Puquio to Chalhuanca by car – lots and lots of alpacas and some hot springs

Driving out of Puquio, we were impressed by the huge boulders that dot the landscape. After a few turns, we came upon another interesting feature of this area – alpaca herds. We saw a few vicuñas, but there were tons of alpacas.

We pulled over on the side of the road and got as close as we could to a herd of alpacas. We asked the woman tending them if we could pet them, and she said we could try. But, each time the girls got close, they ran away. We stayed for a bit admiring these furry animals.

Soraya posing with the alpaca herd

As we continued on our way to Chalhuanca, we saw several lagoons with very blue water. The landscape of golden grass and lagoons, against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains and a clear blue sky was spectacular. At some of the lagoons, there were flocks of birds drinking water as well as alpacas.

Soon, however, we left the altiplano and began to descend the mountains. We went from 4000 meters above sea level to around 2800 fairly quickly, on roads that circled enormous mountains. The drive down was a bit scary, especially when I turned around a curve to find a truck completely in my lane. Luckily, I was driving slowly and was able to stop without even a screech of the tires.

When we came down to the valley, we were treated with the view of a gorgeous river that winds through the valley. The landscape also changed from golden grass to abundant greenery. We thought of stopping in Caraybamba for lunch but missed the turn. So, we forged ahead to Chalhuanca. Once in Chalhuanca, we decided to keep driving straight to the hot springs.

About six km up a dirt road from Chalhuanca, we found the hot springs of Pincahuacho. Our book – Aventura 757 km – mentioned that there was a restaurant there. Thus, even though it was after 1pm, we didn’t even stop for lunch in Chalhuanca. It took us about 20 minutes to make it up the dirt road. We parked our car, and were disappointed to find out that the restaurant was closed – the woman who runs it was out of town. Luckily, there were people there who sold potatoes with eggs and cheese, so we ordered some and sat on the grass to enjoy our little picnic.

We soon realized one downside of these hot springs – from 10am to 4pm, there are tons of little mosquitoes who began to feast on us. We quickly finished our lunch and made our way to the open air naturally heated swimming pool where we could relax and find refuge from the mosquitoes. It was awesome to swim in this heated pool while admiring the scenery, which included imposing green mountains, boulders, and a roaring river down below.

On the way out of the hot springs, a woman offered us caldo de gallina (chicken soup) for 6 soles a plate. We ordered two bowls of soup and enjoyed them. By this time, the mosquitoes had left and we could also enjoy the scenery and relax. The woman who served us soup had a daughter named Diana, who is 8 years old. Our daughters made friends with her and began to plot together to try and catch each of their five chickens.

Soraya and Tatiana enjoying caldo de gallina in Pincahuacho

Soraya, Raymi and Tatiana playing with Diana in Pincahuacho

Nando and I decided that we would spend the night up here at Pincahuacho, where they have decent rooms for just 20 or 30 soles a night. The girls wanted to stay so that they could continue to play with Diana, which they did until nightfall.

Raymi and I decided to get into one of the private hot tubs and have an evening soak. It was very relaxing and I was glad to be able to walk upstairs and sleep after that.

Tatiana had already fallen asleep, as altitude sickness had gotten the best of her. We all have had slight altitude sickness, but nothing major, fortunately. Surprisingly, I am the one who has barely gotten sick. I have not had the famous venganza de Monctezuma (stomach sickness) or altitude sickness. Hopefully, I haven’t spoken too soon.

Raymi enjoying a soak in the hot spring swimming pool in Pincahuacho

The view from Pincahuacho Hot Springs

We all went to bed early – before 8pm. This meant we were up by 4am. At 5am, the girls took their last soak in the hot tubs and we made our way back down the hill to Chalhuanca. Our next stop is Abancay.