Apurímac: Rock Formations, Lagoons and Cultural Heritage

Apurímac offers a wide range of discoveries: unusual rock formations, lagoons with wild birds, viewpoints for watching condors and cultural traditions. There is also a route through forests and lagoons, as well as community-run experiences featuring Andean food. Which of these experiences you want to shape your trip can be a good starting point for choosing a holiday rental or holiday home.

Rock Landscapes and Lagoons

The Bosque de Piedras de Pampachiri, also known as Pankula Pampa de Pabellones, covers about 60 hectares. Its rock formations are attributed to eruptions of the Qarwarasu and Sotaya volcanoes more than four million years ago. The site is therefore an example of a landscape whose striking forms are connected to a very long geological history. If you are particularly interested in these kinds of formations, it offers a clear focus for planning your trip.

The Laguna de Pacucha offers a different natural setting. The lagoon provides a habitat for pejerrey and farmed trout; various wild birds also live along its sandy, reed-lined shores. In addition to observing the shore and birdlife, visitors can enjoy recreational activities on the water: they can take a pedal boat or rowing boat ride. This allows you to include both an interest in nature and an activity on the lagoon in your plans, without treating them as the same thing.

Routes, Viewpoints and Activities

The Ruta de bosques y lagunas in the Santuario Nacional de Ampay passes by two lagoons at elevations of about 3,200 and 3,800 metres, as well as through Intimpa forest and dwarf forest. Along the way, you can rest, take photographs and watch birds. The elevations and landscape sections give the route its own distinctive character. If you like to plan your trip around observing nature, it is a specific option alongside a visit to the Laguna de Pacucha.

There are several viewpoints in the Cañón del Apurímac, including Cóndor Huachana, San Cristóbal, Capitán Rumi, Taramocco and Capulíoc. Visitors can watch condors from these points. If you want to make this natural experience a particular focus, you can use the named viewpoints as a guide for planning your trip.

Visitors can also rent bicycles and quad bikes at the Laguna de Pacucha. Together with the pedal boats and rowing boats, this gives you several ways to spend time on the lagoon. When choosing activities for your trip, you can weigh up whether you would rather observe the wildlife along the shores or use one of the available modes of transport.

Cultural Heritage and Community Experiences

The Carnaval o Pukllay in the area of the rural community of Pomacocha, in the district of Pomacocha, province of Andahuaylas, department of Apurímac, was declared National Cultural Heritage by Vice-Ministerial Resolution No. 167-2026-VMPCIC/MC. The Carnaval preserves agricultural, livestock, musical and ritual practices and is considered a representative expression of Apurímac’s intangible cultural heritage. This connection makes it especially interesting for travellers who want to discover regional traditions as well as enjoy nature.

The Camino Inca Huanipaca-Choqekiraw-Cachora is listed as a cultural route in the district of Huanipaca, province of Abancay, department of Apurímac. Its focus differs from the lagoon and forest landscapes, as well as from the community traditions of Carnaval o Pukllay. When planning, you can therefore first decide whether a cultural route or nature observation is the greater attraction.

At Bosques de Pampachiri – Sector Pabellones, the community of Pampachiri offers typical Andean breakfasts and lunches, as well as horseback rides. This means that community-run experiences featuring regional food can also be part of your travel interests. If you would like to include such experiences, you can consider the named site as a focus in its own right.

Choosing the Right Area for Your Trip

When looking for a holiday rental or holiday home, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on: rock formations, lagoons and birdwatching, viewpoints for condors, a route through forest landscapes or cultural traditions. This lets you choose between nature experiences and cultural traditions as distinct travel themes. Use this information to guide your search towards the subregion you want, rather than treating all the experiences as a single outing.

Discover More Subregions

For regional orientation, you can also visit the pages for Chincheros, Andahuaylas Province, Aymaraes, Santo Tomás, Cachora, Abancay, Pampachiri, Pampahuasi and Chalhuanca District.

For the broader travel overview: Peru.