Great terraces
Sharp angles.
Charlesdarling — CC0 · PoolPs — CC BY-SA 4.0 · YanelaSh — CC BY-SA 4.0 · YanelaSh — CC BY-SA 4.0
A sprawling fifteenth-century Inca estate on a mountainside south-east of Cusco, between 3,250 and 3,960 metres up, probably belonging to an Inca emperor or the elite, enclosed by a defensive wall about six kilometres long. Its best-known part is a group of huge, sharply angled farming terraces threaded with a network of stone channels, fountains and small falls, fed by a natural spring that still flows today. Engineers see it as proof of the Incas' skill in water engineering, as the water is shared out and drops from terrace to terrace with studied precision. The site is quiet and little visited compared with the Sacred Valley sights, so you walk among the terraces to the sound of water almost alone. Higher up are remains of dwellings and rock carvings for those who climb further. It lies on the Puno road, so it is usually paired with the nearby Pikillaqta site in half a day from Cusco. The road from the village up to the site is steep, so a car is easier than walking. The site sits at about 3,400 metres, so acclimatise for a day or two in Cusco first.
Sharp angles.
Still flowing.
Few visitors.
Near Tipón village, about 22 km south-east of Cusco
Yes for lovers of Inca engineering and quiet: its channels and fountains still work and visitors are few. It is usually paired with Pikillaqta in half a day.