Cusco: practical tips
1 h route3 stopsBest: Read before booking flights: the order of your itinerary mattersUpdated July 2026
Altitude is practical tip number one, two and three, and it even shapes how you order the trip: if you’re travelling around Peru, coming up to Cusco after a few days somewhere of middling altitude is far better than arriving from Lima at sea level.
The rest are manageable details. The country is cheap, people are welcoming to visitors, and the Cusco-Valley-Machu Picchu circuit is well worn, with all the infrastructure in place.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
Soroche, specifically
Altitude sickness happens because less oxygen is available per breath: at 3,400 metres it’s around 65% of what you get at sea level. Normal symptoms are headache, tiredness, breathlessness and poor sleep the first nights.
It bears no relation to fitness. Sometimes the most athletic suffer more because they push harder.
The warning signs that do matter are different: severe headache that won’t ease, repeated vomiting, confusion or difficulty breathing at rest. That isn’t something to tough out: descend and seek medical help. It’s uncommon, but worth being able to tell apart from ordinary discomfort.
- 02
Seasons, rain and the Inca Trail
There’s no summer and winter here but a dry season and a wet one. The dry runs April to October and it’s the good one: sunny days, genuinely cold nights and little risk of rain at Machu Picchu. The wet, November to March, brings afternoon downpours and mist.
One fact that upsets plans: **the Inca Trail closes for the whole of February** for maintenance and safety, which is the wettest month.
Machu Picchu stays open in February, but the trek doesn’t. If your trip runs through then, check the calendar before the flight.
- 03
Money, water and connectivity
Peru charges in soles and comes cheap. Cards work in Cusco hotels and restaurants, but markets, taxis, colectivos and valley villages need cash and small notes. Tap water isn’t drunk: buy bottled or boil it, which at this altitude boils at a lower temperature anyway.
Mobile coverage is good in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, and an eSIM has you connected on arrival (which here solves something very specific: showing your Machu Picchu ticket and train ticket, both with assigned times, and arranging transport. On the high mountain routes) Vinicunca, Humantay, the Inca Trail: there are long stretches without signal.
Download the maps first.
Frequently asked
When is the best time to visit Cusco?
April to October, the dry season, with May and September the best balance of weather and crowds. July and August are the busiest and priciest. February is very wet and the Inca Trail closes as well.
Do you need a visa for Peru?
It depends on your passport and rules can change, so check the official source before booking. Many nationalities enter visa-free for tourist stays and are given a number of days on arrival.