Three fountains
Still running.
Draceane — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dennis G. Jarvis — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dennis G. Jarvis — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Enrique Jara — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small Inca site in the hills above Cusco, called the «Inca Baths» in Spanish, made of fine stone terraces carrying channels and basins that lead natural spring water into small waterfalls still flowing today, more than five centuries on. The stones are laid with the well-known Inca precision, without mortar, in walls with trapezoid niches. Its purpose is not known for certain: perhaps baths for the Inca elite, a place where water was revered, or a guard post on the road into the capital. Across the road stands Puka Pukara, «red fortress» in Quechua, after its stones' reddish tint at sunset, probably a rest stop for travellers on the royal road. Most people visit both in a few minutes. Both are part of the circuit of sites near Cusco with Sacsayhuamán and Qenqo, and taxis and tours stop at all of them. The site sits at about 3,700 metres, so acclimatise for a day or two in Cusco first.
Still running.
Inca precision.
The red fortress.
Cusco-Pisac road, about 8 km north-east of central Cusco
By taxi from Cusco or on the nearby-sites tour; you can then walk downhill to Qenqo and Sacsayhuamán in about two hours. Entry is with the Cusco tourist ticket.