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Back to Waqra Pukará
This was my second visit to Waqra Pukará and I have lots more travel tips and even better trail information than after my first visit in 2021.This blog is available with more photos on my website
https://heatherjasper.com Waqra Pukará is one of the most spectacular Inca ruins in Peru and one of my top recommendations for alternatives to Machu Picchu. It’s an isolated tower, with two giant stone “horns” that give the site its name. Waqra is the Quechua word for horned and Pukará means fortress.
The Apurímac River Canyon far below makes the high promontory even more dramatic. The ruins are at 4,140 meters above sea level (13,583 feet) and the river is at about 3,230 meters (10,600 ft). I think the location is much more impressive than Machu Picchu.
From a distance, Waqra Pukará seems completely natural. When you get closer, you’ll see the remnants of walls surrounding the site, flat areas that were obviously leveled by people and stairs leading up through one section of the wall. The site is naturally defensible, which is certainly why it was called a fortress. There is only one entrance to the ruins, unless you are a skilled rock climber or Spiderman.
According to Inca lore, it was used as a fortress during a love affair which turned into an elopement and battle reminiscent
Waqra Pukará in April
If you want to see Waqra Pukará green, I recommend going in April or May. It can still be green in June, unless the rainy season ends earlier than usual. of the fight over Helen of Troy. The residents of Sangarará tell of a common soldier who fell in love with the daughter of one of the Inca’s generals. They eloped to Sangarará and then fled to Waqra Pukará when the general discovered their hiding place.
There ensued a battle, which the love-struck solider lost. However, he fought so bravely that he was allowed to keep his bride and rather than being killed he was sent north to battle the Cañari people in what today is Ecuador. Having conquered the tribe, he brought back a number of them with him to Acomayo, where Cañari is still a common surname.
Waqra Pukará is almost certainly not the original name of the site. Archeologists have uncovered proof that the site was used for a ceremonial pilgrimage for centuries, while it may have been used as a fortress for a matter of weeks for the above-mentioned elopement.
Considering the location, a pilgrimage site makes much more sense than a fortress. There were never any major Inca towns in the region that would need defending, nor was there anybody to fight against after the Inca easily conquered the region, likely in
Waqra Pukará terraces
Even though the horns are a natural geological feature, the the 1200s. (The Inca did not follow a system of dates like Europeans did and previous estimated dates based on Spanish chroniclers from the 1600s are increasingly being disproven with carbon-dating. For example, Machu Picchu was previously estimated to have been built in the 1440s, though
recent carbon dating shows that people lived at the site and were buried there in the 1420s).
This second trip to Waqra Pukará was even more beautiful than the first. I visited the Inca ruins in September 2021, when the hills are dry and brown at the end of the dry season. In April, the hills are a vivid green after five months of rain. The lupin and other wildflowers are blooming and even the wildlife seem more active.
Arriving at the Aqokunka trailhead, I saw the largest herd of vicuña I’ve ever seen. There were well over thirty vicuñas, running off into the early morning mist as I got out of the car. (Read about the
vicuña in my article published by The Long Now). You can walk to the trailhead from town, but I have paid for a ride from Sangarará on both of my trips. It’s a good way to support local small business and saves you about three hours
Only four groups of tourists on a weekend
This group of tourists from Mexico was one of four groups I saw that Sunday. Even on a weekend, you will find very few tourists at Waqra Pukará. Machu Picchu has both a high entrance fee and big crowds. Waqra Pukará is free and has few visitors. of uphill hiking.
There are two ways to get to Waqra Pukará. The most popular with tour agencies is through Acomayo. That hike is longer, but it goes through the Acomayo canyon, which is beautiful. I prefer to go Sangarará, spend the night and then pay for a local taxi driver to drive me from town up to the Aqokunka trailhead, which takes just under half an hour.
From the trailhead, it’s about 6.5km (4 mi) to the ruins. The first half hour is moderately steep uphill, the next hour is a gentle downhill, and the last half hour is a moderately steep downhill to Waqra Pukará. On the way back, the middle section of the route feels a lot steeper than it actually is, because you’re hiking at around 4,500m (15,000ft).
It total, it took about two hours to hike to Waqra Pukará and about two and a half hours on the way back. (Note: these times are for a person fully acclimated to the altitude. If you’re new to altitude, expect it to take up to an hour longer each way).
Regardless of the season, ask elder residents of Sangarará if the sky looks
Waqra Pukará in September
The trip described in the blog was in April, at the end of the rainy season. September is at the end of the dry season, when very little is green anymore. like there will be a thunderstorm in the afternoon. You do not want to be up on the treeless trail if there is lightening in the area. There are no weather stations near Waqra Pukará and looking for the weather forecast online will not be as accurate as the knowledge of local elders.
Both times I’ve been to Waqra Pukará, I spent two nights in Sangarará. This hike is often done as a day trip from Cusco, but the drive takes a good two hours, and most agencies will leave Cusco around 4am to start the hike early. Lightening is more common during the afternoon and agencies are more likely to err on the safe side and make you get up early. This means many people start the hike already tired and enjoy it a lot less.
I recommend reserving
Sara Wasi on AirBnb, which is a comfortable one-bedroom house with a full kitchen and modern bathroom. Sangarará is a historic, interesting town which deserves a visit if you’re going to hike to Waqra Pukará. (I wrote an article with Steve Hirst about
Sangarará’s part in Peru’s battle for independence from Spain for the BBC).
You need good hiking shoes but not tall boots with hefty ankle support. Due to the
The trail to Waqra Pukará
The trail is well marked and easy to follow. Guides are not necessary, but there are many locals in Sangarará who know the ruins well. If you go without a guide, the guardians who work at the site are happy to tell you about the ruins. However, if you need a guide who speaks English, you should hire one from Cusco. altitude, I recommend taking ibuprofen for something for headache before you even start hiking. (It’s easier to prevent a headache than try to cure one after it’s already gotten bad). I recommend dressing in layers and taking a rain poncho or jacket in any season.
Take snacks and at least 2 liters or water or 1 liter and a water filter. There is a stream halfway along the trail and another near the guardians’ house. I highly recommend hiking poles because there are a couple spots on the trail near Waqra Pukará that have some loose stones. Take toilet paper and a plastic bag to pack it out. You must pack out all your trash.
There are more photos below, so scroll down. Go to
my website for more travel tips and trail information.
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