T’aqrachullo — The María Fortaleza
The Inca citadel five times larger than Machu Picchu, recently opened to tourism and still without crowds.
Official SUNAT rate: S/ 3.360 per US dollar. Same amount in both currencies; you choose which one to pay in.
1 of 6- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Max altitude
- 4100 m
- Spots per date
- 15
On a cliff in Suyckutambo, with the Three Canyons in the background, lies a 17.4-hectare complex with nearly 600 structures: temples, ceremonial plazas, residential enclosures, and funerary chullpas.
Its name comes from Quechua: t’acra, bedrock, and chullo, frozen water, due to the site's natural water reservoirs. María Fortaleza is its official archaeological designation.
Since 2019, the Ministry of Culture has restored more than three hundred structures. The density of the constructions led archaeologists to conclude that it was not a secondary settlement, but rather a first-rate political, economic, and religious center of the Tahuantinsuyo.
Today it receives between 80 and 120 visitors a day. It can still be explored calmly.
Itinerary
- 07:00Pickup at the Espinar Bus Terminal
- 08:15Arrival in Suyckutambo and brief acclimatization talk
- 09:00Start of the guided tour of T’aqrachullo
- 12:30Typical lunch
- 14:00Three Canyons viewpoint
- 15:30Return to Espinar
- 17:00Arrival at the terminal
Tour includes
- Tourist transportation throughout the tour
- Professional bilingual guide (Spanish and English)
- Entrance to the archaeological complex
- Typical local lunch
- First aid kit and oxygen
- For the 2-day option: accommodation in Espinar and breakfast
Not included
- Tickets to Espinar (except for the options from Cusco)
- Dinners and drinks not specified
- Tips
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance
What to bring
- ID card or passport
- Warm clothing and windbreaker: the temperature drops sharply
- Sunscreen and hat: high-altitude radiation is intense
- Trekking shoes or footwear with good grip
- Water and some snacks
- Camera