Four Lakes Route, Acomayo

The Cuatro Lagunas route loops through the Acomayo and Canas provinces south of Cusco at around 3,700 to 3,900 metres, linking Pomacanchi, the largest, with Acopia, Asnacocha and Pampamarca, each in its own basin with reeds, farmland and hills around it. Andean geese, coots, ibis and flamingo use them. The route is worth driving for what is between the lakes as much as the water: high farming country of terraces and adobe villages, colonial churches at Acomayo and Sangarará, the pre-Inca site of Waqrapukara on its ridge to the east, and almost no other vehicles. Trout is farmed in some of the lakes and served at roadside places. Part of the circuit is unpaved and rough, and the whole loop from Cusco is a long day. It can be combined with Pallay Punchu, which lies further south in the same block of country.

What you actually see

• The four lakes - Pomacanchi, Acopia, Asnacocha and Pampamarca in sequence.
• The high farming country - terraces and adobe villages between the basins.
• The colonial churches - at Acomayo and Sangarará on the route.
• The emptiness - a circuit the Cusco tour buses do not run.

When to go

April to October, the dry season - the unpaved sections are difficult in the rains. A full day from Cusco including the drive each way.

Honest expectations

Part unpaved and rough; a high-clearance vehicle helps. No tourist infrastructure at all - a few roadside trout restaurants and nothing else. Long day, all of it above 3,700 metres.

Nearby

Waqrapukara is east of the route; Pallay Punchu is further south.