Peru Guide
The Central Sierra
Marcahuasi
MARCAHUASI is a high (4100m) plateau that makes a fantastic weekend camping jaunt and is one of the more adventurous but popular excursions from Lima. Its main attractions are the incredible rock formations themselves, which, particularly by moonlight, take on weird shapes – llamas, human faces, turtles, even a hippopotamus. Standing at just over 4000m above sea level, it's one of Peru's lesser-known marvels and something of a mystical enigma. Located 90km east of Lima (40km beyond Chosica), the easiest way to visit this amazing site in the difficult-to-access Santa Eulalia Valley is on a day-trip from Lima with either Peru Inka Adventures (Jr Diego de Almagro 535, Jesus Maria, Lima 
01/995117026, 
www.inkasadventures.com), who organize two-day trips for around $170 (minimum of two persons) or, another Lima-based tour company, TEBAC (Trekking and Backpacking Club, Jr Huascar 1152, Jesus Maria, Lima 01/997731959, 
tebac@yahoo.com) who also take tours here, including some to the annual Festival de Aventura which takes place in Marcahuasi in early November and incorporates live music with outward-bound activities such as mountain biking, marathon running and motocross. Visitors at the end of July may well come across the annual village festival involving three days of ceremony, music, dance and festivities. For further Marcahuasi information contact the tour companies mentioned above or the Oficina de Información on the main plaza in the village of SAN PEDRO DE CASTA where there are also contacts for local guides and arrieros with mules (from around $10 a day, plus about $3 per mule).
Unless you're camping, you'll have to stay in San Pedro, located only a few kilometres but two to three hours' hard walking along a mountain path below Marcahuasi. There are no direct buses from Lima to San Pedro, but if you take a colectivo from Avenida Grau or Avenida Garcilaso de la Vega in Lima Centro to Chosica, there are buses departing for San Pedro from the town's Parque Echinique. Empresa Santa Maria buses usually have signs reading "San Pedro" or "Marcahuasi". If your bus or truck terminates at Las Cruces, you'll have half an hour's walk further to San Pedro.
In San Pedro almost everything is centred around the Plaza de Armas. It's a small and simple Andean village, quaint but without much choice in its limited range of facilities. For places to stay, there's the albergue municipal with sixteen beds (no phone; Price: $5-10), or, much better, the Hostal Marcahuasi (no phone; Price: $5-10), which is also close to the main square, and has shared bathrooms. There are two cafés, but they are not always open, so make sure to bring your own food.