Llaqtapata archaeological site

View of Machu Picchu from Llaqtapata

Llaqtapata is an archaeological site about 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Machu Picchu. The complex is located in the Cusco Region, La Convención Province, Santa Teresa District, high on a ridge between the Ahobamba and Santa Teresa drainages.

The site presents walls with niches. It is located on some ravines. From this place you have a view towards Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu.

Trekking to Llaqtapata

Llactapata is a beautiful place from which one can contemplate one of the greatest dramas of the Andes and reflect on how little we know about the complex intellectual world of the ancient Peruvians.

It is located in a small chain of ravines, near the top of a steep slope that rises higher than Machu Picchu itself.

Most of the photos we are used to seeing from Machu Picchu are taken from the other side, the north side. Very few people in modern times have seen Machu Picchu from the other side, from Llactapata, where it is appreciated above from the southwest.

For example, the Huayna Picchu, the mound that dominates Machu Picchu in most photographs, is almost insignificant seen from the new angle offered by Llactapata.

Llaqtapata ruins

Attractions along the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

The Salkantay Trek is a hiking in south America and an alternative to the traditional Inca Trail for reaching Machu Picchu. It presents a unique combination of culture and mistic, with preserved proudly by the Peruvian people, and is an amazing adventure and extraordinary natural beauty. Salkantay trekking is set at the highest peaks of Humantay Mountain, where the cold ice of the mountains meets the steamy heat of the Andes.

The hike is surrounded by the historic Machu Picchu (National Park and is considered one of the 25 best hikes in the world). Salkantay trek is very diverse and rich geography hike, Andean culture and history. The Vilcanota Mountain range contains two twenty highest mountains in the Americas.

Chonta - Canyon of the Condor

The Natural viewpoint of Condor's Flight is located at Chonta community in Limatambo, Anta - Cusco. Along the trail, you can see natural attractions (landscapes, valleys and sacred mountains) that are located on the right margin of the Apurimac River.

Humantay Lake

This lagoon formed by the thaw of the Humantay mountain presents a unique landscape of the district of Mollepata (Anta). The Humantay Lake is a place that impacts with its immensity, traces and colors in the landscape, which make it one of the unmissable tourist destinations in the bowels of Peru.

Apu Salcantay (Salkantay Mountain)

Salcantay or Salkantay (in Quechua) is the highest peak in the Vilcabamba mountain range, part of the Peruvian Andes. It is located in the Cusco Region, about 60 km (40 mi) west-northwest of the city of Cusco. It is the 38th-highest peak in the Andes, and the twelfth-highest in Peru. However, as a range highpoint in deeply incised terrain, it is the second most topographically prominent peak in the country, after Huascarán.

Cocalmayo hot springs

The hot springs of Colcalmayo are a popular destination among travelers who seek a connection to the land and its balance. On your trip to Machu Picchu in Peru, you can take a hot bath, in an impressive environment of abundant vegetation next to a huge river; the place seems out of a fantasy.

Llaqtapata

Llaqtapata (Quechua) llaqta = place (village, town, city), pata = elevated place, pronounced 'yakta-pahta', hispanicized Llactapata) is an archaeological site about 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Machu Picchu. The complex is located in the Cusco Region, La Convención Province, Santa Teresa District, high on a ridge between the Ahobamba and Santa Teresa drainages.

Chonta - Canyon of Condor

Flight of Andean Condor

The "Canyon of Condor" is located in the Chonta community of the district of Limatambo in the province of Anta - Cusco.

Chonta Community

To get to this natural viewpoint, which is located more than 3 thousand 400 meters above sea level (3400m ASL), there is an hour walk from the community of Chonta.

Along the trail, you can see natural attractions (landscapes, valleys and sacred mountains) that are located on the right margin of the Apurimac River.

Route to Condor Canyon

Finally, you reach the Huaco Viewpoint where you can observe the majestic flight of the Andean condors in their natural state.

Trekking to Condor Viewpoint

The visitor can also enjoy the impressive natural paradise of the Apurímac River valley, considered the largest in South America.

From the viewpoint of the condors, other birds can be seen, such as eagles, hawks, deer, Andean foxes, vizcachas, among others.

Humantay Lake

Humantay Lake

Latin America is recognized worldwide for the natural beauties that are hidden within countries like Peru.

This lagoon formed by the thaw of the Humantay mountain presents a unique landscape of the district of Mollepata (Anta).

Humantay Lagoon

In Perú an adventure destination is Cusco, which guards the Salkantay Trek to the Apu Salkantay, an attraction that moves with the beauty of the landscape and keeps years of history in archaeological zones.

As part of the route to the Salkantay mountain, you can access walking or mountain biking, as well as lending itself to some other camping activities.

With a mystical air, the lagoon is visited by shamans and tourists from all over the world to leave offerings to the Pachamama, deity that represents mother Earth in the Inca culture.

Placement of stones are offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth) 

Through the placement of stones an offering is offered to the Pachamama (Mother Earth) thanking him for having successfully arrived at the lagoon, as well as asking him to accompany us on our journey.

The Humantay Lake is a place that impacts with its immensity, traces and colors in the landscape, which make it one of the unmissable tourist destinations in the bowels of Perú.

Humantay Mountain

HUMANTAY LAKE ON GOOGLE MAPS

Cocalmayo Hot Springs

Before the days of high-tech spa treatments, wellness seekers headed to the hot springs.

On your Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu in Peru, you can take time to take a hot bath, in an impressive environment of abundant vegetation next to a huge river; the place seems out of a fantasy, but you can buy beers and snacks. The hot springs are the method of Mother Nature to infuse relaxation in tired bodies.

The hot springs of Colcalmayo are a popular destination among travelers who seek a connection to the land and its balance.

There is nothing better than taking a hot bath in nature, while enjoying a drink of "aguaymanto". Take a dip in the hot springs of Cocalmayo, it is a great experience. It is situated between a huge river and a small mountain. In Cocalmayo, bathers can enjoy outdoor swimming pools fed by natural hot springs, built between a small mountain full of vegetation and the Urubamba River. You will find 3 pools of different sizes and depths. The water temperature varies between 38 and 44 ºC and unlike most thermal waters in Peru, it has clear waters. Very close to the pools there are cold showers, the water comes from the lagoons of Uripata and is very refreshing; the mixture of waters will give you a very comforting feeling.

The benefits: Located at 1,600 m.s.n.m. Its waters are rich in essential minerals such as sodium, magnesium, bicarbonate, calcium, sulfate and others, which have healing properties on the skin, bones, muscles and joints.

Where are the thermal baths of Cocalmayo?

The hot springs of Cocalmayo are in the valley of the Urubamba river (Vilcanota) in a cozy and relaxing place, their naturally heated pools reach 44 ºC. They are to 20 minutes of the town of Santa Teresa in the province of the Convención, in Cusco - Peru; precisely at kilometer 135 of the railway line between Cusco and Quillabamba, at 1,600 m.s.

Salkantay Trek Weather along the trek to Machu Picchu

Weather on Salkantay trek is very varied, due to the fact that it winds its way through wildly different terrain at different altitudes. The only place where weather is a serious concern is the Salkantay Pass, and the nearby areas. Temperatures here, and at the nearby Soraypampa campsite, can fall below freezing. The other camps are much warmer, due to their proximity to the cloud forest.

Average Minimum and Maximum temperature in Cusco

• The months September, October, November and December have a nice average temperature.
• On average, the warmest month is September.
• On average, the coolest month is January.

The monthly mean minimum and maximum temperatures over the year in Cusco, Peru (Fahrenheit)

Average min and max temperatures in Cusco

Weather on Salkantay trek monthly mean minimum and maximum temperatures over the year in Cusco, Peru (Celsius)

Average min and max temperatures in Cusco

Most rainfall (rainy season) is seen in December – March.

Average rainy days (rain / snow) in Cusco, Perú

AVERAGE HUMIDITY OVER THE YEAR

This is the mean monthly relative humidity

Average precipitation (rain / snow) in Cusco, Perú

AVERAGE WIND SPEED OVER THE YEAR

This is the mean monthly wind speed (meters per second)

Average wind speed in Cusco, Perú

Know more about your travel destination in Peru, the best tourist destinations such as Cusco city and Machu Picchu, Arequipa and Colca Canyon, Puno and Lake Titicaca. besides other interesting for your trip to Peru issues.

This Trek is a great alternative to the Inca Trail. Going this route, you’ll be able to visit some of the most beautiful places in the Andean jungle and see the snow covered Salkantay Mountain (altitude is 6372 m). You will have the opportunity to see beautiful landscapes with a variety of endemic flora and fauna and stop by part of the Inca trail, Llactapata, which is an enclosure built on the mountain facing Machu Picchu.