Ted and I recently came back from an adventure in Peru and I can’t wait to share some photos and offer travel advice for anyone considering a visit to the land of the Incas. If you’re adventurous, love nature, and exploring new cultures – Peru is the place for you.

Peru’s most popular destination is Cusco, an ancient Inca city nestled at 11,000 ft elevation* in the Andes mountains. In its beginning, the city was the center of the Inca empire and later fell to the Spanish during the conquest of the Americas. When the Spanish took over they built all of their cathedrals and major sites on top of Incan palaces, temples, and homes. A few walls and unearthed archeological sites are the only remaining signs of the Incas. You have to look hard to find the remnants of the Incas but they are still there.

Cusco is a fascinating city — and below are some of the activities Ted and I explored – check them out!

Plaza de Armas

This is the heart of Cusco — it’s filled with both locals and tourists, which makes it an excellent spot for people watching.While there, we even stumbled across a religious parade to celebrate Saint Pelagia. The square has not one, but two gorgeous Spanish cathedrals that dominate the square. Shops selling Alpaca wool and restaurants surround the square, but I would recommend going a few blocks away if you’re going shopping. Things get cheaper the farther out you go. A block away from the square there is also a small courtyard where you can pet and take pictures with Peru’s famous llamas!

Cusco Cathedral

The Cusco Cathedral is a bit of a paradox. It’s a stunning example of Spanish/ European architecture and houses gold and silver plated works of art that are utterly priceless. And yet, it sit on top of a sacred Inca temple and was  also built by the enslaved Incan people. It’s a beautiful building with a contradictory history – it’s definitely worth a trip to learn about the area’s history.

Wander the city streets

As you know from my post on New Orleans, I love walking around new cities. Cusco’s streets are bustling and filled  with life. The markets and local shops feel like they are apart of the old world, still not fully immersed in the twenty first century.  Walking also had its practical purposes, because everything you hear about Peruvian drivers is true. I think I saw maybe two stop lights in the entire city and everyone zooms around like maniacs!

Chocolate Workshop

One of my favorite movie’s is Chocolat, so when I saw that Cusco had a space where you can learn how to make your own chocolate. I was thrilled and jumped at the chance to live out one of my favorite movies at ChocoMuseo. Ted and I got to make and taste chocolate tea, Incan, and European style hot chocolates. Lastly, we created our own chocolate bars! It was delicious and fun!

*Altitude Sickness – Go Prepared & Listen To Your Body!

I have to leave a quick note about altitude sickness. If you research a trip to Cusco you’ll see that almost everyone warns about altitude sickness. The first word of advice upon arrival is to rest and go slow – see what your body does. I cannot stress how important this is – because when I got to Cusco the altitude sickness hit me hard. It affects everyone differently and there’s really no telling how your body is going to react. Most people are fine and only slightly out of breath, but some can get sicker (of course I’m one of these).

When we landed in Cusco I developed a pounding headache, rapid heart beat, and could hardly catch my breath after taking a few steps. I felt like a fish out of water and had to spend the day resting in the hotel. Luckily, I brought altitude sickness pills which helped immensely. The local remedy for altitude sickness or, la soroche as its known, is Coca tea. This is a tea derived from the coca plant and is a remedy that locals swear by. Luckily, after a night of good sleep I woke up the next morning and felt fine. For the rest of our time in Cusco Ted and I felt a little out of breath, but it was nothing that stopped us from being active and having fun.

If you go to Cusco and the altitude sickness hits you my best advice is to stay calm, listen to your body, and trust that it will adapt…it just needs some time 🙂

Stay tuned for another post on Peru’s famous Machu Picchu and Ollyantambo!