Exploring Cusco, Peru
During the summer of 2015, me and 3 friends flew to South America to visit Machu Picchu and to tour surrounding cities for 2 weeks. After visiting Quito, Banos and Piura, we spent 5 days in Cusco. After switching hotels from Hostal El Triunfo to Hotel Warari, we were ready to explore what’s great in Cusco. Some of the major highlights we experienced include Sacsayhuaman, Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary and of course Machu Picchu.
check out my other post to see how I made it to Machu Picchu
Sacsayhuaman
Sacsayhuaman also spelled Sacsaywaman is a fortress /temple complex located on a steep hill on the outskirts of Cusco. It isn’t too far from Hotel Warari and is only about a 12 minute taxi ride. There was an entrance fee to enter and my buddies took care of that as there are different types of tickets and combo tickets with other sights of Cusco.
we made it to Sacsayhuaman
Sacsayhuaman is quite huge as it covers an area over 3000 hectares. There was just a lot of grass and rock everywhere that I only saw a small portion of it. There were also stairs and hills located throughout the fortress. My 2 younger buddies got to venture more than the 2 of us and got to take great pictures to show us.
I definitely can not get up that
It really was amazing to spend a few hours here, enjoy the fresh air and see some of the sacred buildings that include residential buildings, towers, shrines, warehouses and roads. We all agreed that the architecture of all the stones and the construction of the wall to be a masterpiece. We could also see Cristo Blanco which means White Christ on top of the mountain Pukamuqu.
pushing me on the grass
Cristo Blanco (White Christ)
Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary was founded in 2007 and is about 20 km (12 miles) from Cusco and a 45 minute drive from our hotel. The 4 of us just hired a local guy to drive us there and wait for us when we were done visiting the sanctuary.
we hired a local to drive us around
Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary is a family owned private organization that rescues animals that have either been abused, neglected or targeted by illegal poachers. They also take care of endangered species like the Andean condor and help breed them and release them from captivity. Tickets to enter was quite cheap and was about $7 USD per person.
grassy pathway to see vicunas and llamas
The pathways at the sanctuary are all grassy, rocky, bumpy and hilly. It was great that I had strong friends to push me around everywhere. There were also llamas, vicunas, parrots, other birds, guinea pigs, wild cat and monkeys to see.
parrots
The star and main attraction of this place was the condor enclosure. Visitors were allowed inside to get up really close to the condors and take pictures. The keeper would give us some information about these precious birds and got the birds to do a few tricks for us.
about to take flight
The sanctuary also offers a chance for visitors to buy some crafts and Peruvian food near the exit. We didn’t buy anything but it is a great option for those that chooses to. We went at a casual slow pace and enjoyed a few hours here while our driver waited outside to pick us up.
selfie with a condor
These 2 attractions that we did were really fun, relaxing and worth the small ticket price. While the wheelchair accessibility of both Sacsayhuaman and Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary were not the greatest, they are both doable and fun if you can get someone to help a bit with getting around.
there are crafts, clothing and food for sale at the sanctuary
