Marcahuasi--Peru (2017)

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MARCAHUASI – OVERNIGHT CLIMB

MONDAY:

Travel directions are from Inca Life hostel in Miraflores.

Take 10s taxi from hostel to corner of Avenida Arequipa and Avenida Javier Prado Oeste. 4-passenger taxis start at about 6:30am and end at 10:30pm, to and forth from this corner to Parque Enchinique in Chusica and back. As soon as there are 4 paying passengers, the taxi/car starts off. I waited until 7:15 when a 4^th person came. This ride takes a little over an hour, depending on traffic. And costs 10s./person

When you get out at Parque Enchinique, ask where is the bus to San Pedro de Casta. The bus to San Pedro de Costa took off at 9:00am because it was loaded. The bus up takes 3 hours, and makes a pit stop half way up. It costs 12soles. You pay at the pit stop. We arrived at 12:15pm. There are 2 restaurants at the bus stop and the ranger/tourist office n between them. Go in and pay the 20soles (rose form 10soles) to enter the park. You can ask here to hire a mule to bring your backpacks up. I was going up the long route toward the Fortress area, so I got one. The mule costs 20soles, and a lady drives it. I asked her how much a mule can take up. She said about 30kilos (maybe 3 backpacks). You can buy bottled water here in the restaurant. If you take the long route, you will need to fill up your camelback and extras. If you take the short route, you don’t need to take extra water for the evening because there is a new water reservoir located at the entrance at the Amphitheater area. Clean drinkable water.

The bus back to Chosica stays here and goes back at 2:00pm.

We started up the trail at 1:15 pm and took the long route and cut in further at Laguna Cacho Cacho. The last part was off trail but was a short cut the lady knew of. There are interval shade stops along the trail. From where we entered, the time was 4:00pm. The Fortress was still an hour more to hike through up-and-down rocks and valleys. I wanted to find a site to set up camp and get ready for the sunset, so I found a high rock-outcropping near the mountain side with excellent views. I paid the lady and sent her off. I set up camp, watched the sunset, then watched the night sky for a few hours. It got cold up here, so bring the same layers you would bring to the mountains in Huaraz. Where I was located, there was not a soul. There was not 1 sound of life the entire night. Later on, I found out there was no one else had hiked up to Marcahuasi that night. The sky was clear throughout the day and evening, so the cloudy Lima weather did not affect Marcahuasi.

NOTE: Although I was the only person up there on Monday night, I was told it was jammed pack on the weekend with Peruvians. I would not hike up here on the weekend, but surely I would return during the week.

TUESDAY:

The next morning, I packed up and walked through the rock formations toward the Amphitheater area. It was a 45 minute hike and you have to be careful as the maps show a flat, green plateau area, but it’s nothing of the sort. I had to back-track a few times to find the through trail area. When I got the the area, I saw a guide who had just arrived with a few mules at the entrance to Marcahuasi. I also noticed a huge, blue water reservoir hidden along the side. He told me you can load up on drinking water and wash yourself here.

I hiked down the short route and got to San Pedro at 12:30pm. Ate breakfast and got on the bus at 2:00pm. Made it back to Chosica at about 5:00pm. I asked someone where the taxi/combis to Miraflores/Lima were. When you get to the area, make sure you tell the money collector you need Miraflores/ Avenida Javier Prado Oeste, because there are many combi/buses going to Lima, but not Miraflores. This cost 10soles, and I arrived at about 7:30pm (lots of traffic). Took a 10 soles taxi to hostel.

I took a short sunrise and sunset video from the high rock. If you are interested in a copy, let me know.