Cumbemayo Excursion: Canal, Tunnel of Wishes, Stone Forest

This Cumbemayo excursion mixes archaeology and landscape on a half-day outing of about four hours. The journey starts with a hotel pick-up and heads for a site that lies more than 3,500 metres above sea level. Along the way you get panoramic views of the high Andes, and a stop at the Bellavista Vantage Point lets you take in the natural surroundings.

At the complex, the route runs through several places:

• the Cumbemayo Sanctuary and the Tunnel of Wishes, a rock formation made by nature and wrapped in local legends
• the Stone Forest, where huge rocks sculpted across millennia take odd shapes that set the imagination going
• the Piedra del Sacrificio, petroglyphs carved in rock, rock shelters and ceremonial altars of ancient Andean peoples
• the Megalithic Canal, a pre-Inca hydraulic work, over three thousand years old, that channelled water through the mountain range

The canal is the centrepiece of the visit. The outing suits those who want to see one of the most iconic archaeological sites of northern Peru, with history, geology and scenery together.

Tourist transport, an official guide, tickets and assistance during the excursion are included. Travel insurance, photos, snacks, drinks and souvenirs are not.