Cusco-Machu Picchu (Peru)

Cusco is a landlocked city (not cruise ort) in southeastern Peru, with population around 440,000. The city is located close to the Urubamba Valley (aka "Sacred Valley" in the Andes Mountain) and is also the capital of the same-named Peruvian Region and Province, as well as the gateway to Machu Picchu. Until late-18th-century, it was South America's largest/most populous city, bigger even than Peru's capital Lima.

The cruise port to Cusco is Callao, which is also the seaport for Lima City.

Cusco was the historic capital of the Incan Empire between the Spanish conquest (13th-16th-century). It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Cusco has become an important tourist destination, hosting around 2 million visitors per year. The country's Constitution designates Cusco as Peru's Historical Capital.

Both Cusco and Machu Picchu are visited on cruise shore excursions/land tours that are optional (not included in the base fares). These deals include two domestic flights (Lima to Cusco, and the reverse Cusco-Lima) plus roundtrip bus travel from Cusco - to destinations like Urubamba (1-hour drive), Moray Inca ruins (archaeological site ~50 km / 31 mi northwest of Cuzco), Maras (40 km / 25 mi north of Cusco), Huaypo Lake (kayaking), Chinchero, Ollantaytambo (70 km / 45 mi northwest of Cusco).

The "Orient Express"-type luxury train "Hiram Bingham" offers scenic mountain travel to access Machupicchu Pueblo (aka Aguas Calientes, on Vilcanota River), from where Machu Picchu is approx 6 km / 4 mi away (at ~1,5-hour walking distance).

Some cruisetours also include flights from Lima to Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Cusco-Machu Picchu tours, shore excursions, hotels

City Tours and Shore Excursions

Sacred Valley tours and excursions:

• Awanakancha
• Kenko
• Puca Pucara
• Sacsayhuaman Temple
• Pisac
• Ollantaytambo ruins
• glass-dome train travel to Machu Picchu (guided tour of the ruins)
• train travel back to Sacred Valley and Cusco (Santo Domingo Monastery tour)
• If the Sacred Valley tour is part of a Galapagos cruise package deal, there is a charter flight Cusco to Quito (local restaurant dinner) and Quito touring on the next day. On the next day of the itinerary there is a flight from Quito to Baltra island for embarkation.