Central Andes 4 Day Tour

Central Andes 4 Day Tour

Day 1

We'll pick you up from your hotel at 4 am to drive to the high Andean region of Huanuco while we'll see the snow-capped peaks of the Huayhuash mountain range. After a 3-hour drive, we'll arrive at the colonial town of Jesús, founded in 1572. Here we'll stop for breakfast and continue on to the Lauricocha lake, situated at 4000 metres altitude. We'll also pass over an Inca bridge as we make our way to Qhapaq Ñan, a road system that forms part of the famous Inca Trail. 

The next stop will be at Wagratacanán, where we'll find the cave of the Lauricocha Man, the oldest fossil remains in Peru. We'll stop for a picnic lunch and return to Jesús, where we'll have dinner and spend the night. 

Day 2

We'll start the day with breakfast and visit the town of Jesús, its main square and its church. Afterwards, we'll go to the archaeological complex of Chiquia, belonging to the Yarowillca culture. Then we'll visit Gongui, another complex formed by funerary monuments called chulpas, and the Inca Baths.

We'll have lunch at the baths and continue our tour passing through the village of Rondós until we reach the Inca citadel of Huánuco Pampa, capital of the ancient region of Chinchaysuyo. This historic city has palaces, temples and an artificial lake - a true imperial city! We'll also see the ushno, a sacred place built in stone where the feast of Inti Raymi was celebrated. To end the day, we'll go to the colonial village of La Union, located in the Aguamiro valley, where we'll have dinner and spend the night. 

Day 3

After breakfast we'll go to the town of Tantamayo, passing through Pachas and Chavín de Pariarca. Once in our destination, located on the banks of the Marañon River, we'll have a tour of its historical centre and have lunch.

After lunch, we'll start a 1 hour 30 minutes walk through the archaeological centre of Tantamayo, observing its yarowillcas constructions, which can reach up to 12 metres high. Did you know that they are called the skyscrapers of the central Andes? Finally, we'll return to the village for dinner and overnight. 

Day 4

After an energising breakfast, we'll head to the archaeological site of Garu, located on the Condor Waganan hill. This 20-hectare complex consists of stone walls and buildings, as well as chulpas or funerary monuments. We'll take a walk of about 30 minutes and then we'll start our return to Huanuco, passing by the Corona del Inca hill and the village of Ayapiteg, stopping for lunch on the way. Finally, we'll arrive in Huanuco around 7 pm and we'll drop you off at your hotels. 

Accommodation

The tour includes 3 nights' accommodation in a double room with full board. The planned accommodation is as follows:

• Jesús: Casa Alcides Villarreal, Huayhuash or Aliaga (private bathroom)
• La Unión: Hostal Avilia, Hotel Imperial, Hostal El Viajero, Picaflor, Hospedaje Qhapaq Ñan or similar (private bathroom)
• Tantamayo: Albergue Rural Tantamayo (shared bathroom)