Tipón

Information

It is an archaeological park located about 22 km from the city of Cusco, above 3300 metres above sea level.

To get there, you can take a bus that goes from Cusco to Puno, and get off at the village where the access road to the ruins begins (at this fork there is a stall where you can buy drinks and food). From there the road is asphalted, but as you have to walk 4 kilometres with an uphill stretch, a good option is to take a taxi that leaves you at the entrance to the park.

To enter the archaeological site you first pass a post where you have to show your tourist ticket (which you can buy in Cusco) or pay for it there if you don't have one, and further on there is a car park. It takes about 3 hours to walk around the whole site.

The site is placed on the slope of a mountain. It corresponds to the Inca culture, and when you visit it you can see crop terraces with stone retaining walls, stairways and enclosures. The most characteristic feature of the site are the hydraulic works, as there is a system of water ditches built with stone. Water from a glacier still flows through these channels, and ceremonial fountains and several waterfalls can be seen. At the top there is a fortified site called Sinkuna Kancha or Sincunacancha, which was occupied by military men in charge of the security of the place.