If you have been planning a trip to Sacsayhuaman Ruins, you can skip the expensive tour guides and take a Sacsayhuaman self-guided tour instead. You can take the tour in an afternoon and it won’t take you long.
The ruins are not only in Sacsayhuaman, they are also in Puka, Pukara, Qenko, and Tambomachay and are all close to Cusco. You can get to all of these ruins by way of bus, taxi, or you can walk if you are at the Plaza de Armas located in the beautiful Cusco City.
Sacsayhuaman is beautiful with high majestic mountains surrounding it. Once you see it, you will want to return again and again. When you take a self-guided tour of Sacsayhuaman, you will be able to take your time and enjoy the beauty around you.
Check out the guided Cusco City Tour or Horse back Tour of Cusco that covers them all.
Taking a taxi is going to be the quickest way to travel to Sacsayhuaman Ruins from where you are staying in Cusco. The taxi ride is approximately ten minutes and you will pay around 10 PEN or $2.89 USD.
Taxi drivers may want to offer you a deal to see all four of the ruins at once while they do the driving. Many taxi drivers have a set amount of 40-50 PEN, or $11.56 – $14.45 USD. The advantages to taking this taxi tour is you can see all the ruins for a reasonable price, and you will get to travel with someone who is familiar and can possibly answer questions you may have. You don’t have to worry about getting tired and having to walk back either.
Depending on how many will be in your party if you decide to go with the taxi, you may be able to pay per person instead. If you don’t want to spend the money to see all ruins, you can walk from one to another before needing to call a cab to come and pick you up for the next stop. All ruins can be accessed along the main highway leading to Pisac.
If you choose to walk, you will be starting from Cusco. To walk from Cusco to Sacsayhuaman will take approximately thirty minutes. While you are there, you will have the opportunity to use flights of stairs to get from one place to another inside the ruins. These stairs will take you to high altitudes, but it will be worth it to see all the beauty around.
If you decide to walk it, you will want to start at Plaza de Armas. Walking down the run, you will run into the Cathedral on the right side of the road. From the Cathedral, make a left onto Choquechaka Road. Then take a right onto Atoc-sekuchi Staircase. Once you climb the staircase, you will see the main road. Take a left and walk until you see the Cristo Blanco, Jesus statue.
From the statue, you will want to take the gravel road on the left side of the road. Walk the gravel road through a field until you come upon the entrance to Sacsayhuaman.