Cusco, Peru, is a backpacker’s paradise. Swarming with travellers who are on their way to Machu Picchu, it’s one of the busiest places to be, but also the most vibrant.
From grand churches and white-and-brown buildings, Peruvian eateries and hidden Japanese restaurants, Cusco is a colourful place where parades are common and the nightlife, booming. A major stop off point for the adventurous, it’s ground zero for backpackers, or really anybody, who has come to see Machu Picchu. Street tenders make popcorn and sell Inka Cola alongside bags of coca leaves, while the stores selling paintings are absolute goldmines for beautiful constructions you’ll yearn to take back home. The artists of Cusco are outstanding. There is so much talent in these artists that it’s barely containable, as when the artwork isn’t spilling out onto the streets (literally), there are painters walking up to you, introducing themselves as Pablo Picasso as they show you their portfolios.
We were here when the Brazil World Cup kicked off, and it was wild! Here are some photos:
backpacker adventures 