Inkilltambo (One Day Tour)

Inkilltambo is an impressive archaeological site along the Qhapaq Ñan. It is an original Inca road system. The Incas used travelled on this trail from Cusco to Pisac. It is a beautiful off the beaten track hike that most travellers are still not aware of. In Quechua it means Inka’s Prision.

The archaeological complex sits further down from Sacsayhuaman and the Moon Temple. The route offers pristine views of Cusco city and some typical flora and fauna. Inkilltambo is complemented by a series of rectangular enclosures, platforms and channels from the pre-Hispanic era. 

Viracocha, the renowned Incan emperor built this. Later Pachacutec, the emperor who built Machu Picchu and Choquequirao did the restructuring work in order to intensify religious ideology. It is a ceremonial site consisting of large stones with various cavities that are connected to each other through underground passages.

In Inkilltambo there are sectors with different uses: the first is the agricultural sector, it houses farming terraces. The upper part of the complex houses a ceremonial centre, storage places and some other structures whose purpose is not clear yet. 

Although the complex is smaller when compared to Pisac or other Inca sites around Cusco, it boasts an impressive stone work of Incas. Thanks to the recent archaeological investigations, this abandoned site is now gradually getting attention.