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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 09 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Alex Robinson

Travellers from all over Peru and the world descend on Cusco every 24 June for the Festival of the Sun, which marks the Winter Solstice. Still known by its Inca name Inti Raymi, it has been celebrated in some form for centuries.

The festival begins the night before with processions and makeshift stalls in the Plaza de Armas. Dancing parades move off from the Qorikancha temple at 10am, processing to the fort at Sacsayhuaman, where there is a full-scale re-enactment of an ancient Inca sun ceremony.

If you want to avoid the crowds, settle into one of the second-floor restaurants around the main square. Late in the afternoon the procession will come to you.

One of the most interesting parts of Inti Raymi is the impromptu dance party that takes place in Cusco’s main square after the official party is over – definitely worth staying for.

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 8+
Frequency: annually
When: 24th June
Duration: 5 hours

Getting there & doing it

After parties the night before, the event begins in earnest in Central Cusco at the Qorikancha, at 10am. Dancers and promenaders parade through the streets up to Sacsayhuaman fortress where the ceremony takes place.

As this is an all-day event, it is possible to visit both the unticketed promenade and the ticketed ceremony in the fort. To do so you’ll need to negotiate crowds in the streets and prearrange tickets for the event in the fort itself. The easiest way to do this is via a local travel agency (or your travel agent back home) – who can organise the whole day for you with tickets for seats at the ceremony at the fort, and set meeting points along the way during the promenade for lunch and coordinated entry.

If you prefer to go it alone, then tickets for the ceremony in the fort should be bought at least three months in advance to ensure a place.

If you miss the chance at a seat for the ticketed event, all is not lost – it’s possible to join the locals in the public areas on the ramparts at Sacsayhuaman, where folk from all over Cusco arrive to hang out, share food and see the show. But it can be very hard to get a good view.

Reserved seats can be purchased in advance through Cusco travel agencies as part of a package that includes transport. Hotel concierges can also secure tickets. Ideally reserve at least three months in advance.

When to do it

The festival takes place on the 24th June each year.

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Inkaterra La Casona

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.2 miles]

Luxurious rooms in a beautifully-restored 16th Century Spanish-colonial mansion where Simon Bolivar once stayed.

Official star rating:

Hotel Monasterio

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.3 miles]

A grand, luxury hotel housed in a restored 16th-century monastery and filled with priceless colonial art. Restful and meditative, yet just a few blocks from Cusco’s historic heart. 

Official star rating:

Belmond Palacio Nazarenas

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.3 miles]

A luxuriously-restored convent with a glittering baroque chapel, filled with Cusqueno artworks and home to one of Cusco’s top restaurants.

Official star rating:

El Retablo

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.4 miles]

A tranquil, family-run guesthouse sits in up-and-coming, arty San Blas neighbourhood, with views of central Cusco at every street corner.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Peru

Peru

A land of spectacular deserts, high mountains and rainforests that teem with wildlife, Peru is also home to an array of dramatically situated pre-Colombian ruins, including Machu Picchu.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Qorikancha

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.5 miles]

The Inca empire’s most elaborate sun temple, covered in gold and silver, is now a colonial church housing stunning Inca stonework.

Best for ages: 18+ | £2

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Sacsayhuaman

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.9 miles]

A vast, fortified Inca sun temple that perches over Cusco, housing boulders and masonry astonishingly jigsaw-pieced together, without cement or metal tools.

Best for ages: 18+ | £24

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A day in Cusco

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[1.5 miles]

The heart of the old Inca empire has a wealth of Inca ruins, Spanish treasures and historic architecture to explore.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 1 day

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Hiram Bingham Train

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[7.3 miles]

One of the world’s most spectacular train rides, the journey between Cusco and Machu Picchu via the Sacred Valley combines dramatic landscapes and absolute luxury.

Best for ages: 18+ | £550 | 3 hours

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Hike from Cusco to Huchuy

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[2.7 miles]

This, the shortest and easiest of alternative Inca trails, takes three days from Cusco and offers wonderful mountain views, little-visited Inca sites and a final day at Machu Picchu itself.

Best for ages: 18+ | £4 | 3 days

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Chinchero village

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This little village in the Sacred Valley near Cusco is a centre for traditional indigenous weaving in Peru. It has a lively market and ancient Inca agricultural terraces.

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