South Valley – Full Day: Cusco / Andahuaylillas / Pikillacta / Tipón

This tour begins with a pick-up from your hotel around 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. We will then depart by bus south of Cusco, enjoying beautiful scenery along the way. The first stop will be in Andahuaylillas, where we will appreciate the importance of religion at the Church of San Pedro (Andahuaylillas), known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas. It is renowned for its beautiful religious murals, splendid Baroque paintings, gold-leaf frames, anonymous works from the Cusco School, and other artistic murals that will leave you in awe. Next, we will visit Pikillacta, which means “city of fleas.” This ancient walled citadel of the Wari Empire was one of the most important regional centers of the Wari culture during its expansion towards the city of Cusco. We will be amazed by the sophisticated urban planning, which includes over a thousand structures, among them temples, storehouses (colcas), and streets lined with buildings up to four stories high, all constructed by the Wari civilization. Our tour concludes at Tipon, an impressive temple dedicated to water, featuring a perfectly planned system of hydraulic canals and an agricultural irrigation system. We will also visit its Inca ceremonial center, where a stone channel controlled the flow of water from the high peaks of Pachatusan mountain to the valley below. We will return to the city of Cusco at approximately 3:30 p.m.