I was on a half city day tour with Travel 1 Tours and this was one of 4 stops. There are plenty of vendors near the parking area before you reach the entrance of the site. At the top of the fortress is a great view of the valley below. Puka Pukara, also known as the Red Fortress, had specific military purposes. It was the entry control post to the city of Cusco, "the capital of the Empire", and also served as a "tambo" (place of rest) for the chaskis who carried messages or packages from town to town. On the hillside, thanks to the strong winds, products could be kept for longer in a kind of refrigerator and the dehydrated products were stored here.

Not too sure of the correct spelling with some signs with a 'K' and others with a 'C', but either way an interesting site. The name translates to the 'Red Fortress' but little examples of red left nowadays? It was a military fort but built in a different style to others in the region. It's constructed of irregular shaped & sized stones and consists of walls, terraces & stairways. Obviously, it suffered after Spanish occupation and much of the stonework would have been removed & reused in buildings in Cusco as was their want! But still a fine example of Incan workmanship.

This place is part of the places to visit with the tourist ticket. It is included in the City Tour when closed with a tourism agency. It is not a place where the guide has much history to tell, but it is one of the places built by the Incas and which has its part in local history and culture. The ideal is to visit with a guide so that you can explain the history of the place. To visit without a guide there are other better places to just take photos.