Horseback Ride to the Temple of the Moon and Inca Sites Cusco

The Temple of the Moon

The Temple of the Moon, known locally as Templo de la Luna, is a great limestone outcrop in the hills north of Cusco that the Incas transformed into a sacred place. Steps, seats, niches and altars are carved directly into the rock, and inside a shadowy cave a carved platform is believed to have been used for ceremonies and offerings. Some say moonlight enters the cave on certain nights, which gave the site its name.

The ride ends here with a guided visit of about 30 minutes. You dismount and walk around and into the rock with your guide, who explains the Inca and pre-Inca beliefs linked to the earth, water and the moon. It is quiet and atmospheric, surrounded by eucalyptus trees, and one of the best hidden Inca sites near Cusco.

Inkilltambo

Inkilltambo sits in a small green valley in the same hills. Its highlight is a set of beautifully fitted Inca walls with trapezoidal niches built against a large carved rock, a combination of natural stone and fine masonry typical of Inca shrines. Water channels and terraces around it suggest it was both a place of worship and a resting place on the paths above Cusco.

The tour stops here for about 30 minutes for photos and explanations. Because it is reached by trails rather than a main road, Inkilltambo is usually empty, which makes it a peaceful contrast to the busier sites closer to the city. The quality of the stonework surprises many visitors who did not expect such fine walls away from the famous sites.

Chukimarka and the Face of the Inca

Early in the ride you reach the Face of the Inca, known as Cara del Inca, a rock formation in which local people see the profile of a face, and Chukimarka, a carved rock shrine of the kind the Incas called a huaca, a sacred place where offerings were made to nature. Each stop lasts about 15 minutes, enough to look at the carvings and hear the stories behind them.

These small sites show how the whole landscape around Cusco was sacred for the Incas, with rocks, springs and hills linked by paths and rituals. Visiting them on horseback, as travellers did for centuries in the Andes, gives you a feeling for that connection between the people and the land.

The ride through the hills above Cusco

The tour begins with a 15-minute drive from your hotel to a ranch on the hills above the city, at around 3,600 metres. There you are matched with a calm horse suited to your experience, receive a helmet and learn the basics of steering and stopping. A horse handler rides with the group and the pace stays gentle, so beginners feel comfortable from the start.

The main section of the ride lasts about 75 minutes along dirt trails through grassland, eucalyptus woods and small farms, with wide views over the red-tiled roofs of Cusco and the mountains around the valley. Horseback riding in Cusco is one of the most relaxing ways to adapt to the altitude while still seeing Inca history up close.