Provincia de Huamanga

Ayacucho

Located 22 kilometres north-east of Ayacucho, on the road to Quinua, the Wari ruins cover some 16 square kilometres in an isolated, elevated location in the middle of the biggest cactus forest I’ve ever seen.

The Wari were an ancient civilisation who flourished between 600 AD and 1100 AD, long before the Incas arrived.  Their empire extended north beyond Chiclayo and south as far as Lake Titicaca (that’s the majority of the length of the entire country), with its capital on the pampa above Ayacucho.   Once home to some 50,000 people, there is now possibly the same number of cactus plants in their place.

A fantastic place if you love cacti, nature, ruins, and isolation :-)
Located 22 kilometres north-east of Ayacucho, on the road to Quinua, the Wari ruins cover some 16 square kilometres in an isolated, elevated location in the middle of the biggest cactus forest I’ve ever seen.

The Wari were an ancient civilisation who flourished between 600 AD and 1100 AD, long before the Incas arrived.  Their empire extended north beyond Chiclayo and south as far as Lake Titicaca (that’s the majority of the length of the entire country), with its capital on the pampa above Ayacucho.   Once home to some 50,000 people, there is now possibly the same number of cactus plants in their place.

A fantastic place if you love cacti, nature, ruins, and isolation :-)
20km north east of Ayacucho, on the road to Quinua (not sure if the position on the map is EXACTLY correct) are the ruins of the capital of the Wari empire.  

The Wari ruled from 600AD to 1100AD and therefore pre-date the Incas.

The extensive ruins are scattered among endless fields of Opuntia cacti and Prickly Pear, and these were more of a fascination to me than the ruins themselves.  

Despite being so exposed, the site felt quite mysterious and strangely eerie: we didn't see a single other tourist there, but we did see swarms of locusts (which, at first we mistook for birds).

It's a beautiful spot, the views are amazing on a clear day and you'll see plenty of colourful butterflies and flowers.  But remember to bring water, as the site is literally in the middle of nowhere, so there are no opportunities to purchase any nearby.

You can catch a local bus, combi or shared taxi to the ruins, but be wary of stopping too late.  We stayed until dusk, and ended up having to hitch a ride back to Ayacucho because - I assume - we'd missed the last lot of public transportation heading that way.

Ciudades populares de Provincia de Huamanga

Ayacucho
Ayacucho
Puntos fuertes: Paseos, Ríos y Montañas
¿Te interesan los ríos, las montañas y los monumentos? ¡Viaja a Ayacucho!

¿Por qué visitarla?

  • Plaza de Armas de Ayacucho
Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray
Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray
Aprovecha para visitar Plaza de Armas de Ayacucho y Centro Turístico Cultural San Cristóbal, dos de los puntos más populares de Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray.
San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista
No te vayas sin visitar Centro Turístico Cultural San Cristóbal y Plaza de Armas de Ayacucho, dos de los puntos más populares de San Juan Bautista.
Located 22 kilometres north-east of Ayacucho, on the road to Quinua, the Wari ruins cover some 16 square kilometres in an isolated, elevated location in the middle of the biggest cactus forest I’ve ever seen.

The Wari were an ancient civilisation who flourished between 600 AD and 1100 AD, long before the Incas arrived.  Their empire extended north beyond Chiclayo and south as far as Lake Titicaca (that’s the majority of the length of the entire country), with its capital on the pampa above Ayacucho.   Once home to some 50,000 people, there is now possibly the same number of cactus plants in their place.

A fantastic place if you love cacti, nature, ruins, and isolation :-)
Quinua
Puntos fuertes: Patrimonio histórico y Museos
Quinua es un destino muy apreciado por sus lugares de interés histórico y sus museos. ¡Ve y compruébalo!
Jesús Nazareno
Jesús Nazareno
Aprovecha para visitar Plaza de Armas de Ayacucho y Centro Turístico Cultural San Cristóbal, dos de los puntos más populares de Jesús Nazareno.
Vinchos
Vinchos
Aprovecha tus días en Vinchos para explorar la zona y disfrutar de todo lo que te ofrece.