Cusco is a must visit destination for any trip to Peru. Located high in the Andes ranges, it's the launching pad for any and all surrounding mountain activities, most notably a visit to the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. Cusco is a very touristy town but isn't over the top (yet) so retains a lot of charm and character.

To go on the "classic" 4 day Inca trail trek to Machu Picchu requires booking ahead 6 months in advance, due to its popularity and the limited numbers allowed to do it each year. Unfortunately for us we were in Europe at the time we should have booked it, and South America was barely on our radar at that stage. Still we had some other options available to us that meant we could see all of the great things in the region. We chose to do a 4 day group tour that included some downhill biking, hot springs bathing, hiking and, of course, Machu Picchu for sunrise.

We had a great time with our core group of 6 people, taking in the sights, local experiences and the info provided by our guide as we walked along the mountain paths. We had a whole day to explore Machu Picchu, and it deserves its fame, it's a truly spectacular area and really showcases the impressive accomplishments of the Inca Empire. The sunrise walk seemed to be a bit pointless though, it was cold, wet and misty while we climbed up there and when we got to the top, busloads of tourists were also arriving at the gate waiting for it to open. Inside the area there are different sites to walk out to and, since we had the whole day, we decided to do everything (besides climbing up Waynapicchu because, again, that has to be booked in advance). When we went to climb Machu Picchu Mountain we learned that the entrance had been closed for half an hour but, somehow, we talked our way in and we raced to the top to complete the 2 hour hike before the top closed in an hour. The views from the top made it worth the effort but we had no time to stop and relax because the ranger started ushering everyone out just minutes after we got there.

Back in the town we had a 10pm train and then a minivan ride to get back to Cusco at 1:30am in the morning. Not the most fun we've had in the world with local music blaring in our ears while we drove down windy bumpy paths.