Quelccaya Day Tour

Points forts

Inclus

Itinéraire

1. The first stop is a small farming village in the Vilcanota valley, about two hours south of Cusco. Breakfast is served here while it is still dark. Eat well at this stop. It is the last full meal before the high plateau, and food taken at a comfortable altitude helps more than anything you can do higher up. Toilets are available here. There are no facilities again until the afternoon.

   45 min

2. Quelccaya is the largest tropical ice cap in the world. It does not hang in a valley like most glaciers. It lies flat across the top of a high plateau and runs out of sight in both directions. From the vehicle it is a walk of ten to twenty minutes over uneven ground to reach the viewpoint, which stands above 5,000 metres. The walk is short but the altitude makes it feel like work, so it is taken slowly. Below the ice sit two meltwater lagoons. One is turquoise and the other grey brown. Both are fed by the same glacier. Walking on the ice is not permitted. A community entrance fee is collected at a control point here and must be paid in cash in local currency.

   1,5 h

3. A high altitude lake of around 30 square kilometres, held between the plateau and the Vilcanota range at 4,869 metres. The water is turquoise and changes colour through the morning with the wind and the light. Flamingos are often seen feeding at the shallow southern end. Snow peaks stand along the far shore. Very few day tours from Cusco include this lake, because it adds an hour to the route.

   45 min

4. he return route passes back through the same village in the Vilcanota valley. Lunch is served here. Eating is far more comfortable at this altitude than on the plateau, and most travellers find their appetite returns on the descent. From this stop it is around two and a half hours by road back to Cusco.

   1 h

Annulation

Annulation gratuite jusqu’à 24 heures avant le début de l’expérience, avec remboursement intégral.

À savoir avant de partir

How it compares in Cusco

• Its from-price is 29% below the median of the 1358 excursions d'une journée we list in Cusco.
• It is longer than most of them.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Cusco

Cuzco, ancienne capitale inca dans les Andes péruviennes, allie murs de pierre massifs et églises coloniales ; porte d'entrée du Machu Picchu.

La Plaza de Armas est le cœur de la ville, encadrée par la cathédrale et l'église jésuite de la Compañía. La maçonnerie inca subsiste dans tout le centre, le plus célèbre étant le Qorikancha, le temple du Soleil sur lequel les Espagnols ont bâti un monastère, et la pierre à douze angles de la rue Hatun Rumiyoc. San Blas, le quartier des artisans, grimpe en pente raide avec ses ateliers et ses cafés.

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

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