Tour Puente Queswachaca Full Day

Description

We will pick you up early from the hotel in Cusco, we will travel south on the road that leads to the province of Canas, during the journey we will observe the Pomacanchi lagoon – the enigmatic lagoon of Urcos, where the stories tell that the last Inca ordered to take all the gold of the Empire so that it is not plundered by the Spaniards and the lagoon of Yanaoca, where we will visit a somewhat tiny volcano and the pass of the same name.

Arriving at “Queswachaca” located at (3,600 masl.) we will have the opportunity to visit its ancestral bridge, which is an architectural and cultural heritage of the Incas, the Inca bridge of “Queswachaca” is built over the majestic Apurimac River, located in the province of Canas. The last Inca bridge suffers the deterioration of its material (straw) due to the inclement weather of the highlands, so it requires annual maintenance consisting of a total reconstruction. The reconstruction is in charge of the rural communities of Perccaro, Huinchi and Qqewe. The dimension of the bridge is 33 m. long and 1.20 m. wide, the material used is only the straw (Ichu) braided from the heights of the “Puna” region.

In the afternoon we will return to Cusco, but the road has a surprise for us, at the height of the community of Hampatura are the impressive caves of Ccarañahui or Q’arañahui which is located at 3,900 meters above sea level. This is a fantastic cavern of marine sedimentary material, its chemical composition is calcium hypochlorite, which by the constant dripping resulted in the formation of impressive stalagmites and stalactites, which curiously acquired forms of puma and condor, the cave is thousands of years old and at the bottom we can see a mysterious lagoon, legend has it that the Incas went to the cave to communicate spiritually with their Gods. Finally we will return to Cusco in our private car, ending our tour to the Inca bridge of “Q’eswachaka”.

The annual reconstruction

The bridge of “Q’eswachaka” requires annual maintenance because the straw (Ichu) used for its construction begins to decompose, since the Inca time the reconstruction is done in 3 days (before the second Sunday of June) and the 4th day the ceremony concludes with a folkloric festival, where you can share the traditions and customs unique in the world.

We recommend to bring

• Snacks (warm clothes and rain gear, comfortable shoes).
• Camera.
• Water bottle.
• Snacks (energy bars, dried fruit, chocolates, cookies, etc.).
• Cash in soles and dollars (there are no ATM machines).
• Some ID document.