Sign in with Facebook"The Navel of the World" Top 5 Page for this destination Cuzco by mad4travel
Cuzco Travel Guide: 233 reviews and 522 photos
Sacred capital of the Inca Empire and known to the early Incas as the ‘navel of the world’,
Cuzco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America. The city is filled with the Inca legacy, evident in the straight cobbled streets lined with the remains of exquisite stone walls built by the Incas, examples of ancient stonework incorporated into the structure of colonial churches and buildings, and the Quechua-speaking descendants of the Incas that fill the streets with their bright dress and colourful handicrafts
I was lucky enough to be in Cuzco around the time of Inti Raimi , the Festival of the Sun, celebrated on the southern hemishphere's winter solstice.
Unfortunately I could not get to the actual ceremony - which actually turned out to be a good thing as I had Macchu Picchu virtually to myself as everyone was here - but that's another story.
There are several days of processions that lead up to the solstice played out in Cuzco's main square.
It was a delight to sit up in one of the balcony cafes, sipping a cappuchino and watch the colour, noise, enthusiasm and celebration going on below.
These guys sure know how to party-the processions went on all day!
The first day of the parades were undertaken by university students. In between groups in national costume, students were also dressed up as doctors, nurses, engineers representing different faculties of the university.
The second day the parade was by schoolkids. There was lots rehersing all afternoon the day before in some of the smaller squares behind the main plaza.
Cuzco is a pretty cool place even without the festival. It has a pretty main square, interesting Cathedrals , churches and museums. There is plenty of inca foundations to be seen and people are very friendly.
We were given the usual warnings tho of not walking streets late at night or carrying large amounts of cash but we did'nt have any problems.
For more info on Cuzco check out my tips.
For more info on Peru check out my Peru and Macchu Picchu pages:
Peru Pages
Macchu Picchu Pages
- Pros:Beautiful main square and interesting streets
- Cons:watch yourself at night
- In a nutshell:Go when the festivals are on for local colour
Reviews (8)
Scrunchy sofa bar
Restaurants
(1)
An eclectic menu with generous portions in a slouchy sofa setting and laid back music. Fruit juices are to die... more travel advice
Ollantaytambo
Things to Do
(7)
Known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas, this fertile valley of breathtaking beauty, stretches between the villages of... more travel advice
Cuzco from Sacsayhuamán
Things to Do
(7)
Theres not much to do but look at it but its interesting to see how Cuzco is built up in a large bowl in the... more travel advice
Sacsayhuaman
Things to Do
(7)
Look out for a rather high tech and novel way for the locals to fleece you of money at Sacsayhuaman. As you walk back... more travel advice
mad4travel's Related Pages
Cuzco Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "Cusco - Capital of the Inca Empire"
- "CUSCO - PERU"
- "Cuzco Blitz"
- "Ombligo del mundo"
- "The Navel of the World"
- "The Tourist Circut"
- "Cuzco"
- See All...
Categories
- Things to Do in Cuzco
- Hotels in Cuzco
- Transportation in Cuzco
- Nightlife in Cuzco
- Restaurants in Cuzco
- Shopping in Cuzco
- Warnings Or Dangers in Cuzco
- See All...
Nearby Travel Guides
- Cuzco Travel Guide
- Trujillo Travel Guide
- Moyobamba Travel Guide
- See All...
Explore the World
Badges & Stats in Cuzco
- 8 Reviews
- 11 Photos
- 30 Forum posts
- 6 Comments
- 17,500PageViews
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (5)
Have you been to Cuzco?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Cuzco
- Replied to JanetAmesse's Travel Cuzco Forum Forum Question "Alternate Hikes to the Inca Trail"
- Commented on ThiagoRamos's Cuzco Page
- updated a Cuzco Travel Page "The Navel of the World"
- Uploaded a Photo to "Sacsayhuaman"
- Wrote a Review Scrunchy sofa bar in Cuzco Restaurants
Photos in Cuzco
See All Photos (11)
Top 10 Pages
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
China
Intro, 42 reviews, 64 photos
-
Turkey
Intro, 38 reviews, 42 photos
-
New Zealand
Intro, 32 reviews, 44 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Australia
Intro, 31 reviews, 42 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Peru
Intro, 35 reviews, 37 photos
-
Egypt
Intro, 28 reviews, 37 photos
-
Namibia
Intro, 22 reviews, 36 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Japan
Intro, 26 reviews, 30 photos
-
Tibet
Intro, 25 reviews, 27 photos
-
Jordan
Intro, 24 reviews, 26 photos
Friends
Whale Watching
Desert
BeachesLatest Cuzco hotel reviews
- San Agustin International Hotel
- 74 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 3, 2012 - Hotel San Agustin Urubamba
- 20 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 3, 2012 - Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco Peru
- 329 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012 - Sol & Luna Hotel
- 249 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2012 - La Casa de don Ignacio
- 13 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 25, 2012 - San Agustin Monasterio de la Recoleta Hotel
- 40 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 5, 2012 - Del Prado Inn
- 34 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Nov 2, 2011 - Jose Antonio
- 30 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 2, 2012 - Manu Paradise Lodge
- 2 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Aug 8, 2011 - Hotel Suenos del Inka
- 11 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jan 29, 2012 - Hostal Qosqo
- 7 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Feb 12, 2012 - Tahuantinsuyo
- 5 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Sep 12, 2011
Comments (6)
pretty amazing suff in this place, or what ?
Great pages, this is such a good site. hoping to visit here in a few months time
Great story about the guy in Sacsayhuaman. Sounds like a clever way to fleece people.
Really good your Cuzco pages
One of the most interesting places in the world, in my humble opinion. Been dreaming of MP for a while, but didn't focus too much on Cuzco. Thanks for providing so much great info!
I've been there too... So many great memories... Thanks for sharing !!!
1 - 6 of 6