Like many villagers of the Cusco countryside, they have jumped into the communitarian or rural services. So there we always stay at Wayki Amilcar, house. Being there he took us for a walk to visit some elder people that are part of its cultural heritage.
Quite near to Maras we find the Misminay village, there are many families involved in rural tourism and count with good quality homestays.
The trip starts in Ninacaca, a small town at 4,150 masl, from there we have to pass the highest altitude in our driving trip (4,400m), from that point start a downhill trip to Huachon town.
Locally known as Canteras de Sillar are a dry valley formed by the ashes and pyroplastic flows from the eruption of Misti and Chachani volcanoes in million of years.
I have traveled many times to Puno, but this was my first hike there, it was really surprinsingly meet the coast and shores of the lake, getting in touch with their waters, the wind and mostly no one along the trail. An absolute calm surrounds us, nature recharging our energies and soul.
Taquile island is one of the main tourism attractions in the Puno region. For many years their inhabitants observing the movement of tourists in Puno decided to get organized and innovate.
The Nor Yauyos Cochas reserve is in the middle of the country, its importance is based on its history, nature, natural resources and landscapes, as not as other reserves, this is inhabitated by many communities, and is connected by gravel roads. Its sustainabilty is based on actions made by the government and the people themselves that take care of all the resources.
Caral and its 4,000 years stone pyramids is at 200 Kms north from the main capital, the trip may take 3 to 4 hours, so to profit the destination is better to do it in two days.
We left Tanta behind, and start the return back to Lima. The road begins to climb again to the next high pass before the road down to the coast and Huarochiri.
Traveling to the main center of Peru, we went to Tanta village to be part of a new tourism activity arranged by the llama shepherd traders, they are working on keeping alive the ancient use of llamas for trading along the main Inca trail from Tanta to Jauja, passing by Pariacaca mountain.
Tanta is a village located in the middle of the Andes
Once the hills of the coast, start to become green in July, the “lomeros”, the transhumance people that use these lands, begin to descend with their animals from the Andes to spend the winter there. For centuries a way of life.
In between january and april shepherds from the western Andes live at highlands in the Andes along the whole country. Then the rain ends and dryness starts to reign, so in June when rain begins in the coast and practically everything is dry at the mountains, the families of lomeros start to prepare their stuff to come down to the coast. Usually is in august that they are at their camps along the “lomas”. the Peruvian coastal hills.
