Pacific Coast - part 4
Tambo Colorado Ruins
Tambo Colorado has been a military and urban administrative centre around AD 1140 and 1532.
The complex was built with adobe bricks following the tradition of the Chincha culture.
Oasis of Huacachina
The oasis of Huacachina is a highly touristy place near the city of Ica. People go there to take pedal boat trips on the lake, for sandboarding, to ride on dune buggies, or to walk in the desert.
Even though it is really photogenic, the place is constantly packed with tourists to the point it becomes ridiculous. Everything is geared towards tours and selling junk. How do you relax in a local hotel, when the village is assaulted non-stop by hordes of people coming for day excursions?
As you can imagine, it is not the kind of place I like.
Lost City of Huayuri
Surrounded by mountains, Huayuri dates from AD 1200 to 1400. At its peak, the population probably reach some 5000 inhabitants.
It is not an interesting site and not really worth a visit, but it is an excellent campsite for one night. When I arrived, there was no caretaker, and I set my camp behind a small building so as not to be visible from the road. A very quiet night.
On the road
On the Pan-American highway, you can see this curious rock formation.
It looks like the profile on an Inca face.
Etapas de la Vida Petroglyphs
On the side of the road, in a rocks field, lies this unique rock covered in ancient petroglyphs.
Chichictara Petroglyphs
As you may notice on the photo, at first glance, the petroglyphs are very hard to see. The site doesn’t seem to be maintained, and several petroglyphs are almost undistinguishable.
I found more than fifteen of them, but only six were in good shapes.
