Cusco is located in Huatanay River Valley, in the southeast Andes of Peru, its height is 3,300 meters (10 800 feet) above sea level. It is surrounded by six mountains; some of them are more than 6,000 meters height. And, of course, it is known all over the world for its proximity to the amazing archaeological Complex of Machupicchu. At north it borders on the jungle of Junín and Ucayali departments; in the southwest area, it borders with Arequipa and Puno; at east, it borders on a huge part of the Amazonian and the jungle flats of Madre de Dios; and at west, it is united to Apurimac Mountains and Ayacucho Jungle.
Cusco carries with proud, the title of the archaeological capital of America , because there is not other place in the whole world where you easily can reach the archaeological monuments of an impressive culture like the Inca Society. These monuments are still in good conditions and constitutes the biggest tourist attractiveness in Peru.
The city saw its expansion in the XV century under the rule of the great Inca Pachacutec, the most important king of the "Tahuantinsuyo" (the original name of the Inca Empire), who led a drive that spread the boundaries of the Inca Empire. Cusco, was the biggest city and capital of the "Tahuantisuyo" that covered great part of current territories of Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile.
The weather in Cusco from April to October is very comfortable, warm and dry. The temperature in this season goes from 5º to 20º Celsius. The rainy season starts on November and it lasts until May. At the beginning of this season, the rain is quite light and as the season progresses, the rain becomes more intense during the months of January, February and March.
Today, Cusco City has an architecture that fuses the great Inca style with the Spanish style. Their town conserves with pride its customs and traditions. Cusco is also the forced step to know the mystic and enigmatic sacred citadel of the Inca Machupicchu that the Spaniards never knew and was discovered by the occidental culture in 1911. Surrounded by this architecture, one can walk for hours admiring the splendour of this beautiful city, considered the Navel of the World.
The main square with the amazing Cathedral and La Compañia de Jesus Church is one of the main landmarks of this marvelous city, some blocks away the main square, the Cusco's downtown offers magnificent constructions such as the Convent of La Merced, the San Blas Quarter or la Santo Domingo Convent where is also the Qoricancha also known as The Sun Temple, which was the main religious center of the continent during the Inca time.
Cusco offers also in the surrounding area many archaeological remains such as the nearby Inca Temple of Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Pucapucara, Tambomachay and, of course, a day trip out to the Sacred Valley of the Incas including a visit to the traditional indigenous market at Pisac, the beautiful village of Ollantaytambo and the small village of Chinchero located high up in the mountains.
Cusco brings us emotions. It is a great destination for people who love adventure and adrenalin shocks. The Inca Trail is the best option for travellers who go in for trekking. In two or four days, depending on your choice, you will reach Machupicchu from Cusco. Rafting and kayaking on the Urubamba River or in the Apurímac canyon will be also an unforgettable experience.
At night or day, Cusco is a city full of charm and attractions. Cusco has a diversity of tourist services, a lot of hotels and hostels of excellent quality, as well as travel agencies and adventure sports, restaurants, handicraft shopping centers, bars, nightclubs and much more. The tourist industry influences the development of the products and services. Nowadays there is an adequate infrastructure to ensure that the huge number of visitors who come here each year are absolutely satisfied.
The modern Cusco lives to the rhythm of its main activity, the tourism. The great variety and long road of Cusco's gastronomy has achieved great prestige in the entire world. You will find the most typical dishes that made the cuisine of Peru, one of the most famous of the world. Discover these new trends and variety of flavours at any of the restaurants in Cusco. Because of all these reasons, Cusco is probably the most wonderful destination of the planet. If there is a place that you must visit before die, this place is definitely the Cusco.