Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CUZCO TO THE CENTRAL
HIGHLANDS
Traveling by bus from Cuzco to Lima via Abancay and Nazca takes you along a remote
route closed from the late 1980s until the late 1990s due to guerilla activity and banditry. It
is now much safer, and paved. You should still check recent news reports before heading
out this way as rainy season landslides can really slow a trip. Going west from Abancay to
Andahuaylas and Ayacucho is a tough ride on a rough road rarely used except by the most
hardcore travelers.
Cuzco to Abancay
There are several worthwhile stops along this four-hour, 200km ride. It's possible to make a
day out of visiting one or two, bus hopping your way to Abancay. Start by catching a
colectivo
to Limatambo (S12, two hours) from Arcopata in Cuzco.
Limatambo
, 80km west of Cuzco, is named after the Inca site of Rimactambo, also
popularly known as
Tarawasi
(admission S10)
, which is situated beside the road, about
2km west of town. The site was used as a ceremonial center, as well as a resting place for
the Inca
chasquis
(Inca runners who delivered messages over long distances). The excep-
tional polygonal retaining wall, noteworthy for its 28 human-sized niches, is in itself worth
the trip from Cuzco. On the wall below it, look for flower shapes and a nine-sided heart
amid the patchwork of perfectly interlocking stones. There is basic, hard-to-find accom-
modation in Limatambo.
The natural thermal baths of
Cconoc
(admission S3)
are a 3km walk downhill from a
turnoff 10km east of minor transport hub
Corahuasi
, 1½ hours east of Abancay. They
have a restaurant, a bar, taxis and a basic hotel.
The Inca site of
Saihuite
(admission S10)
, 45km east of Abancay, has a sizable, intric-
ately carved boulder called the Stone of Saihuite, which is similar to the famous sculpted
rock at Q'enqo, near Cuzco, though it's smaller and more elaborate. The carvings of anim-
als are particularly intricate. Ask to be let off at the turnoff to the ruins, from where it is a
1km walk downhill.
Cachora
, 15km from the highway from the same turnoff as Saihuite, is the most com-
mon starting point for the hike to Choquequirau. There are a few guesthouses, a camp-
ground and local guides and mules for hire.
