Get to know Cusco on foot! This walking tour (downhill only) offers a great introduction to the Inca capital. Combining a visit to the city itself with the discovery of the most important archaeological sites around it, this experience offers you a very complete insight into Cusco.
To start this tour, please meet up with your local English-speaking guide at the Plazoleta Espinar, in the center of Cusco at 8.30 am. In his company, you will first discover two of the most impressive ruins situated above the city: Q’enqo and Sacsayhuaman (the latter a.k.a. “Sexy Woman”). You will be amazed by the views. Then you will descend into the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas, full of restaurants and charming shops, where you will enjoy a break in a local cafe. Then it is time to visit the famous Qoricancha (Sun Temple). It’s incredible to see how the Incas built this city.
Learn some basic words in Quechua, try them out on the street, and ask anything you want to know about Cuzco. If you like, you can share lunch with your guide as well before ending this tour at around 1 pm at the Sun Temple.
As you probably know, Cusco is also the main hub for anyone wanting to head on to the famous Machu Picchu. So now that you have discovered the city, let us take you on one of our tours to this ancient site that you for sure don’t want to miss out on! In case you prefer staying a few more days to acclimatize before heading on to somewhere else, you are more than welcome to participate in our other Cusco day tours.
When many others jump onto a shared bus excursion in the afternoon, you enjoy a more tranquil morning visiting the highlights of the city. It’s a great way to explore Cusco.
Our tour on foot has less impact on the environment and is led by a local guide. The café we visit is a social project worth supporting. You will also get to visit different small shops or ateliers in San Blas according to your preferences.
The entrance fee you pay to visit Saqsayhuaman and Qenco is partly used for conservation projects.
Also, read below why we developed this tour 🙂
No, but the meeting point (Plazoleta Espinar) can easily be found. This reference point in Cusco is known to all taxi drivers (if you come from far).
It is not, but you can always request a private tour with us, too.
Not really. We will for sure walk more than you would on a conventional walking tour, but all of it is downhill. Also, the walk is worth it, as we pass through parts of the city where other walking tours don´t go, when we make our way from Saqsaywaman to the center.
Yes, you will have to buy the tourist ticket, which costs 130 soles (70 for students) and is valid for 16 attractions in total (you could visit the rest of them on the following days, or maybe you will already buy such a ticket in advance in Cusco). You will also buy the ticket fo Qoricancha (sun temple) for 15 soles.
From April to November, it is dry season around Cuzco. It can get very warm in the sun but you might want to bring a thin jacket for the shade. Don´t forget suncream and a hat as well.
Should you visit between December and March, it will be rainy season. And as you might expect, it is more likely to rain during this season! So put on your rain jacket or poncho!
In case you would have to cancel the reservation, we, unfortunately, need to charge you costs which we can not get back. We ask you for your understanding. These are the conditions:
– By canceling your trip 30 days or more before arrival: RESPONS charges 0% of the total amount (excluding flight(s)). If flight(s) have been booked through us, we can proceed with the cancellation according to the conditions of the Airline or postpone them free of charge in most cases within the limits of the airline’s conditions. Additional charges may apply when you have to change the date. This is out of our control. The same applies to other tickets that were bought in advance (like Machu Picchu or Inca Trail).
– By canceling your trip 29-16 days before arrival: RESPONS charges 15% of the total amount, excl. flights;
– By canceling 15-5 days before arrival: RESPONS charges 30% of the total amount, excl. flights;
– By canceling 4-3 days before arrival: RESPONS charges 50% of the total amount, excl. flights;
– By canceling within 48 hours before arrival in Peru, we need to charge you 90% of the total amount, excl. flights.
Certain costs such as tickets for the Inca Trail might not be covered under the above arrangement because these are non-refundable. We will inform you honestly about these exceptions.
In case of force majeure or unexpected events before or during the trip (accidents, strikes, climatological circumstances, earthquakes or other natural phenomena, safety conditions, political factors, denial of entry permits or visas, legal affairs of the traveler, health matters, etc.), RESPONS may modify, replace or cancel itineraries, dates, flights, hotels, optional services, which is accepted by the passenger with purchasing the services.
RESPONS will try its best to have your trip continue as planned. We will refund you within our possibilities and policies of providers involved in the organization of your trip. In case those circumstances lead to additional costs, those have to be covered by you or your travel insurance. We will do our best to keep additional costs to a minimum.
For questions about booking a tour, prices, preparation for your trip, health and safety or other themes, please check our Frequently Asked Questions page. If you can’t find your question & answer, email us and we’ll add it!
When RESPONS opened offices in Cusco in 2012, we soon found out that the standard city tours weren’t going to work out for our customers. All the agencies followed the same timetable, causing huge lines and frustrations in every place they’d arrive. And all is done with transportation, causing traffic jams and making you spend more time in a car than actually getting to know the city. Many times, the tours would end after sunset, visiting the last ruins in the dark.
So, we quickly developed a City Tour of our own; changing the order of visiting the places and only taking travelers up to the highest attraction. Our travelers tend to be moderately to very active, so a bit of walking is never a problem. It’s all downhill, but there are some uneven paths so good shoes are advised. And walking down from the impressive site of Sacsayhuaman into the city just opens up a whole new perspective to actually experience the city as you should with a city tour: feeling the history, seeing the daily life, learning also about lesser-known stories in streets beyond the busy tourist center.
Ever since, our Walking Tour has been a great success amongst our travelers and we are proud to open it up to all of you now!
¡Hasta pronto!
We absolutely loved the City Tour with Eloy and are very excited about the Coffee Tour!
Elloy was a fantastic guide!! I was SO impressed by all of his knowledge about the history, geology, and culture of Cusco and loved the way he used images to help explain things. He seemed to tailor the tour to our interests, and we really appreciated that!
