Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [183]
Colonial paintings around the outside of the courtyard depict the life of St Dominic, which contain several representations of dogs holding torches in their jaws. These are God’s guard dogs (dominicanus in Latin), hence the name of this religious order.
IGLESIA DE SANTO DOMINGO
The church of Santo Domingo is next door to Qorikancha. Less baroque and ornate than many of Cuzco’s churches, it is notable for its charming paintings of archangels depicted as Andean children in jeans and T-shirts. Opening hours are erratic.
MUSEO DEL SITIO DE QORIKANCHA
There are sundry moth-bitten archaeological displays interpreting Inca and pre-Inca cultures at this small, mangy, underground archaeological museum (admission with boleto turístico; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 8am-1pm Sun), which is entered off Av El Sol.
MUSEO QUIJOTE
This privately owned museum of contemporary art (www.museoelquijote.com; San Agustín 275; entry S10 or with boleto religioso; 9am-7:30pm) houses a diverse, thoughtful collection of painting and sculpture ranging from the folksy to the macabre. There’s good interpretive information about 20th-century Peruvian art history, some of it translated into English.
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ACTIVITIES
Trekking
The department of Cuzco is a hiker’s paradise, with huge mountain ranges, winding rivers, isolated villages and ruins, varied ecosystems, and a huge range of altitudes.
The most famous trek in the Cuzco region is the Inca Trail, but it’s no longer the only, or even necessarily the best, show in town. It’s a stunning walk, but its name is somewhat of a misnomer. What savvy tourism officials and tour operators have christened the Inca Trail is just one of dozens of footpaths that the Incas built to reach Machu Picchu, out of thousands that crisscrossed the Inca empire. Some of these overland routes are even now being dug out of the jungle by archaeologists. Many more have been developed for tourism, and an ever-increasing number of trekkers are choosing these over the Inca Trail. Whatever your pleasure – ruins, mountains, scenery, flora and fauna, cultural encounters – there’s a hike to suit you. For more detailed information on the following hikes, purchase an Alternative Inca Trails Information Packet from the South American Explorers Club (Click here). Closer to Cuzco, imaginative operators such as Chaski Ventura (Click here) and Eco Inka (Click here) have developed multiday Sacred Valley trekking itineraries that go well off the beaten track to little-visited villages and ruins such as Huchuy Qosqo.
Click here for full coverage of the Inca Trail and alternative trekking routes to Machu Picchu.
CHOQUEQUIRAU
Remote, spectacular, and still not entirely cleared, the ruins of Choquequirau are often described as a mini–Machu Picchu. This breathtaking site at the junction of three rivers – and the fairly challenging four-day hike required to get there and back – has been firmly positioned as ‘the next big thing’ for the last few years. It seems inevitable that controls and permits will be introduced in time, but for now it’s still easy to organize this walk on your own. A guided version costs US$380 on average. Apus Peru (978-2720; www.apus-peru.com) joins this trek up with the Inca trail, for a total of nine days of spectacular scenery and an ever-more-impressive parade of Inca ruins culminating in Machu Picchu.
Ausangate
Snowcapped Ausangate (6372m), the highest mountain in southern Peru, can be seen from Cuzco on a clear day. Hiking a circuit around its skirts is the most challenging alpine hike in the region. It takes five to six days and crosses four high passes (two over 5000m). The route begins in the rolling brown puna (grasslands of the Andean plateau) and features stunningly varied scenery, including fluted icy peaks, tumbling glaciers, turquoise lakes and green marshy valleys. Along the way you’ll stumble across huge herds of alpacas and tiny hamlets unchanged in centuries. The walk starts and