Huancaya Waterfalls

Between Vilca and Huancaya the upper Cañete runs over travertine - limestone deposited by the water itself - and the result is a staircase of turquoise pools and cascades stepping down the valley for several kilometres, the same geology that makes Plitvice and Havasu look the way they do. Paths and stone bridges follow the water, some of them Inca-era in origin, and it can be walked in a day between the two villages. The colour comes from calcium carbonate suspended in the water; it is genuinely that blue in sunlight and dull grey under cloud. The area is protected as the Nor Yauyos-Cochas Landscape Reserve, which covers not only the river but the terraced farmland and herding communities around it, and Huancaya is a stone-built village of red-tiled roofs at 3,550 metres. It has become a popular weekend destination from Lima, five or six hours by road.

What you actually see

• The travertine steps - pools and cascades formed by limestone the water deposits.
• The colour - turquoise in sun, grey under cloud, from suspended carbonate.
• The Vilca to Huancaya path - several kilometres of river walking with old stone bridges.
• The reserve - protected landscape including terraces and herding communities.

When to go

May to September for clear water and dry paths; the river runs muddy in the rains and the colour disappears. Two to three days including travel from Lima. Weekends are crowded.

Honest expectations

Five to six hours each way from Lima on mountain roads. At 3,550 metres, altitude affects people arriving from the coast the same day. Weekend and holiday crowds are heavy. Cold water and slippery travertine; the colour depends entirely on sunlight.

Nearby

Vilca is upstream; Laraos and the Yauyos valleys are south.