Day 01
Chavín de Huántar and Querococha Lake Tour
- Breakfast at the hotel and departure at 8 am from our private bus station, heading to the millenary archaeological capital of Chavín de Huántar. We will drive south of Huaraz, passing through the typical villages of Recuay at 3300 masl, cross the Santa River to the left side toward the typical villages of Huacapampa, and continue through eucalyptus groves and sheep-herding villages. We then join the paved highway and drive along the highlands full of pastures and ichu grass, through a small valley, visiting Querococha Lake at 3980 masl. Stop for photos of the beautiful landscape.
- Continue to the highest pass at Túnel de Cahuish at 4500 masl, an important hydrographical division point where waters on the west side flow to the Pacific Ocean and waters on the east side flow to the Atlantic Ocean. Continue through the narrow valley in a zigzag route, reaching the Río Mosna along the river flanks and arriving at the archaeological site of Chavín. The ruins are located next to the modern district of Chavín.
- Arrive at 1 pm and go directly to a restaurant for lunch until 2 pm, then enter the castle of Chavín for a guided tour of about two hours. Inside the ruins, you will visit many labyrinthine rooms, and in one of the main buildings you will see the Lanzón de Chavín, a large carved stone remain of the Pre-Inkas. There are many places and features to visit and observe, such as plazas, cabezas clavas, the main porch, among others, finishing at the modern museum where the rest of the Chavín culture is stored.
- After finishing the guided tour at around 4 pm, depart for a non-stop drive back to Huaraz for about 3 hours by the same route, arriving around 7 pm directly at our bus station in Huaraz.
