5 Things To Know Before Visiting Cusco

It’s estimated that around 1.5 million people visit Cusco, Peru every year. One thing that you’ll notice immediately is the altitude! Cusco sits at 11,152 feet above sea level so something as simple as taking a few steps up stairs will wear you out. This is coming from someone that is pretty active! Take it slow when you first arrive in the city so you can adapt. If you over do it, you’ll make yourself sick. I'm talking headaches, stomach issues, exhaustion and more.

Do not drink water from any faucets in Peru, period! You may even want to brush your teeth with bottled or filtered water....just trust me, don't make the same mistake I did! Be sure to drink plenty of water to combat the altitude and dehydration. I highly recommend drinking coca leaf tea. The tea helps with the altitude and gives you a swift kick like coffee. It tastes like an herbal tea and you can get it in most restaurants, hotel lobbies, and convenience stores. I drank it instead of coffee while we were there.

Women in the traditional Peruvian Jobona roam the streets with baby alpacas. This attire is popular among Andean women and consists of a wool jacket with patterns and colorful buttons. These women often walk the alpacas around town to offer them for pictures but prepare to spend about 2 soles for this ‘luxury’.

There are a lot of street dogs roaming around Cusco. I know they can be adorable and are on a mission to beg you for every morsel of food you have but whatever you do, please don’t touch them! Because they are street dogs, you have no idea where they’ve been or what kind of illness they could be carrying. Oddly enough there are a lot of Peruvian hairless dogs wondering around. Personally, I think they’re pretty darn ugly but who am I to judge?

Make sure you carry your own toilet paper when roaming the city. This may be an odd thing to note but trust me, you’ll be grateful that you did! We ran into too many instances where there was no toilet paper in any bathrooms. If you buy a few rolls some brands offer a travel size roll inside the larger roll….save it to carry it in a backpack, purse, or pocket. I promise you won’t regret it! For the ladies, it’s also worth noting many bathrooms do not have toilet seats so be prepared to squat or hold on for dear life to the door handle. It's also important to know that you cannot throw toilet paper or anything in the toilets...only your 'natural' stuff, I think you get what I'm saying. Their sewer system is not sophisticated enough to handle paper.

These things are minor but worth knowing before visiting Cusco. Do you have any other recommendations for people?