Red Fortress (Puca Pucara) Cusco

As Stacey is only in Peru for a week we decided to head over to Cusco and see some inca ruins with her. To make the most of our time there we caught a flight at 8am which meant we had to be up at 5am to get to the airport! We arrived at our lodging around 10.20am and as we are here for a while spent some time sorting out our bags. With the laundry …

On the sixth day it wasn't such an early start - we were picked up by our tour guide at 8am for a journey through the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley is more commonly known to the indigenous people as the Urubamba Valley which was carved over time by the Vilcanota river. The valley runs from Pisaq (also spelt as Pisac) all the way to Ollantaytambo …

Woke up determined to have a good day, get some exercise and see some things. So I hired a taxi to take me further up the mountains above Cusco where there are several archaeological sites. I visited Tambomachay first " (the highest elevation of the day at 12,267 feet), which may have fulfilled an important religious function linked to water and …

It was another early morning for us today. We were hoping to make our way through the Sacred Valley with stops at Pisac and Ollantaytambo before finally reaching Aguas Callientes, the village closest to Machu Picchu.

We had arranged the day before for a driver and a car, as we wanted to sight-see at our own pace. Our driver and tour guide …

Since we didn't get in until late last night, we had a slow start to our day today. Made some breakfast (some Andean oatmeal/quinua/cream of wheat kind of thing), it was great, & collected our dirty laundry and walked to find somewhere to drop it off. As we walked down the main street by our apartment, me n Linds laughed at how much the drivers …

We spent around 2 and a half weeks in Cusco, Peru. We stayed at the Torre Dorada hotel the whole time. It was a nice hotel, but on the very edge of Cusco. We actually got free transports to wherever we wanted every day though, so that wasn't such a problem. The first ten days, we explored the city and visited lots of ruins and museums. Then for …

We arrived back in Cusco in the afternoon. We had booked a lovely little hostel in advance so we arrived and collapsed on the bed.

The next couple of days were split between one or other of us being sick and venturing around the town. Long breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Even sick it really is a hard life. I got fed up of sleeping but …

dag 1: We beginnen onze reis in Cusco, nou ja eigenlijk beginnen we in Lima maar hier hebben we alleen een tussenstop van 12 uur en na bijna 24 uur gereisd te hebben zijn, zijn we op de hotelkamer in bed geploft om 6 uur later om 3 uur 's nachts weer op staan omdat we om 6 uur 's ochtends nog een vlucht van 1,5 uur naar Cusco hebben. Je moet er wat …

We just got back from the city tour. It was really tiring. The altitude is definitely effecting us. Xue is definitely not feeling well.

Anyway, we went to have lunch at a restaurant near the hotel called Granja Heidi Restaurant. We just loved the food. Peruvian foods are just soooo good.

But we were late going back to the hotel. …

... she ended up with 20 soles, we had two great tours, and the other guy was still standing by the gates.  Pukapukara (Red Fortress) was the Immigration and Border Control site for the Incas as they were able to monitor all tribes and ...

... started at Tambomachay, a set of baths and aqueducts used by priests and the nobility, then walked across the street to Puca Pucara (red fortress).  There, we were lured in by a local "archaeologist" who said he'd give us a tour of Puca Pucara for ...

... built with stone that fits amazingly together without any plaster at all.  The last stop was at Puka Pukara, (Red Fortress) a military headquarters and administrative centre perched on a hillside with good views over the valley and lands ...

... capital of the empire as it overlooks the city from its 3600 masl. We saw the Inca Baths in Tambomachay, made it to the red fortress of Puka Pukara, and finally ended the tour at the temple of Qenqo. I was personally way too tired to enjoy the complete ...

... to build. Then we visited a number of Incan sites nearby. Sacsaywaman, Tambomachay (The Water Fountain), Puca-Pucara (The Red Fortress) and Kenko. I should mention here that spelling is a bit tricky. Places are spelt differently depending on which sign ...

... 1 sole to use the bathroom here (they also courteously provide the toilet paper ladies!!!). From there we see Puca Pucara, meaning "Red Fortress", hence it's reddish walls.  Because of it's high walls, it is believed that the incas built this for ...

... You have to pay 1 sole to use the bathroom here, at least they provide the toilet paper. Then we see Puca Pucara, meaning "Red Fortress" hence it's reddish walls. Because of it's high walls, it's believed that the Incas built it for defense. The last ...