Cusco Region
6h
We will drive out of the small town of Tauca (3750m), the starting point of our trek where we will go on flat terrain, and the landscape is that of a typical Andean valley with corn, potato, barley, quinoa and other fields. Andean root vegetables. As you climb towards the pass at 4050m, the landscape changes drastically to high Andean puna, with very little vegetation, just mostly “ichu” or high altitude grass. The views of the peaks of the Cordillera Vilcabamba are spectacular: Verónica, Pitusiray, Chicón and San Juan snow peaks. Shortly after the pass the descent towards the Huchuy Qosqo plain will begin along a path that leads to the Ccauca ravine, where you will see archaeological ruins and wild crops, such as tarwi, and cacti. You will go downhill towards the León Punku ravine, where you will see remains of an Inca bridge and track. This canyon is worth seeing for the geological formations surrounded by majestic rocks and boulders that lead the river to Huchuy Qosqo at 3650m. Huchuy Qosqo ("Little Cusco") is a remarkable Inca complex. It has extremely fine stonework in a large Kallanka (rectangular structure), some residential and defensive sectors, and interesting two-story stone and adobe buildings. Huchuy Qosqo sits on a plateau, surrounded by Inca agricultural terraces and commanding magnificent views of the Vilcabamba mountain range. Afterwards we will go downhill to Lamay at 2900m, where we will board our transport to Ollantaytambo. From Ollantaytambo we continue our journey by train to Aguas Calientes and spend the night in a hotel.
