CHOQUEQUIRAO TREK TO MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO – PERU

DAY 1: CUSCO – CACHORA – CHIQUISCA

We will pick you up from your Cusco hotel at 5.00 am in our transport, and then drive for 2 hours to Curahuasi (2909 m. / 9543 ft.), village where we will have breakfast, and then we continue to Capuliyoc, we arrive to nice view point called Capuliyoc (2915 m. / 9561 ft.), from here, we will have the privilege to see spectacular views of Padriyoc and Wayna Cachora snowcapped peaks (mountains over 5400 m.). At this point we will have some time to enjoy our snacks and we take some pictures of the breathtaking views of the river and the canyon stretching down the valley. From here we will descend through a unique zigzag path for 2 hours more to reach our place for lunch. Finally around 1 pm. we will have lunch. You have time to relax, put your feet up and have some refreshing tea, before we get ready to hike again for 2 hours more descending, so, we will reach our campsite located at Chiquisca (1836 m. / 6023 ft.) around 5 pm. where we will spend the night.

DAY 2: CHIQUISCA – MARAMPATA – CHOQUEQUIRAO RUINS

After our breakfast, we will leave early, throughout the day we will see a wide variety of bromeliads, orchids and stands of bamboo; we’ll also hope see birds such as Andean Quetzals, Toucans an a variety of hummingbirds. From our campsite we walk around 1 hour in order to descend to the bottom of the Canyon, called Playa rosalina and the magnificent Apurimac river (1550 m./ 5084 ft). From here we will begin probably the hardest section of the path due to the ascension; 2 hours steep climb to Santa rosa (2095 m. / 6873 ft.) where We will have time to take a refreshing break. From Santa rosa we will continue uphill for another 2 hours towards marampata (2913m / 9557ft), a flat ground where we can have a break and enjoy the views of Apurimac Canyon and the famous Inca site of Choquequirao. Here We’ll have lunch and take advantage of the facilities (toilets and wash room).After lunch We will continue to hike for another one hour to reach our campsite which is located just outside of the Great Inca Site Choquequirao (3110 m. / 10120 ft.) and We will spend the late evening in the ruins, where we will see a very nice sunset over mountains, and if we may be lucky enough to spot Condors soaring nearby over the valley below. Camping at Choquequirao campsite (bathrooms and cold water showers are available).

DAY 3: CHOQUEQUIRAO RUINS – CHOQUEQUIRAO PASS – MAIZAL

After our early breakfast we will visit the mysterious Inca site of Choquequirao, where our professional Tour Guide will explain about the history of this magnificent Inca site. Originally discovered in the 17th century by the Spanish, it lay abandoned and forgotten until recent years when tourism raised the profile of the city and exploration began. Even with this increased interest only 25% of the city has been explored and many of its secrets still wait to be discovered. Actually we can visit the most important zones such as the main plaza, the inca houses, the granaries, the ceremonial sector and its altars, the famous terraces, and the great Llama sector where Incas represented this sacred animal on their buildings. After our guiding visit, you have extra time to explore and enjoy the place by yourselves, after this, we continue with our trail, we will begin walking uphill until the highest point for this day called Choquequirao pass located at 3,300 masl. or 10,890 ft., then we will descend until to the deepest point of the small canyon known as White River or Río Blanco (1900m/6234f), On the way we will pass by Pinchiunuyoj, a small archaeological site. From Rio Blanco we will climb up for about 3 hrs. and during this time we will observe different species of birds, different varieties of orquids, and local coca plantations, we continue hiking until our campsite at the place called maizal (3000 masl. / 9900 ft.).

DAY 4: MAIZAL – SAN JUAN PASS – YANAMA

Today after a very good breakfast we will start a superb day’s hike on a path surrounded by vegetation and flowers climbing by 3 ½ hours along the way you will see evidence of mines that at one time were exploited, but are no longer used. As we continue and ascend, the weather will become a little colder and we will find the remains of an Inca trail. This trail will take us toward the pass called San Juan Pass (4200m/13,780ft). From this beautiful place you can see a great landscape with a grand chain of mountains such us Sacsarayoc, Pumasillo and Choquetecarpo, from which some of the latter peak more than 5000m/16404 feet. You will also see glaciers and many mountains that surround it. After some pictures and a break at the San Juan Pass, we’ll head down and in the distance another recently discovered Inca ruin, Corihuayrachina and the equally interesting old silver mines of Mina Victoria, and we continue Descending by 3 hours to the north into the River Yanama Valley, we follow a high trail which traverses steep slopes and provides another excellent opportunity to spot condors. We camp beside the river at the little Andean village of yanama (3530 m / 11,581 ft.). In the afternoon once again our cook will prepare a tea time for us and after a delicious dinner.

DAY 5: YANAMA – YANAMA PASS – TOTORA – COLPAPAMPA

After early breakfast, we make our way out of the Yanama valley, as we ascend we return to a more barren environment where only the local grasses and hardiest plants can survive. we will start climbing slowly to the highest point of the whole trek, this pass is known as yanama pass(4670 masl. or 15410 feet), again the view will be amazing from here, we will be surrounded by snowcapped mountains as the Sacsarayoj mountain and the Padreyoj mountain and if we are lucky we will even see a condor flying., After a small stop, from this pass we make our way down in to the valley and back in to warmer climes. About 1hour beyond the pass we arrive to a small community called totora at 3,630 masl. or 11,979 ft. where we will have our lunch. After lunch, during the afternoon, we will enjoy frequently the view of snowcapped mountains such as Salkantay (6264 m.) and Pintuyu (5450 m.) and we continue going down for another 2 hours to colpapampa (2750 m.) which is where we’ll be camping for the night; when we arrive you’ll notice a change – now that we’re nearly to Machu Picchu the communities are larger and more well supplied, there are also more tourists whom came from the route of the Salkantay trek and they converge at this point.

DAY 6: COLPAPAMPA – PLAYA SAHUAYACU

Our destination today is the village of La Playa about 12km down the valley from Colpapampa. Our route takes us along the Lluskamayo River through an area that is teeming with life and that has various coffee and fruit plantations. Tonight we will stay at the village of La Playa (2400m / 7874ft.) which is well connected and there are plenty of places where you can buy snacks and refreshments, you can also try some of the locally grown coffee. If you are interested there is the option to visit some hot springs that are close by, let your guide know in advance so that he can organise this for you.

DAY 7: LA PLAYA – HYDROELECTRIC STATION – AGUAS CALIENTES TOWN

Today is your last hiking day. It will end around lunch time. This climb along the Inca Trail takes about six hours. It is three hours uphill, along the hillside with great views of the Santa Teresa Valley and some coffee and passion fruit farms. Once we arrive at the top of this mountain, we will be at the famous Inca site of Llactapata, which was built by the Incas. They used it to observe the sunrise during the winter solstice. You will also see Machu Picchu for the first time from this location, as well as views of the surrounding areas, such as, the valleys and mountains of Machu Picchu (Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountains). Then, we will walk the last three hours, descending down to the hydroelectric station. Here, we will enjoy our last lunch and say goodbye to your trekking chef. You will retrieve your duffel bags and catch the train around 3:30 p.m. After a one hour ride to Aguas Calientes, you will be taken to your hotel for a hot shower. If you would like, you can visit the famous hot springs at Aguas Calientes (the entrance fee is $3 per person), then enjoy dinner at a restaurant.

DAY 8: AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO

This day will be for sure the most fascinating for you, because you will see Machupicchu in all its glory from dawn. We get up at 5:00 am and after our breakfast we will go to the bus station for boarding the first bus that leaving at 5:30 am to be in Machupicchu at 6:00 am. Inside Machupicchu we will have 2 hours guided tour where you will visit the most remarkable places such as: el torreón semicircular, el templo de las tres ventanas, el intihuatana, el templo del cóndor, la sala de los morteros y el baño del inca. Then you will have free time to explore Machupicchu by your own or descend to Aguas calientes (Lunch in not included). In the afternoon you will board the train from Aguas calientes to Ollantaytambo, place from where you will be transported by touristic bus to Cusco.
Estimated arrival to Cusco (20:00 pm).

MORE INFORMATION CHOQUEQUIRAO TREK

 

Choquequirao, basic information – CUSCO – PERU

What does Choquequirao mean?

Choquequirao is a Quechua word that means ‘Cradle of Gold’. The name comes from the nomination of a hill near the archaeological site.

Where it is located?
Choquequirao is located in one of the fringes of the snowy Salkantay, north of the Apurímac River. It is currently located in the Santa Teresa district, La Convencion province, Cusco department, Peru.

How high is it?

Choquequirao is located 3,033 meters above sea level (m.s.n.m.). Due to its location, it is presumed that this Inca enclosure served as a checkpoint between the main Inca sites such as Pisac, Cusco and Machu Picchu.

What’s in Choquequirao?
Choquequirao has only been excavated by 30%. Despite this, it already has several very important Inca buildings:

Main square – The main square or Huaqaypata divided the enclosure into two. It is a two-story stone construction. Along with this, there are other buildings connected to each other.
Colcas – Typical constructions of the main Inca centers. In Choquequirao, these platforms have internal subdivisions. The purpose of these warehouses was to store products for food, clothing and others.
Platforms – Choquequirao has a significant number of platforms for cultivation. In the western sector there are 22 engravings in the form of a flame arranged on 15 platforms. These figures are known as the ‘Flames of the Sun’.
Housing – In the highest part of Choquequirao, there are up to 5 buildings whose purpose was probably housing for the priests of the compound. This Inca site is believed to have been an important ceremonial center.
Inca Cemetery – Also known as the ‘Triumphal Wall’. There were found 17 funeral bundles and a water trough called “The House of the Fall of Water”.
Kallankas – These rectangular buildings had multiple functions such as workshop, administrative center, meeting space, etc. In Choquequirao there are 2 Kallankas on whose walls there were gutters that supplied water.
Ushnu – This oval platform construction sits on top of a hill. Due to the wall that surrounds it and the privileged view of the snow-capped mountains, the river and the entire enclosure; it is believed to have had a religious purpose.
How to get to Choquequirao?
The only way to get to Choquequirao is by land. Currently, the main route is going to the town of Cachora (2,903 masl), 3 or 4 hours by road from the city of Cusco (2 hours from the city of Abancay).

There, the walk begins to the Inca archaeological site. The route through various important points such as Capuliyoc, Maranpata and Sunchupata. It is calculated that from Cachora, after 32 kilometers on foot, you reach Choquequirao.

The walking time from Cachora to Choquequirao on average is 10 to 12 hours. A cable car is currently being built that would significantly reduce this time.

How’s the weather?
The Choquequirao archaeological site is located at 3,033 meters above sea level. The climate is temperate with cold at night. However, the tourist will not stay in the Inca complex until after sunset.

However, the path leading to the top of Choquequirao is hot due to the proximity of the Apurímac canyon. The temperature at the archaeological site is calculated to vary between 5º C and 25º C.

What is the flora and fauna like in Choquequirao?
Choquequirao is home to a diversity of animals and birds such as the condor, foxes, vizcachas, cougars, hummingbirds, spectacled bears and the cock of the rocks.In addition, like Machu Picchu, a great variety of orchids are concentrated there.

Choquequirao trekking route
Choquequirao 4-day tour
The most usual way to get to Choquequirao is through the trekking route of 4 days and 3 nights. You can hire this tour online or directly from an agency in the city of Cusco. Choquequirao Trek Information

 

The magic of snowy Salkantay – CUSCO – PERU

The snowy Salkantay (Wild Mountain), is one of the highest mountains in the Cusco region, along with the snowy Ausangate in the Vilcanota mountain range which is located further south, this snowy has two types of peaks, which years ago they had some differences between them, but today after the collapse of the Serac to the WEST of the snowy mountain, it shows that both tops are really identical. SALKANTAY TREK INFORMATION

The summit to the WEST is slimmer
While the summit located to the EAST, it is slightly higher when it is crowned by a SERAC (large block of ice fragmented by important cracks in a glacier).
During the way towards the snowy Salkantay, you will be able to witness the excellent flora, among it you will find the famous Orchids that are very beautiful and colorful adorning the landscape.
Location:
The snowy Salkantay or Salkantay is a snowy mountain in Peru, located in the Vilcabamba Mountain Range, in the Santa Teresa district, La Convencion province, Cusco Department. This beautiful snow-capped mountain rises to 6264 m. n. m.

 

Mountain of the Seven Colors of Palccoyo

Mountain of the Seven Colors of Palccoyo: weather, hours and tips
What is the weather like in the Mountain of the Seven Colors in Palccoyo?
Palccoyo Mountain has a cold climate due to its proximity to the snowy Ausangate. The temperature can drop below 0ºC. That is why, at some times of the year, the slopes are covered in snow.

What to see in the Palccoyo mountain?
In addition to being a natural attraction of incomparable beauty, the Mountain of the Seven Colors is the natural habitat of various types of animals such as llamas, alpacas, vizcachas, condors and more.

On the route that connects Cerro Colorado there is a forest of stones formed naturally millions of years ago. From there you can closely appreciate the beauty of the snowy Ausangate, the largest in Cusco.

What is the entry time?
Due to the cold weather, visits to the Seven Colors Mountain in Palccoyo are only in the morning and part of the afternoon. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. at 3 p.m.

When is the best time to visit the mountain?
The best time to visit the Mountain of the Seven Colors in Palccoyo is during the dry season (April to October). In those months, rains occur much less frequently, making the excursion easy.

Tips for traveling to the Mountain of the Seven Colors of Palccoyo
It is recommended to acclimatize to the climate of Cusco before visiting the Palccoyo Mountain. Otherwise, the visitor may suffer from the so-called altitude sickness.
This mountain is a tourist attraction that receives few visitors every day. It is recommended to follow the indicated route and avoid looking for a different path.
It is advisable to find out how the weather is in Palccoyo before booking a tour to the Mountain of the 7 Colors. The cold can cause the entire venue to be covered in snow and ruin the tour.
The trekking route up to this mountain is not as challenging as Vinicunca. That is why the Palccoyo is a great option for people who do not feel capable of doing the difficult trek to the 7 Colors Mountain.
Enviar comentarios
Historial
Guardadas
Comunidad

 

ONE DAY TOURS CUSCO – RAINBOW MOUNTAIN AND HUMANTAY LAKE

Trek to the Rainbow Mountain

7 Colors Mountain Tour – This picturesque summit used to be an attractive 4 day trek to the snowy Ausangate. Over the years, this mountain gained popularity on its own. Today, the most widespread way to visit this summit is through a tour. There are 1-day and 2-day services. Most include transportation, food, entrance fees and professional guide. In the city of Cuzco there are many tourism agencies offering these services.

Traveling on your own? – It is also possible to visit the ‘Cerro Colorado’ on your own. For this, the visitor must take a bus to Sicuani from the city of Cuzco (2 hours and 40 minutes away). Once there, a bus is taken to the town of Quesiuno. Then a walk begins (you can also hire a horse ride) to the Mountain of the 7 Colors. The price of the entrance ticket is 10 soles.

Difficulty of the mountain – The 3 or 4 hour walk (depending on the tourist’s physical condition) is not dangerous and requires moderate-high physical effort. There are considerable sections of slopes up and down. However, one of the biggest difficulties is cold weather and icy wind. The altitude of the area can cause altitude sickness or soroche. A previous acclimatization of 1 or 2 days in the city of Cusco is recommended.

Recommendations – Spend a day or two acclimatizing in the city of Cusco. Take warm clothes to do the walk. If you do not consider yourself in good physical condition for the trek, rent a horse to one of the locals. On that day, don’t forget a hat or cap, sunscreen, jacket, pants, ideal shoes for trekking and a rain poncho. MORE INFORMATION OF RAINBOW MOUNTAIN

The Trek to the Humantay lagoon

Can I go to the lagoon on my own?

– Yes. To go to the lagoon on your own you must take public transportation from the city of Cusco to the town of Soraypampa. The buses leave from the ‘Arcopata’ terminal and cost approximately 15 Peruvian soles (5 USD).

Once in Soraypampa you must get a collective taxi service to the Soraypampa community. There are times when you will not find this transport so you must get a taxi. This service could cost 50 Peruvian soles (15 USD).

Finally, in Soraypampa you must make the walk to the Humantay lagoon. Due to the complexity of the trip by public transport, it is recommended to choose a tourist package with transport included. It can be cheaper and safer than going on your own.

How much does the entrance to the lagoon cost?
– In the town of Mollepata you must pay to enter the Soraypampa camp where the lagoon is. The cost for foreign tourists is 10 Peruvian soles (3 USD). The cost for Peruvian tourists is 5 Peruvian soles (2 USD). Some tour packages include this entry while others do not.

How long does the walk last?
– The final section of the trip is the walk from Soraypampa to the Humantay lagoon. This section is approximately 2 kilometers long and can take from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the physical condition of the visitor. Tourists who are not used to this type of hiking can rent a horse as transportation to the lagoon. It is common for tourists to feel the symptoms of altitude sickness, whether in Cusco, Machu Picchu or Humantay.

How to rent a horse? How much?
– The residents of the Soraypampa community offer horse rental at the starting point of the trek to the Humantay lagoon. The service is only for the upstream section and has an approximate cost of 90 Peruvian soles negotiable (30 USD).

What kind of clothes to wear?
– Due to the cold climate of the Humantay lagoon, it is recommended to wear a warm jacket as well as gloves and chullo. Of course, during the walk wear light clothing since the visitor will inevitably perspire. A rain poncho is also important since it can rain at any time.

With which tourism agency to travel?
– In Cusco there are several tourism agencies that offer the 1-day tour to the Humantay lagoon. All services must include: full transportation, breakfast, lunch and tour guide service. Choose the tourism agency that meets your expectations. Remember that you can also contract the service through the website of the tourist agency.

Can I get a tour once in Cusco?
– Yes. Unlike the Inca Trail tours or the entrances to Machu Picchu, there is always availability for the tour to the Humantay lagoon. Therefore, you can get a tour to the lagoon once in Cusco, without any problem. MORE INFORMATION OF HUMANTAY LAKE

 

Ausangate tourist attraction of Cusco

Ausangate is the representative mountain of the Andes of Cusco and Peru. It is located in the Vilcanota mountain range and is one of the most difficult areas to enter and that is very rare in Peru. Its main climate is 6,372 meters above sea level with large lagoons with a bright green / blue color. In addition there are rocks that make the area like a paradise and very modern. The Trek Ausangate is an indescribable adventure, and it is impossible not to be impressed by the enormous beauty of eternal snow. Often you will find stones at a height of more than 5000 meters and also rocks covered with ice tongues that when thawing, extending in magnificent ways forming ice lagoons. The Ausangate trek is one of the tourist destinations in Cusco.

AUSANGATE LAGOONS ITINERARIO.

In the Inca mythology of this mountain and the nearby lakes – among which Sibinacocha stands out – the male energy is born that fertilizes the mother earth Pachamama, after a long flow, the waters are lost in the unknown lands of the Amazon to return, to fill the lakes and glaciers every night turned into the river of stars or Willkamayu known in the west as the Milky Way The Community of Chillca made up of shepherds of llamas and alpacas is known as the guardian of these pristine places, from where it can be done mountain walks spending the night in comfortable hostels or tambos, among which Machuracay Tambo stand out, in a trek called “Camino del Apu Ausangate“.

Every year on the north side of Ausangate the feast of Quyllur Rit’i (Quechua: “star snow”) is celebrated before the feast of Corpus Christi, during which thousands of Quechua pilgrims to the Lord of Quyllur Rit’i in the church from Sinakara. Snowy Ausangate normally takes a 7-day tour, it is an adventure that no one should miss.

 

Rainbow Mountain useful information

The mountain of the seven colors (VINICUNCA) is one of the most majestic attractions present on the way to the apu AUSANGATE, it is said to be a place that demonstrates a new opportunity for everyone who visits, this belief has its beginning in the saying “if you want to see the rainbow you have to face the storm” which teaches us that there is always a reward for our efforts as well as a new opportunity.

It is listed by NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine as one of the 100 places that you must visit before you die, do not miss the opportunity to be part of this wonderful place because in the end life is a wonderful adventure that begins when one really wants.

What is Rainbow Mountain

The Mountain of Colors, is also known as Rainbow Mountain, Cerro Colorado, or famously in English as Rainbow Mountain has become in recent years one of the main tourist attractions of Cusco and Peru.

This is a geographical accident belonging to the snowy Ausangate in the Vilcanota mountain range, it is the fifth mountain in Peru, it is more than 100km away from the imperial city of Cusco and it has its highest point at about 6300 masl. approx.

Its coloration is natural and this due to the large amount of sedimentary stones in erosion, what makes it so beautiful and impressive is how these stones are formed to give it the appearance of a rainbow (7 colors). The red, purple, pink, green yellow colors stand out among others.

Vinicunca (winicunca) means “mountain of colors” in Quechua (simi rune).

How to get to Rainbow Mountain

The 7 Colors Mountain is located in a small town called Pitumarca, Quipicanchis Quispicanchi province, Cusco.

To get there you must first board a car from the city of Cusco, bound for Pitumarca (approx 02 km), after 03 hrs of travel you have to take a gauge route you must reach the rural community of pampa Chiri. Then you must walk 5km towards the mountain (you can also use horses). It is recommended to bring snacks, water and energizers.

Already in this part of the road you will be able to appreciate the beauties of the valley as small lagoons, streams among others, with the passing of a short time, you will be able to appreciate how everything is changing, the colors of the Rainbow Mountain appear, thus generating a very surreal area.

Finally they will reach approx. 5033 masl which is the top of the Mountain of Seven Colors from where you can take photos and videos.

 

Origin of the Rainbow Mountain – Ausangate

Without a doubt this is a question that many would like to clarify, thanks to the great consultation of our travelers we decided to carry out an investigation to keep them much more informed:

In order to understand how the colorful mountain was formed we must first understand how mountains are formed, for this we resort to geology and orogeny and thus have a much clearer and of course scientific idea.

MORE INFORMATION OF RAINBOW MOUNTAIN HIKE

The mountain ranges of the hand of their mountains are formed by collisions or collisions of different tectonic plates as these cannot advance horizontally when impacting they do it vertically forming mountain ranges and mountains and other geographic features, but this formation not only involves agents Endogenous like these collisions, but also exogenous like the vast majority of meteorological phenomena (rain, hail, snow, winds) these make the mountains maintain over time and have their particular pyramidal shape.

But Vinicunca‘s formation is much older than we think.
For this we go back in time and go back approximately 24 million years ago, back then, different layers of rock sediments such as sandstones, halites, gravels, limestone ranging from ocher, green, yellow and white along with others minerals, were compacted one on top of the other to form different layers as plasticine masses, one on top of another according to the weight of each layer; the heaviest at the bottom and the others above them.

As time passed with the movement and collision of the tectonic plates, new mountains were born, as we explained previously, these pressed colored masses rose while maintaining these typical colors.
However, the meteorological factors were in charge of preserving them and above all of keeping it in total splendor and of course respecting its typical colors equally.
And not only that, it also influences the altitude since this place is located at approximately 5000 meters above sea level. it makes the vegetation scarce to the point that almost nothing grows, if there were vegetation this great colorful wonder could not be visible.
So we add to this that not only endogenous and exogenous factors but also geographic factors such as altitude intervene.
All this is a set of curious mixtures typical of our nature because only it could give us curious landscapes that often escape from our own imagination.

 

INFORMATION OF HUMANTAY MOUNTAIN

The Humantay Lagoon is the most beautiful lake in Cusco, and it certainly surprises us every day, it is a turquoise lake and is in the middle of the Andes mountains.

The Humantay lagoon is formed as a result of the snow thaw of Humantay, part of the Salkantay mountain.

What differentiates the Humantay Lagoon from other lagoons, is the natural color that it has because not having much marine flora in its waters it has an indescribable color in words, but understandable to the eye.

It forms a unique landscape, where travelers seek to capture the ideal moment with their cameras capturing a wonderful and magical landscape at the same time.

All this and more makes Humantay a place visited by all the tourists who visit Cusco.

Location

Lake Humantay is 2 hours walk from the community of Soraypampa, in the district of Mollepata, province of Anta, department of Cusco, about 2 hours by car from the city of Cusco.

How to get to Humantay Lagoon?

To get to this natural wonder you will have to take a car from Cusco to Mollepata, at the Arcopata bus terminal for about 2 hours.

After breakfast you have to hire the services of a taxi driver to take you to Soraypampa, the taxi will charge you an approximate rate of S / 20.00 and if by chance there are more people who want to go it will be less.

Then you must pay the entrance to Lake Humantay (S / 10.00).

After arriving in Soraypampa you will have to walk at least 2 hours to reach the Laguna (if you do not want to walk you can rent a horse), the first 30 minutes of walking are half flat and the rest is already uphill.

You have to keep in mind that you will probably not find mobility to return, so I recommend that you agree with the taxi driver to wait for you or come to pick you up, there you will enter into your abilities to negotiate prices.

If you cannot find mobility, there are accommodations that range from 20 to 40 soles, there are also camping areas (take your tent) where you can stay. If you plan to camp, make sure you are well wrapped, since it is very cold at night.

 

History and importance of Waqrapukara

Waqrapukara is a new tourist attraction that remains almost unknown until today. The tour is suitable for those seeking a spirituality that drowns in the sea of ​​commercial tours. Waqrapukara is a pre-Inca archaeological complex located in the province of Acomayo within the region of Cusco, near the Apurimac River. The main building is located on platforms, squares and a so-called “Stone Forest”. From its height of 4,140 m.a.s.l., it offers spectacular views of the Apurimac River and the Andes.

Its name comes from Quechua, “waqra” means horn, while “pukara” means strength. Therefore, the meaning of the name is translated as a “fortress with horns” given by its typical form. However, the locals also called it “Llamapukara”, since they claim that the shape does not represent horns, but ears of a lama.

It was built by the pre-Inca Qanchis culture in the period called “Auqaruna” (1,500 BC – 1,000 BC). During this period, the complex was a city called “Llaqta Pukara” and headquarters of a leader of the qanquis. It also served as an astronomical observatory and sanctuary of the god “Teqci Pachakamaq Wiraqocha” (a creator of all created things). Later, it was conquered by the Incas, who have molded the constructions to geography during the reign of Wayna Qhapaq. Then it became a first-class Inca sanctuary that symbolizes an immense political and religious power that has not yet been baffled. In 2017, the complex was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation by the Ministry of Culture of Peru.

Waqrapukara Archaeological Complex. Cultural Heritage of the Nation of 2017.

It was built by the Qinchas and then conquered by the Incas. The building is located on platforms, squares and a stone forest, it would be an Inca sanctuary. Waqrapukara has a privileged view of the Apurimac River.