TOUR INCA BRIDGE QESWACHAKA CUSCO

TOUR INCA BRIDGE QESWACHAKA CUSCO

DURATION

• 01 Day

• 3.762m.

MAX ALTITUDE

• 3800 MSNM 2-8

GROUP SIZE

• 2-10 2-8

DIFFICULTY

• EASY

The last Inca Queshuachaca hanging bridge

Our one day tour to Qeswachaka Cusco will take you to see the last Inca hanging bridge in Peru. On the way to this spectacular destination we will appreciate wonderful landscapes, plant life, animal life and local villages. To keep the Qeswachaka bridge in good condition every year the local people from 4 different communities organize a kind of celebration according to the ancient customs of the Inca culture, where they start with an offering to the Pachamama (mother earth) before cutting the ropes of the old Inca bridge of Qeswachaka and rebuild it using nothing but handmade ropes made from a local bundle of straw called coya.

Qeswachaka, the only one of its kind made of vegetable fibers, is part of the extensive Inca Trail network.

Recognition of the technology used in the tradition of the last surviving bridge between ancient and modern times, which requires hard work 3 days to replace the structure, the floor is made of 4 large ropes (under which are tied small wooden logs) the railings are 2 additional ropes and both elements (floor and railings) are joined by hundreds of smaller ropes.

ITINERARY

Qeswachaka Bridge and 4 Lagoons Circuit Tour

We will pick you up early from your hotel in Cusco, we will travel south on the road that leads to the province of Canas, during the trip we will observe the Pomacanchi lagoon - the enigmatic Urcos lagoon, where the stories tell that the last Inca ordered to take all the gold of the Empire so that it would not be plundered by the Spaniards and the Yanaoca lagoon, where we will visit a somewhat tiny volcano and the pass of the same name.

Arriving at "Queswachaca" located at (3,600 masl.) we will have the opportunity to visit its ancestral bridge, which is an architectural and cultural heritage of the Incas, the Inca bridge of "Queswachaca" is built over the majestic Apurimac River, located in the province of Canas.

The last Inca bridge suffers the deterioration of its material (straw) due to the inclemency of the climate of the highlands, so it requires an annual maintenance that consists of a total reconstruction. The reconstruction is in charge of the rural communities of Perccaro, Huinchi and Qqewe. The dimension of the bridge is 33 m. long and 1.20 m. wide, the material used is only the straw (Ichu) braided from the heights of the "Puna" region.

In the afternoon we will return to Cusco, but the road has a surprise for us, at the height of the community of Hampatura are the impressive caves of Ccarañahui or Q'arañahui which is located at 3,900 meters above sea level. This is a fantastic cavern of marine sedimentary material, its chemical composition is calcium hypochlorite, which by the constant dripping resulted in the formation of impressive stalagmites and stalactites, which curiously acquired forms of puma and condor, the cave is thousands of years old and at the bottom we can see a mysterious lagoon, legend has it that the Incas went to the cave to communicate spiritually with their Gods. Finally we will return to Cusco in our private car, ending our tour to the Inca bridge of "Q'eswachaka".

Activities in the tour to Qeswachaka:

• Visit to the Yanaoca Volcano.
• The caves of Ccarañahui.
• Q'eswachaca Bridge Tour

Recommendations before our tour to Qeswachaka Cusco

You will have a full briefing 1 or 2 days before your tour to the last bridge of the Inca era. Your guide will meet you at your hotel in Cusco, where you can ask questions, gather information and make any final preparations prior to the adventure.

Qeswachaka the last Inca Bridge

The Qeswachaka bridge has a length of 28 meters and is suspended 30 meters above the Apurimac River. It was part of the enormous network of Inca roads (qhapac ñan) that led to the Inca City of Machu Picchu. Every year the local population renovates the bridge just as the Incas did hundreds of years ago. Today, it is one of Cusco's major tourist attractions.

Tour Puente Inca Qeswachaka Cusco

Location

The Inca bridge of Q'eswachaca is located in a remote area of the province of Canas in the department of Cusco, exactly in the district of Quehue at 3,700 meters above sea level (12,139 ft).

History

The Incas built a network of roads (qhapac ñan) that connected the city of Cusco with the rest of the vast empire.

This network of roads included different types of bridges such as: log bridges, stone bridges, floating bridges, oroyas (sliding bridges) and suspension bridges.

Suspension bridges were the most used in the Incan Empire since they resisted earthquakes with ease. They were built of ropes made of ichu (wild grass from the Andes) and could reach lengths of 60 meters.

By order of the Inca, the suspension bridges were renovated once a year through the work of the 'minka' (community work for the benefit of the entire population).

After the Inca Empire, suspension bridges continued to be used due to their resistance to earthquakes. The best known example is the 'Qeswachaka Bridge' in the town of Quehue (Cusco).

Ritual of the bridge of Qeswachaka

On the second Sunday of June, the reconstruction of the Qeswachaka bridge is celebrated in the town of Quehue.

Thanks to this tradition of Inca origin, the Qeswachaka suspension bridge has been maintained. This cooperative work is carried out by the communities of Huinchiri, Chaupibanda, Ccollana, Quehue and Pelcaro.

The renewal of the bridge is repeated year after year. The festivity lasts 4 days and involves all the men and women of the villages involved.

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