The airport is at the edge of the city (taxi ride). There are daily internal flights to and from Lima, Arequipa and small jungle airstrips in the Amazon basin. Lan Peru has the most flights between Cuzco and Lima, followed by Star Peru and Taca. It is best to book the earlier flights to avoid weather delays and overbooking.
The closest major international airport is Lima. The cheapest one-way flights to Lima cost around US$70. StarPeru generally has the cheapest flights. Frequently, bad weather conditions can cause flights to be canceled, often up to two days on end. If you are flying straight into Cuzco, beware of altitude sickness for the first couple of days. Drink mate de coca (coca tea), the local remedy for this. Many hotels and hostels provide it to guests upon arrival. However, if you expect to be drug tested upon your return home, be aware that coca leaf products will very likely cause you to test positive for cocaine use (1 cup of tea prepared with 1oz of coca leaves contains approximately 4.21 mg of cocaine). As an alternative to help adapt, Diamox/acetazolamide can be obtained from a pharmacy and taken prophylactically. Also be sure to rest and drink plenty of water, most guidebooks and locals suggest minimal activity during your first day in the city. Altitude sickness (soroche) tends to sneak up on you and although its symptoms may not be apparent at first, it has the potential to develop into something extremely dangerous.
With only 5 gates and a few off the main terminal this airport is fairly small but because it sees thousands of tourists a day, it has a good amount of facilities. There are a few restaurants before and after security and some shops too. Massage facilities and communication services are also available. There are a few ATMs in the check-in Area. If you have time, look across the parking lot for last-minute shopping.
When leaving Cuzco airport, there is an airport tax that must be paid. As of April 2010, the domestic airport tax is a little less than US$5. This can be paid in soles or in dollars. As of June 2011, this was included in the price of some tickets.
Note that the market rate for a taxi from the airport to the Plaza de Armas is around 7 soles, not 30 or more as the 'official' airport taxis may try to charge you. As a tourist, it's best to use the unofficial cabs outside and expect to pay around 10-15 soles without much trouble.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Cuzco
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Cuzco - updated Apr 2024
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Cuzco Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
