Meseta Marcahuasi
Meseta Marcahuasi is a high mountain plateau at an elevation of 4.100m (13,451ft) above the sea level, located in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The place is known for curious shapes of human faces and animals visible in granite rock.
The road to the plateau is extreme. It’s gravel and extremely dangerous. It’s 16.2 km long starting off Autisha. The road twists spectacularly upward the Autisha canyon. In many places the road is bordered by a drop of hundreds of meters (many hundreds of feet) unprotected by guardrails.
The drive is definitely worth it. A drive not to be missed! There are many excellent photo opportunities. Don't forget your camera with lots of film/memory, fully charged batteries and an empty memory card! Marcahuasi was made famous by archaeologist Daniel Ruso in his book,Marcahuasi: The Story of a Fantastic Discovery. According to the book, it was believed that the ruins contain at least 22 vortexes of three different kinds of healing energies. The drive includes more than 20 hairpin turns. Expect traffic jams often. A 4WD vehicle and an experienced driver are recommended. Avoid driving in this area if unpaved mountain roads aren't your strong point. Stay away if you're scared of heights. It is recommended that beginner riders avoid this road. It’s a dirt road that will leave most drivers breathless for the beauty and the fear (it does drive along cliffs, and the road is truly narrow so if a car or bus is coming in the opposite direction, it will reverse until a spot where the road is wide enough to let the other pass!). A gravel road leads up to Laguna Chanicocha, a small lake at 4.513m (14,806ft) above the sea level located east of Laguna Marcahuasi.
Pic: David Hurtado