Andean instruments in Cusco: charango, quena, panpipes and how to buy them

Andean music is the soundtrack to any trip to Cusco: you'll hear it in restaurants, squares, fiestas and even on the trains to Machu Picchu. Many travellers want to take an instrument home, either to learn to play or as a decorative souvenir. In Cusco's markets and workshops you'll find everything from small souvenir panpipes to handmade concert charangos. This guide introduces the main instruments, how to recognise a good one and where to buy it.

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Charango

A small ten-string guitar with strings in five pairs and a bright, cheerful sound. It was born in colonial times, when Andean musicians adapted the Spanish guitar. Traditionally its body was made from an armadillo shell, but today good charangos are carved from a single piece of wood, and shell ones should be avoided for conservation reasons and because their export is restricted.

• What to check: no cracks in the wood, pegs that turn smoothly and a straight fingerboard.
• Tuning: ask the seller to tune and play it; if it sounds out of tune on the higher frets, it's poorly built.
• Case: many workshops sell padded cases, essential for travel.

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Quena

An Andean cane or wooden flute with a U-shaped notch at the blowing end, six holes on the front and one at the back. It's the instrument behind the melancholic sound so typical of Andean music. Cane quenas are light and cheap; wooden ones are more durable and stable. To learn, choose one in G, the most common tuning. It's a very old instrument: archaeologists have found pre-Columbian quenas of bone, clay and cane from various Andean cultures, long before the Incas.

Zampoña or siku

Panpipes made of cane tubes of different lengths, tied in one or two rows. In Andean tradition the siku is often played in pairs: two musicians share the notes and alternate, in a musical dialogue. Easy to carry and a good first instrument.

Percussion

• Bombo: a large wooden drum with leather heads that keeps the beat.
• Chajchas: rattles made from goat or llama hooves, producing a dry, rhythmic sound.
• Tinya: a small hand drum used in rituals and fiestas, often played by women.

Other instruments

• Ceramic ocarinas, often animal-shaped, popular as souvenirs.
• Pinkullo: a vertical wooden flute used in traditional fiestas.
• Andean harp and violin: present in mestizo music, though hard to transport.
• Rain stick: you'll see it in shops, but it's not a traditional Andean instrument.

Where to buy

• San Blas workshops: some luthiers make charangos and quenas by hand and can explain the process.
• Centro Artesanal Cusco: a wide range of souvenir instruments and some mid-quality ones.
• Sacred Valley markets: Pisac and Chinchero have stalls with panpipes and quenas.
• Music shops in the centre: for strings, cases or accessories.

We don't give prices because they vary hugely by quality: a souvenir instrument and a professional one are worlds apart.

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Souvenir or instrument?

Many instruments sold in the markets are decorative: they make sound but don't play in tune. If you want to really play, look for a specialist workshop, ask them to play it and compare. If you just want a souvenir, small panpipes or an ocarina are perfect and fit in any suitcase.

Learning to play

Some music schools and cultural centres in Cusco offer private charango or quena lessons for travellers. Ask at your accommodation or at Spanish schools, which often organise cultural activities.

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How to transport them

• Quenas and panpipes fit in a backpack; wrap them in clothes.
• A charango should travel in a hard or padded case; if possible, take it as hand luggage.
• Slightly loosen the strings before flying to avoid stress from pressure and temperature changes.

Notice: This guide shares advice and recommendations based on research and local experience. Prices, opening hours and rules may change: always check with official sources and operators. Cusco Tips is not responsible for third-party services, bookings or decisions made using these guides; some links are affiliate links (see our affiliate policy).