Private Experience Q'eswachaka Community & Last Inca Bridge Day Trip from Cusco

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. We will leave very early towards the South Valley of Cusco, an unexplored area that keeps many charms. The objective is to reach the rope suspension bridge 'Q'eswachaka', declared by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which is three hours away and learn about the context in which it takes place. On the way we will have views, surprises and stops, the Huacarpay lagoon and Pikillacta archaeological center are some until we reach our first stop: the town of Checacupe. In this first stop we will introduce you to the bridges in the Andes; as for samples a button, in Checacupe have been built three types of bridges lost in time and that pass over the Pitumarca River; one from the Inca era, another from the Colonial era and another from the Republican era. We will continue about two hours and we will arrive at Qehue district where the suspension bridge 'Q'eswachaka', more than 500 years old and the communities that renew it yearly are located. The Q'eswachaka (Q'eswa means "to braid" and "Chaka" means "bridge in Quechua), is the last bridge that has survived modernity and continues to pass its ritual from generation to generation. We will have the opportunity to meet and share with the communities that care for this living legacy of the Incas. The bridge is considered a sacred expression of the link of the communities with nature, tradition and history, and the annual renewal is accompanied by ritual ceremonies. We will go to a local house and where the locals will demonstrate the braiding technique of the ‘ichu’, a pasture from the high areas of the Andes which is the material used for centuries for this rope suspension bridge. It is an impressively laborious job, it requires a lot of effort, technique and teamwork. After understanding the context surrounding this attraction, we will go to see it, cross it and admire the natural landscape through which it was built. After visiting the bridge, we will go to have lunch in a local house. After lunch, we will return to Cusco for a relaxing and colourful scenic route.

   1 hAdmission included

Cancellation

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Reviews

Ratings come from 4 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Cusco

• Its from-price is 79% above the median of the 4460 experiences we list in Cusco.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 1881 of 4460.

About Cusco

Cusco, the old Inca capital high in the Peruvian Andes, blends massive stone walls with colonial churches and is the gateway to Machu Picchu.

The Plaza de Armas is the heart of the city, framed by the cathedral and the Jesuit church of La Compañía. Inca stonework survives throughout the centre, most famously at the Qorikancha, the sun temple on which the Spanish built a monastery, and in the twelve-angled stone on Hatun Rumiyoc street. San Blas, the artisans' quarter, climbs steeply with workshops and cafés.

Top-ranked sights in Cusco: Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo Ruins.

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