The Q'eswachaka Rope Bridge

This is the last suspension bridge in Peru still made the way the Inca made them. Each June, families from four neighbouring communities cut and beat q'oya grass, twist it into cords and the cords into cables as thick as a thigh, and over three or four days drop the old bridge into the river and lay a new one, working out from both banks until the two halves meet. Everyone contributes rope; the work is shared by household. UNESCO inscribed the practice as intangible cultural heritage in 2013. For the rest of the year the bridge simply hangs there, about thirty metres of woven grass over the Apurímac, and people use it.

What you actually see

• The bridge itself - woven grass cable and handrails strung across the gorge.
• The June renewal - three or four days of rope-making and rebuilding by the communities.
• The Apurímac gorge - the river running fast in a deep cut below the deck.
• The q'oya grass - the highland grass cut, soaked and twisted into the cables.

When to go

The renewal falls in the second week of June and is the reason to make the trip, though it is also the only time there are crowds. Outside June the bridge stands and can be crossed with almost nobody around. The road is at over 3,700 metres for much of the way and is best driven in the May to September dry season.

Honest expectations

It is four hours each way on a mix of tarmac and dirt, and almost everyone does it as a very long day trip, leaving Cusco before dawn. There is essentially no infrastructure: basic toilets, and food stalls only during the June festival. The deck is narrow, springy and moves underfoot over a long drop, which some people simply will not do. Altitude sickness on the drive is common.

Nearby

The Cusco to Puno road, the Raqchi temple site and the Four Lakes of Canas.