Tourist places of Limatambo in Cusco

The district of Limatambo is located in the province of Anta, in the region of Cusco. It is known that the territory occupied by this district, possibly, at the time of the Inca heyday, would have been the scene of one of the most important dairy farms in the region. 

Within the tourist places of Peru we have Limatambo; the imposing snow-capped pyramid, the Apu Salkantay, which crowns this small and narrow semi-tropical valley located about 75 kilometers from Cusco, on the road that connects this place with Nasca. 

Limatambo is a place of passage and connection with the Mollepata farm, located in the upper part, the starting point of a spectacular four-day hike that, after passing through the Salkantay snow, covers a long descent

that crosses the puna, Andean sierra, dwarf forests and jungle, until it reaches the high jungle of Santa Teresa. A less demanding route than others that are offered in Cusco and that can be done in camps or in lodges. An experience in which you live a great diversity of ecological floors. Mollepata is one of the many haciendas that exist in this valley and that adjoins Apurímac.

Limatambo Tourism

Touristically, the district of Limatambo is interesting to the visitor due to the archaeological, natural, historical, architectural and cultural attractions that it presents in its territory.

Rioja

To the archaeological attractions are added the archaeological remains of Rioja. These remains are in themselves terrace systems that can be seen from the road. The Rioja terraces, used hundreds of years ago, are still an agricultural resource used by the inhabitants of the town in which it is located.

Salkantay

As for the natural resources of Limatambo, in the district we can find sites such as: The imposing snow-capped Salkantay. The Salkantay is a snowy mountain that has a height of 6,271 meters above sea level. This tourist spot in the district is the favorite resource for adventurous travelers, who come to its slopes eager to climb its ice walls or walk its difficult slopes. Only the trekking from the next town to the Salkantay, takes approximately six hours, so you must acclimatize well if you want to follow this circuit towards the snow.

Apurímac River

The Apurímac River is added to the natural resources; This resource is interesting for tourism, not only for its ecological value, but also for the different activities that can be practiced in it, such as canoeing or sport fishing; In addition to these, at the junction of this river, with the Colorado River, it is also possible to practice activities such as bungee jumping.

Vicuña Prairie

Other natural attractions in the Limatambo district are the Vicuña Prairie, also called Pampaconga, for being in this district community; and the Inca Trail, a new path created by municipal initiative, through which visitors can access the historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, crossing the Chincha path that goes from Limatambo and allows sighting of the district's resources like the Salkantay.

Farms

In the district of Limatambo, in addition, historical tourist resources are registered, and also of architectural value, manifested in the form of farms. One of the emblematic haciendas of the district is the so-called Colonial Farm, which is built on a platform. This hacienda is historically important, for having been the resting place of Viceroy La Serna.

In Limatambo there is another hacienda, surrounded by vegetation and with four huge palm trees in each corner, that of Sondor, forming another unique image. The thing about the palm trees is a tradition that comes with the Spanish landowners, who in turn collected it from the Arabs, being an indication, in the immensity of the mountains, of an inhabited place, a kind of oasis on the road.

The Sondor farm draws attention from Tarawasi due to the colors of its walls and the huge glass windows that form the main façade, causing light reflections among the exuberant vegetation.

Tarawasi

Among the archaeological resources that the traveler can find in Limatambo, there are places like the Archaeological Complex of Tarawasi, that would have been in its best time, an Inca Ceremonial Center. Within the structures that the complex presents, two rectangular platforms stand out, in addition to the ushnu and a stairway that allows access to the resource.

Tarawasi is a rare archaeological site. An Inca place, just 100 meters from the main road, made up of terraces, stairs, water channels and polished stone walls perfectly fitted one with another with flower designs. One of the walls supports an imposing two-story adobe and tile hacienda, creating a somewhat surreal image of syncretism.

Quillarurniyoc

In the direction of Cusco, half an hour from Limatambo, there is a place that must be unique in Peru: Quillarurniyoc, the temple dedicated to Quilla, the Moon. After going up about 4 kilometers along a dirt road, which begins in Ancahuasi, 46 kilometers from the imperial city, you come to an esplanade next to a hill and a cave with petroglyphs inside, from where you can see the immense valley and the Anta pampas, the great granary of Cusco. On the most hidden wall, turning its back on everything, a gigantic rock has a semicircle surmounted by rectangles engraved on it. The site is more than three thousand years old and is a meeting point for mystical groups who gather to perform ceremonies in the light of the Moon and the feminine divinity, and to make payments to the earth in the petroglyph cave.

The condor viewpoint in Chonta, Limatambo

The Chonta viewpoint has paths along the slopes of mountains, which show impressive landscapes of the Apurímac canyon. In addition, in some sections of the 3.5-kilometer journey, condors can be seen flying over the place.

There are three viewpoints located in strategic places from where you can see the flight of the condors. The third is the busiest for visitors as it offers the best views. According to the local park rangers, between 3 pm. and 4 p.m. It is the best time to appreciate birds.

It is possible that on a bad day (especially due to rain) the condors do not decide to fly over the place. Unfortunately, in these cases it is likely that the visitor will not be able to appreciate this natural spectacle.

Whoever visits the Limatambo district cannot forget that it is a district attached to its customs, so experiential tourism, especially oriented to the high-rise communities of the district, cannot be stopped from being practiced and taken advantage of, to learn about the customs, traditions, and talents, of the people of these lands.