Is Cusco safe for solo female travelers?

Cusco, is a relatively safe destination. However, as a solo female traveler, it's important to take extra precautions due to occasional instances of street harassment and petty theft, especially at night or in isolated areas. Use common sense: stick to public places, avoid traveling alone late at night, and keep your belongings close to you.

Safety rating

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How safe is Cusco for female travelers?

Travel safety index

4.2 /5

based on 12 experiences from female travelers

Group travel

I went to Cusco, Peru on a service learning trip with a group of 10 from my college. Best experience! Felt completely safe walking through the city, very kind people. Last day there, my group’s flight was early but mine was later, so I solo travelled around the city and felt completely safe and enjoyed my walk around the city. Cusco is at 11,000 ft though, so make sure to bring motion or altitude sickness pills!! I thought I would be ok without them since I usually ski at high altitudes, but this is much more intense, bring the pills! Also, start with lighter meals then progress because their food is much more rich and flavorful, so beware of travelers diarrhea if you have a sensitive stomach (but definitely try Cuy aka guinea pig!)

Posted: June 21, 2025
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Emily

Emily

United Kingdom

Couple travel

A vibrant city always buzzing with activities and life. LOADS of activities which are pretty affordable, plenty of tours on get your guide, don't even need to be good at hiking because all the hikes have horses to take you most the way if you prefer. Tour guides are good, stayed pretty close to the centre most the time, but always felt super safe. AMAZING views within a couple hours drive of the city which when done with tours tends to include a couple of meals and transport etc. You need cash always, we pretty much had to withdraw daily to afford to pay our hostels, activities, food etc in cash, withdrawing 400 soles at once, shared between 2 of us. Not that we spend that much daily. But with combined costs, and souvenirs, it may as well have been. We spent a lot but we did a lot so no regrets. Definitely worth the visit.

Posted: June 15, 2025Experienced: June, 2025
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Barbara

Barbara

Netherlands

Solo travel

Did a solo excursion to the laguna humantay and it was tough but so worth it! Being is cuzco was amazing, safest place i’ve been to in Peru for sure! Lots police, but also so many other tourists. Even at night i felt safe :)

Posted: May 12, 2025
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Solo travel

I visited Cusco using a local travelers agency. The service was wonderful. Cusco is a beautiful city, with lots of historical interesting places to visit. The local food is one of the best in the world if you like experimenting new things. I personally felt safe because I made a few new friends along the trip, so I never was alone.

Posted: June 11, 2024
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Cat

Cat

France

Group travel

Cusco was a blast! This city is so cute and has so much to offer. I felt very safe and even walked after dark. The hostels are very comfortable and all the businesses are very welcoming. There are hidden gems everywhere and would definitely go back. Be cautious of the altitude change!

Posted: May 9, 2024
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How safe is Cusco for women?

Local safety index

3.2 /5

Based on 3 local experiences

Local crime index

1.3 /5

Based on 3 local experiences

Séphora

Séphora

It's an authentic touristic town. You can walk all alone by night and feel safe. Locals are helpful and mostly friendly. It is very easy to meet people from all over the world and aslo make friends with local people.

Posted: December 28, 2024
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Cusco is a beautiful city, but be careful as a woman solo traveler. The men catcall and can be a bit inappropriate in clubs or social settings. My friend got her phone stolen on public transportation, so be sure to keep your valuables in a bag on the front of your body. The public transportation felt way safer than taxi/Uber for me as I don’t like riding alone with a man. If I was going to the center of the city(plaza de Armas) at night alone I was always sure to have a friend meet me there or be waiting for me so I don’t have to be alone.

Posted: June 22, 2024
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Safety in Peru