Discover the Magic of Cusco
The moment I stepped off the plane and arrived in the city of Cusco surrounded by mountains, I felt a wave of fresh energy wash over me. In the weeks that followed things just kept getting better and better as I felt completely connected to that sense of being in flow, open to new connections and noticing synchronicity all around me! With incredible natural surroundings, shamanic healing, vegan restaurants and countless yoga studios this is definitely a hot spot for remote workers and wellbeing warriors.
Places to work, eat + get inspired
Jardin Organiko
This is a really lovely family run restaurant supplied with fresh organic produce from the Sacred Valley. The incredible food presentation made me feel like a princess and the staff are super friendly. I’d recommend getting a fresh juice here and finding yourself a corner to work in before enjoying the beautiful nutritious local dishes on offer that will be a feast for all your senses.
Greenpoint
The vegan food here is absolutely amazing and they even do Acai bowls which I was over the moon about because I’ve been missing this amazonian superberry since living in Floripa, Brazil. They also do live music here and it gets pretty busy over the lunch hour so if you want to settle down to work consider grabbing yourself a table earlier on in the day! There’s plenty of gluten free options for those with any special dietary requirements.
Selina Cowork Cusco
Selina is a chain across South America offering places to stay, work and meet other adventurous digital nomads. Whether you decide to stay here for your accommodation or just get a day pass in the coworking space, it’s an inspiring and friendly place to work. You’re bound to strike up a conversation with someone interesting here or you can stay quiet and just enjoy the high speed reliable internet. It’s right near the main square so really easy to explore some of Cusco’s attractions before or after your work.
Xapiri
Xapiri is an absolute must visit for getting inspired and learning more about indigenous cultures. It’s an art gallery /shop / cultural project supporting indigenous communities in the Amazon through fair trade art, collaborative exhibition and educational media. Upstairs they have an amazing library of interesting books and a seating area where you can sit to write, read or sketch. I spent hours here just soaking up all the beautiful art and getting all kinds of ideas for future projects. It’s also where I learnt more about one of our Interviewees who tells us more about the project here.
Yoga
Healing House
I went to a full day festival here which filled me up from head to toe with joy! There were all kinds of yoga classes to choose from, well being therapies, vegan treats, music and more. There’s a real connected and welcoming feel to this place, so much so that I decided to spend a week staying here within their conscious community and left feeling restored, nourished and well, healed!
Evergreen
There’s a lovely little shop and cafe here as well as the yoga studio which is an intimate space with dedicated and knowledgeable teachers. They offer a variety of different classes throughout the week and you can buy class passes which works out cheaper if you’re planning on going a few times during your time in Cusco. I’d recommend getting a hot drink and sitting on one of the outside tables watching the day go by.
Exhala
This yoga studio is a really beautiful space located on the 4th floor of Antigua Casona, a boutique hotel in trendy San Blas. From the moment you walk in you will feel cared for, relaxed and cleansed by the space. I’d especially recommend going to the restorative yoga with Thai massage on friday nights with Anthony, I think I had one of the best sleeps of my life after that class!
Kinsapacha
Just an hour’s bus ride away from Cusco, this is the perfect place to come to reconnect to nature and yourself. It’s located in Urubamba, Sacred Valley which is a peaceful place with plenty of hikes in the mountains. They offer yoga retreats with flexible dates or cheaper dorm rooms with the possibility of attending yoga classes. The permaculture garden supplies food for their vegan evening menu or if you’re on a budget you can buy their organic veg to cook in the shared kitchen. Jorje and Isle who run the place are super kind, welcoming and friendly and you will be well looked after here!
Explore
Moon temple
Just a short walk up the mountain from San Blaz is an amazing mountain region where you can get lost exploring ancient ruins and enjoy the incredible views of Cusco below. I’d especially suggest you check out the moon temple and also just give yourself a full day to walk around seeing what you find up here! It’s the perfect retreat from the city and I spent many mornings doing my early morning yoga practice up in these mountains.
Qorikancha
The temple of Qorikancha was an incredibly important sacred place for the Incas, it was the only temple that devoted itself fully to sacred ceremony and it was built for worshipping the sun deity. It has even endured 3 earthquakes! It’s well worth a visit so if you’d like to go then admission time to Qorikancha is: Monday- Saturday 8:30a.m.-5:30p.m. Sunday: 2p.m.- 5p.m.
Machu Picchu tours
So you can pretty much just show up in Cusco and go to any tour guide office to book Machu Picchu. There’s so many options with offices on literally every street corner! If you want to get the train, which is more convenient and a lot safer, then expect to pay more. To go by bus, which takes about 7 hours of a terrifying mountain edge bus ride then don’t pay more than $95 for a 2 day trip. If you have time to do a longer hike then consider the Salkantay trek which takes 5 days camping and walking in the mountains ending up in Machu Pichu on the last day.
We hope you enjoyed our travel guide, let us know if you’re lucky enough to visit Cusco and have anything else to add to the list!
As we’re a remote agency, adventure is key to how we work. We want to promote a culture of exploration, and connecting local projects with travellers around the globe. Check out our Floripa, Brazil guide here and our Buenos Aires guide here!
