Last days in Peru: Waqra Pukara and the Three Rainbow Mountains

We really need to start making our way back to Chile soon but there is still so much to see and do in Peru. Even getting to the border is fun and busy. And of course, there are many more Inca sites to visit if you so wish to ...

When we were in Cusco, I did some research on the Incas (as you do!) and found out about a nearby site called Waqra Pukara. Much to my delight, it was in the right direction as we were driving to go to the border crossing and so...we went to see it. Waqra Pukara is at 4500 meters and it takes about 2 to 3 hours to walk to the site.  The walk to the site was quite short and easy (in comparison to what we’ve done so far) but, because of the altitude, it felt really difficult at times. Despite that, I really enjoyed the trek and was rewarded by the stunning site which was located in the most amazing place. You see, Waqra Pukara is on the high altiplano and on the edge of a canyon, nestled in between two gigantic rocks. In Quechua, 'waqra' means horn and 'pukara' means fortress so 'horn fortress'. Apparently, it wasn't built by the Incas but by the Canchis and, later on, was conquered by the Incas.

The site of Waqra Pukara itself was also impressive. I am not an expert or a historian but I’ve seen a fair deal of Inca sites by now to know that, although the stonework was good, it wasn’t ‘temple-quality’. That told us that it was a rather important place, but not a temple.  We can also figure this out because the doors were double framed, something which was common in important places. Although there wasn't much information about the purpose of the site, from the little search I did on the internet afterwards, it seems that Waqra Pukara was an Incan sanctuary. And I can totally see why given its magnificent place and the views.

Unfortunately, on the way back, I got a really bad headache and found hiking rather hard. The thing that kept me going (and slightly laughing) was that Ioanna got scared by two birds that flew in front of her very suddenly. It was hard to tell who was more scared, Ioanna or the birds. Me and Ioanna also saw another two birds that were walking like they were something out of a comic! They really were funny!

But Inca sites were not the only thing we visited on our way down to the border crossing. We also hiked to the three Palcoyo Rainbow Mountains. These weren't the most famous Rainbow mountain in Peru (Vinicunca) because we decided that it just is too busy with people and too high in terms of altitude to visit. But these are three other rainbow mountains very close by (known as Palcoyo Rainbow Mountains) and, apparently, equally stunning. From one viewpoint, you can see all three of them!  Because of the minerals, you get to see layers of different colours which appear like a rainbow. It's pretty hard to believe it's real We took loads of photos, and even some with the llamas that were there on the terraces, smile mister llama!

Our last night in Peru was spent by Lake Titicaca, and it felt nice to go back to places we’ve been before! And we also discovered the answer to a little mystery: In all of Peru, we’ve been seeing little colourful bull statues, and we finally found out what they mean. Apparently, the bulls are a symbol for good luck at home, but only if there are two of them together! People usually put them on their roof or in their home as decoration. And now it all made sense...! 

For now, bye Peru, hello Chile!