Waqrapukara Trek

Enjoy “The Waqrapukara One-Day Trek”  to one of the Nation’s Cultural Heritage: Waqrapukara, the name is due to the union of the words Waqra (horn) and Pukara (fortress), horn because the archaeological complex resembles the horns of a bull. The place is composed of extensive agricultural terraces and walls, staircases and stone chambers carved in the classic Inca style are still preserved.

Join us on an epic hike to the majestic pre-Inca construction of Waqrapukara or Fortress of Horns located in the mighty Apurímac canyon. This beautiful sacred place combines advanced architecture and impressive natural formations in a wonderful landscape—almost like something from a dream—surrounded by small crystalline lagoons. The gigantic horns rise as high as 4,140 m / 13,583 ft.

Group Size: Up to 10 People
Max. Altitude: 4,140 m / 13,583 ft
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Walking Time: 6 hours
Starting Elevation: 4,050 m / 13,287 ft
Waqrapukara Elevation: 4,140 m / 13,583 ft

Waqrapukara Archaeological Site

The archaeological site is located in the District of Acos, Province of Acomayo, Department of Cusco. It is strategically located joining the Apurimac valley and the Pomacanchi plateau, it is a cultural landscape with cognitive elements of wisdom and power, where two rocky protuberances rise, with an architecture camouflaged with carved stones adapted to the monument, walled with walls of semicircular containment, with stairways, trapezoidal windows and niches, enclosures, accesses to small spaces, a central plaza facing east with trapezoidal constructions with one, double and triple jambs, including a stone for ceremonies or “Waka” and a “Machay” or cave; All these elements are found at the foot of the rocky protuberances, whose architectural characteristics make us infer that this space was ceremonial and sacred and probably had other functions for its time.