Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park Half-Day Tour

Main Highlights: Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park: Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay.
Description: This Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park Half-Day Tour will take you on a deep exploration of the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman. From Cusco, we will drive up the mountains for 10 minutes to visit the nearby archaeological sites. The first stop will be Tambomachay, a source of spring water that is believed to be worshiped by the Incas; many believe it could have served as a spa for the elite of the Inca leaders. The site remains spiritual and the water still flows today. Next, we will visit the remains of Qenqo, a stone made labyrinth with a sacrificial altar in its center. Consisting of staircases and channels, the site of Qenqo is believed to have held many Incan rituals. Our tour will continue on to the famous Sacsayhuaman Fortress where you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of Cusco. Sacsayhuaman boasts impressive Inca design and artwork with massive stones over 9 meters (30 feet) tall and weighing up to 125 tons. Many of the stones have peculiar placement and designs, such as the condor, puma and snake which represented the three Inca worlds. Before returning to your hotel in Cusco, our last stop will be at the Tower of Puca Pucara.

The Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park Half-Day Tour is a great option for travelers interested in customizing their vacations to Peru. For a custom-designed one-of-a-kind vacation program call us, toll free: 888.601.8411, send us an Email, or fill the blanks in our Peru Vacation Planner.


Peru Holiday Adventures | Cusco City Tour and Sacsayhuaman Archaeological ParkSacsayhuaman is a walled complex near the old city of Cusco, at an altitude of 3,701 m. or 12,000 feet. The site is part of the City of Cusco, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.When the Spanish conquerors first arrived to these lands; they could not explain themselves how Peruvian Indians could have built such greatness. Sacsayhuaman is one of the most imposing architectonic complexes inherited from the Inca society revealing some of the Incas’ most extraordinary architecture and monumental stonework. Usually referred to as a garrison or fortress — because it was constructed with forbidding, castle like walls, it was more likely a religious temple, although most experts believe it also had military significance. The Inca emperor Pachacutec began the site’s construction in the mid-15th century, although it took nearly 100 years and many thousands of men to complete it. Massive blocks of limestone and other types of stone were brought from as far as 32km (20 miles) away.
Q’enko (also written Qenqo) is a great limestone outcrop that was hollowed out by the Incas, and, in the void, they constructed a cave like altar. Some have claimed that the smooth stone table inside was used for animal sacrifices. Visitors can duck into the caves and tunnels beneath the rock or climb on the rock and see the many channels cut into the rock, where it is thought that sacrificial blood coursed during ceremonies. Q’enko might have been a site of ritual ceremonies performed in fertility rites and solstice and equinox celebrations.
Puca Pucara is a small fortress, just off the main Cusco-Pisac road, this might have been some sort of storage facility or lodge, or perhaps a guard post on the road from Cusco to the villages of the Sacred Valley. It is probably the least impressive of the sites in the area, although it has nice views of the surrounding countryside.
The ruins of Tambomachay, also known as the Inca Baths, consist of three tiers of stone platforms. Water still flows across a sophisticated system of aqueducts and canals in the small complex of terraces and a pool, but these were not baths as we know them. Most likely this was instead a place of water ceremonies and worship. The exquisite stonework indicates that the fountains were used by high priests and nobility only.