ALTERNATIVE PLACES TO VISIT IN CUSCO
Do you have free days and do you think you’ve seen it all?
Apparently, most people focus only on the most popular cultural visits of Cusco: Such as City tour, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, etc. But believe it or not, there are countless places to visit in this wonderful city, little explored places and little visited by tourists, ideal for explorers who love landscapes and nature lovers, below we show you just one of these places very interesting:
WAQRAPUKARA
As if the name indicates it (Waqra = Horn) (Pukara = Strength). Located on the 4300 msnm and pertaining to the district of Acos, Province of Acomayo. Undoubtedly this place is very amazing for the views and landscapes that one can observe during the trek, when arriving at the site it will be surrounded by a beautiful view over the Apurimac canyon.
DEPARTURE TIME:
It is recommended to leave before 8 o’clock in the morning from Cusco since you will have a journey of 4 to 5 hours by car until you reach the beginning of the trek.
ROUTES TO ARRIVE:
To get to this place we have to take a public transport that joins Cusco – Sicuani routes and get off at the Chuquicahuana bridge located 91 km from Cusco. This is where there are several small cars to the town of Pomacanchi, we can continue in this same car paying an additional cost to Santa Lucia the community, travel time from Pomacanchi to Santa Lucia is about 1 hour and 30 minutes and time transportation from Cusco to Pomacanchi is 2 hours and 30 minutes, we will have a journey of 4 hours in transport to the starting point of the hiking.
START POINT:
It is in the community of Santa Lucia where you start this walk that will last approximately 3 hours until you reach Waqrapukara, it is necessary to bring some snacks and water for the road and if you wish you can also bring utensils and food to cook.
ARRIVAL AT WAQRAPUKARA:
If you left at 8:00 AM from the city of Cusco, you will be arriving in Waqrapukara between 4:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., just to see the sunset in this wonderful place.
You can build your tent and prepare your dinner very close to the place since there are camping spots, and if you do not like sleeping in a tent, here are a couple of people who look after the archaeological park, here they have free rooms for daily visitors. In addition to this, they can prepare something to eat for the night and for breakfast, all for an economic cost.
If you are lucky, you can have a clear and starry night.
ENJOY DAWN:
After a night in a tent or in a Ministry of Culture room, you will be out in the light of day and you will be able to see the beauty of the sunrise, a magical place without people. You can take a brief tour of the main venues of this place as well as enjoy the view of the Apurimac Canyon.
After marveling at the place, at a specified time, it is time to return and if you do not want to take the same path of return, you can change it, where? there is another route to the community of Huayqui, the walking time is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, most of it downhill.
RETURN TO CUSCO:
In the community of Huayqui, there are public transportation that will take you to Acomayo, the transport time is approximately 30 minutes and in Acomayo you can take a public bus to Cusco.
End of the crossing. Remember that you can do it on your own, but if you want an exclusive and all-inclusive service (transport, horses, muleteers, camp, cook, etc.) do not hesitate to write us, we offer quality services and you will not regret.
Recommendations:
- Bring warm clothes for the night
- A good sleeping (-20 / -15 ° C)
- Good photo camera
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Snacks, food, and drinks
- Extra money in soles
- Walking sticks
