If you’re visiting Peru’s Imperial City and are short on time, this half-day tour is just for you. Cusco is considered one of the best destinations in Central and South America, making it a fantastic spot to visit.
From the vibrant San Pedro Market to the iconic Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun), the city has no shortage of stop-worthy spots. Pair its welcoming atmosphere with its rich history of Incan ruins and Spanish colonial architecture, and you’ll be in for a real treat.
Cusco is also the perfect base for exploring some of Peru’s top landmarks. From trekking the Inca Trail, exploring the Sacred Valley, or admiring Machu Picchu, Cusco will be your ideal starting point for an unforgettable Peruvian adventure.
That said, a visit to Peru isn’t complete without exploring the Imperial City. So, if you’re ready to dive headfirst into Peruvian culture, wander through a medley of colonial and Incan architecture, and enjoy a local guide to the city, you’ll want to book your place on this tour.
During your tour with Sparrow Explorer, you’ll visit some of the city’s top landmarks. These include The Cathedral of Cusco, Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, and Tambamachay, to name a few.
When you consider that you’ll see all this and more in just half a day, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been to Cusco sooner!
Our Half-Day Cusco City Tour Details
We’ll cover everything you need to know about this tour, from what’s included and excluded to the expected itinerary.
Highlights of Your Half-Day Cusco Tour
Type of Tour: Cultural, History, Inca and Spanish Architecture
Good For: Travelers looking for a quick and detailed tour of Cusco.
Difficulty: Accessible for all travelers
Consideration: AVAILABLE ALL YEAR.
Useful Information About Our Cusco City Tours
- Above all, your safety is our top priority.
- This is a half-day tour with an option to start in the morning or afternoon.
- You’ll explore 4 Inca archeological sites and 2 historic churches.
- The tour is a great way to become accustomed to the city and the region’s elevation before exploring other parts of Peru.
- There is marginal walking, but the tour is accessible for those with mobility issues.
- We’ll visit some of the most famous streets in Cusco to get a real taste of the city’s atmosphere and culture.
- We take you in a car to visit all the archeological sites.
- You must be prepared for short walks in a high-elevation region.
- Altitude sickness is a possibility due to the city’s altitude, but we have first aid kits and oxygen tanks to help you acclimatize.
- We are a team of local staff and look to use natural resources where possible.
- As a local company that loves Peru, we aim to practice sustainable travel for all our tours.
- Before departing for the tour, your tour guide will meet you at your hotel to debrief you on anything you may need for the tour.
Our Cusco Half-Day Tour Itinerary
Starting at your hotel, we’ll pick you up either in the morning or afternoon. To kick things off, we’ll head to the city’s famed Plaza Mayor de Cuzco. You’ll spend some time admiring the colonial buildings surrounding this iconic plaza, such as the Cathedral of Cusco and the Church of the Society of Jesus. While here, your guide will spend some time explaining the unique history of these churches and the city center.
After touring these idyllic churches, you will continue to the Qorikancha, Cusco’s Temple of the Sun. During this part of the tour, we’ll pass through some of the narrow streets that form part of the original Incan walls. At Qorikancha, you will see the unique combination of Incan culture and Catholicism. We’ll also see glimpses of the pre-Inca buildings, providing a unique opportunity to see how three different civilizations used this stunning city and its surrounding valleys.
From Qorikancha, we’ll walk along the famed street, Avenida El Sol, before taking our car just outside of the city. The 20-minute drive takes you to the majestic and amazing Sacsayhuaman, with its enigmatic monoliths weighing as much as 150 tons.
Your guide will explain everything you need to know about this famous archeological site, from why they made it to how it was created. You’ll even have the chance to see all of Cusco City from Sacsayhuaman’s vantage point, offering the perfect opportunity to snap some memorable photos.
From Sacsayhuaman, it’s a short 5-minute car ride to the Q’enqo Archeological Site. With its fascinating Incan altars situated within a limestone cave, it’s no wonder this is one of the most visited landmarks in Cusco.
After another 5-minute drive, we’ll reach Puka Pukara, a small, circular Inca site that many people call the Red Fortress. To wrap up an extraordinary half-day experience, we’ll then head to our final stop, Tambomachay. This is a water temple thought to be used by the Inca for bathing. With its impressive water fountains and stunning views, it’s sure to be one of the highlights of the tour.
We’ll finish the half-day tour by dropping you off at your hotel or the city square. At the end of this tour, you’ll have a true understanding of why Cusco is a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What Is Included in Your Half-Day Cusco, Peru Tour
- Professional Tour Guides: All of our tour guides have attended university, and they speak really great English. As a matter of fact, our guides are trilingual, speaking English, Spanish, and Quechua. The most important thing about our team is that we are all locals, having grown up in Peru, with a deep understanding of the country’s culture and history. We’re also a team of very friendly, fun people who will always make your safety and happiness our top priority.
- Professional Assistant: If your tour group is over 15 people, we will include an additional professional assistant to ensure everyone is safe and happy.
- Permits: After receiving your deposit and information about you, our staff will organize all the necessary permits for access to all of the archeological sites visited during this tour.
- Briefing: Before we start your tour, we will brief you on the itinerary, what you need to bring, and any safety requirements for the tour.
- Transportation: We offer a pick-up and drop-off service, and all transportation for this tour will be done using our private vehicle. You can also choose if you would like to be dropped off at your hotel or at the city’s main square.
- Equipment: Sparrow Adventure has the best equipment that you need to keep you safe and happy throughout the tour.
- First Aid Kit: Your safety is one of our top priorities. As such, we bring a first aid kit with us on all our tours. It has all the basics we need to assist you, as well as an oxygen tank to assist you with the high altitudes of Cusco.
What Is Excluded From Your Half-Day Cusco, Peru Tour
- Daypacks: We highly recommend you bring your own day pack for the tour. Fortunately, it can just be a small daypack, as this is a short half-day tour. The backpack that you’ll bring should have a few small basics, like water, sunscreen, a sun hat, a raincoat, your camera, and some personal snacks.
- Packing List: For this tour, we suggest you bring sunscreen, hats, some water, your camera, and some snacks. It’s also important you bring a raincoat or poncho, as the weather can be unpredictable in Cusco.
- Extra Snacks: You can bring your own snacks for this Cusco day trip.
- Water: Although this is a short half-day tour, it is still very important you bring bottled water to stay hydrated.
- Meals: Meals aren’t included in this short tour. That said, we are happy to recommend some great restaurants in Cusco that you can visit after the tour.
- Tips: These are not mandatory, but tips are greatly appreciated.
Helpful Information to Know When You Visit Cusco
Before booking this tour, here are a few more things to keep in mind when exploring Cusco.
Altitude Sickness
It’s common to start wondering about altitude sickness when planning a trip to Peru, especially in Cusco. However, it’s easy to see the signs of altitude sickness.
Headaches, tiredness, dizziness, nausea, tingling, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, and vomiting are all common symptoms of altitude sickness. If you suffer from one of these symptoms, please contact our company or a doctor for assistance.
It’s worth noting, though, that altitude sickness is usually temporary, and staying hydrated with water and coca tea will help a lot. However, some of our customers prefer pills, in which case we suggest you have Acetazolamide or Dexamethasone and come to Cusco a few days before you intend on taking this tour.
This tour is also a great way to acclimatize for a more strenuous hiking tour along the Inca Trail. Spending a few days in Cusco drinking plenty of water and coca tea is another good way to prepare yourself for one of the treks in the Sacred Valley region.
Weather
In general, the Andes’ weather is unpredictable, so we suggest being prepared for anything. This is why having waterproof clothes will be a big help, as it can be sunny one minute and rainy the next.
First Aid Kit
All of our mountain guides have their first aid kits and a lot of training in first aid in the mountains. Every year, they receive classes from doctors on how to treat the most frequent problems — diarrhea, cuts, headaches, scrapes, etc.
They will also have an oxygen tank to help you feel much better should you need it. You’re more than welcome to bring your own first aid kit for the tour if you like.
Travel Insurance
It is always a good idea to have travel insurance during your travels. Our tour doesn’t include travel insurance, so we highly recommend getting insurance before you leave for Peru. This will come in handy if you have any serious illness or if something happens while you’re on holiday.
If you don’t have travel insurance, this is also fine, and you are still more than welcome to book this tour.
Environmental Impact
This company is a travel agency that protects our environment. We’re a sustainable company that uses biodegradable packaging for meals. We also consider the leave-no-trace principles during our tours as a way to help reduce the effects of global warming and ensure everyone protects our home (planet Earth).
Community
Most important for us is our amazing team. As we are a local company, the families and communities of our team feel proud of everyone involved at Sparrow Explorer. By sharing the culture and knowledge of our ancestors, everyone who joins our tours can better understand our traditions, behaviors, and customs.
By doing this, we can help protect everything left by our ancestors, as we believe in “Love just the things that you know.” This way, in our own small way, we can help preserve the amazing Inca culture for generations to come.
