Vinicunca — Rainbow Mountain — at 5,200 metres is a multicoloured striped peak in the Andes south of Cusco whose extraordinary bands of red, purple, gold, and green mineral pigments create one of the most surreal natural landscapes in South America, recently revealed by the melting of the glacier that previously covered it. The hike from the trailhead at 4,300 metres is strenuous at altitude but accessible for acclimatised hikers. Hotels in Cusco organise day tours to Rainbow Mountain and provide acclimatisation time at 3,400 metres before any high-altitude excursions.
Built within the 16th-century Monastery of San Antonio Abad, the Belmond Monasterio is the most extraordinary hotel conversion in the Americas — its cobblestone courtyard, the carved stone arches, and the original chapel are so perfectly preserved that breakfast here feels like a sacrament. The oxygen-enriched rooms for altitude acclimatisation are a practical genius. Nothing in Cusco comes close.
Built on the foundations of the Inca sun temple Qorikancha — the walls of which are incorporated into the hotel structure — this Starwood Luxury Collection property offers rooms with original Inca stonework visible from the beds, a spa drawing on Andean healing traditions, and a restaurant celebrating Novo-Andino cuisine. The most historically layered hotel experience in the Americas.
A 16th-century convent facing the Plaza de Armas converted into JW Marriott's most historic property, with cloistered courtyards, original stone arches, and a rooftop terrace with one of the finest views of Cusco's cathedral and the surrounding Andean mountains. The spa and the LIMA restaurant serving elevated Peruvian cuisine are both excellent.
Inkaterra's 16th-century colonial casona on the beautiful Plazoleta Las Nazarenas has only eleven suites, each with original wooden floors and Cusqueña-school paintings. The Inkaterra brand's commitment to ecological and cultural preservation is expressed in the cuisine — which uses highland ingredients from community gardens — and the staff-led archaeological walks.
The finest hotel in Aguas Calientes — the town below Machu Picchu — Sumaq combines traditional Andean design with luxury service in a location that allows the earliest morning access to the citadel. The restaurant's seven-course Andean dinner menu and the thermal bath programme make an overnight here far more compelling than it sounds.
A converted 16th-century colonial mansion in the artistic San Blas neighbourhood with 93 rooms across several buildings, a garden patio, and the Casa Andina group's reliable quality standards at prices that represent outstanding value for the setting. The in-house oxygen therapy programme is genuinely helpful for altitude adjustment.
