Cusco & Saqsaywaman
12th - 15th Mar 2025
Cusco City
In preparation for trekking at high altitude to Machu Picchu, we found ourselves exploring the historic city of Cusco in the Andes, at the foot of the Sacred Valley. Having spent the majority of our prior travels near sea level we had some serious acclimatization to do. The city was a feast of architectural styles, good food, colorful traditional dress, and lively culture.
With three days before the start of the trek, the air was noticeably thinner and breathing more labored even gently walking around the cobbled streets exploring the layered history. Time for a breather at the highest Irish pub in the world!
Saqsaywaman
A trek from the city took us past the Sapantiana Aqueduct up a step valley to the impressive Inca ruins of Saqsaywaman. Constructed by the Incas in the 15th century, it is famed for the use of enormous pieces of stone, some estimated to weight more than 100 tonnes, fitted together with such precision that even a blade of grass could not fit between them. Remarkably without the use of mortar, wheels. and only privative tools. The site is thought to represent the head of a puma, with Cusco laid out in the shape of this sacred animal.
Now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the site commands impressive views over the sprawling city below and would have served ceremonial and defensive purposes. At its prime, the structures would have been even more grand, before the Spanish colonialists crudely dismantled the upper levels to reuse the stonework in the city for their own colonial structures, particularly churches and religious structures.
Next, we climb into a bus and make tracks deeper into the high Andes to the Lares trail head…
Trekking at altitude through the Andes. Destination Machu Picchu.