
An hour’s drive north, the rural region of the Sacred Valley is home to more enigmatic ruins and the colorful artisan markets, rural communities as well as the most beautiful landscapes. At a lower altitude than Cuzco, the climate is considerably milder here making it the chosen area by the Incas, and later Spanish Conquistadors, as a resting place where they established their estates and country homes.
