Inca Bridge Q’eswachaka

Inca Bridge Q'eswachaka, Last Inca Bridge

04:30 am – 05:00 am | Pickup at your hotel in Cusco
Your journey with Machupicchu Glory begins before dawn. We pick you up at your hotel in the historic center and head south through the South Valley toward the province of Canas. As the sky brightens, we cross the towns of Cusipata, Combapata, and Yanaoca while the Andean landscape slowly wakes up around you.

07:00 am | Breakfast in Cusipata
After the first hours on the road, we stop in Cusipata (~3,310 masl) for a semi-buffet breakfast to fuel your day. It's a calm moment to recharge before continuing into the high country.

08:30 am | Combapata Viewpoint and the Four Lakes
We continue to the Combapata viewpoint and the Four Lakes circuit: Pomacanchi, the largest, along with Acopía, Asnaqocha, and Pampamarca or Tungasuca. Still waters, reed beds, Andean birds, and alpacas create a serene setting. Tungasuca is the homeland of Túpac Amaru II, leader of the great indigenous rebellion against colonial rule: a historical backdrop that adds depth to the drive. Depending on the season, an optional stop is possible at the Temple of Wiracocha in Raqchi, a remarkable Inca structure of carved stone and adobe dedicated to the creator god of the Andean worldview.

12:00 pm | Q'eswachaka Bridge over the Apurímac River
At midday we reach the Q'eswachaka bridge, suspended over the canyon of the Apurímac River (~3,700 masl). About 28 to 30 meters long and just over one meter wide, it is the last Inca rope suspension bridge still in use, with more than 600 years of history. Its Quechua name joins "q'eswa" (braided rope) and "chaka" (bridge). It is hand-woven from ichu, the tough Andean grass, twisted into ever-thicker cords: living Inca engineering.

12:45 pm | Crossing the bridge and viewpoint
You'll have time to walk across it, suspended over the Apurímac, and admire it from the viewpoint. Every second week of June, between 700 and 1,000 men and women from the communities of Huinchiri, Chaupibanda, Choccayhua, and Ccollana Quehue completely renew it over four days. The work begins with an offering to Pachamama and ancestral rituals; the men weave the thick cables and the women the fine cords, and on the fourth day come the dances and the community celebration. For this living tradition, UNESCO declared it Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

02:00 pm | Lunch on the way back
We return to Cusipata or Combapata for a restoring semi-buffet lunch.

05:00 pm – 05:30 pm | Arrival in Cusco
In the afternoon we begin the return, arriving in Cusco between 5:00 and 5:30 pm, carrying with you the memory of an ancestral work woven by the community.