Nature Expeditions is engaged in an ongoing effort to explore and establish new and creative trekking routes throughout the country that combine breathtaking landscapes, unexplored archeological sites, thermal baths, bird watching and nature observation as well as encounters with local people and their culture into an unforgettable holiday adventure.
Experience the real, wild and amazing Andes, far off from mass tourism:
Trekking in the upper valley of the Chancay river:
(Archeological sites of Chiprac and Rupac, thermal bath of Collpa, bird watching, Andean condors, flower fields)
Trekking in the upper valley of the Chancay River in an altitude of 3000 to 4000 meters (= 9800 – 13.100 ft) is a great alternative for people that have only little time. You can visit the Thermal Bath of Collpa and the ruins of Chiprac or Rupac in only a two days trip. But we recommend a a full week to ten days in order to fully explore the amazing beauty of the area.
It is common in the area to see the Andean Condor circling over your head, as well as a great number of different bird species reaching from Hummingbirds to birds of prey. Over 40 bird species, Pumas, Vicuñas and deer have been sighted in the area.
We recommend to travel between April to early June when the mountains are covered with a carped of colorful flowers.
The valley of the river Chancay is located north of Lima and can be reached in only about two hours by car crossing the city of Lima and along the Pan-American Highway (red line in map). From the city of Huaral on we will be driving up the valley on a dirt-road: four-wheel-drive trucks are required from here on. After another two hours you will reach the town of Acos, where we will accommodate us in a rustic local hostel.
Have a look on our tour-map.
Enlarge the map by clicking on it:
Birding-Trek to Lampiang
The full day trekking from Acos to Yaros leads you through a great diversity of Andean habitats and therefore is a great route for birding.
Starting from Acos a visit of the Thermal Bath of Collpa is a must for our stressed city-dwellers mind and body. It is the perfect start for a few days of high-altitude trekking and of course an even better end of our trekking adventure.
In order to get there we will drive up the valley for another two hours on dirt road, now following the river within a tight valley of steep mountains, passing by a great number of beautiful water falls.
About 90 minutes up the steep serpentines by four wheel drive you will find the ghost-town of Pampas (nobody lives there anymore), being the starting point for you five hours trekking tour to the ruins of Rupac. The Rupac and Chiprac archeological sites belong to the pre-inca culture of the Atavillas.
Chiprac is a huge city of the Atavillos culture, overseeing the valley from an altitude of 3740 m (12.270 ft). Hundreds of buildings are grouped together in different sectors separated by plazas. From the town of La Florida we will continue half an hour more climbing up the mountain in our four-wheel-drive car. The trekking takes 3-4 hours.
This 4-5 days trekking tour starts at Pampas and leads you first to the archeological site of Rupak. You then continue to climb to the Puna area at around 4500 meters of altitude where you have a good chance to observe Andean condors, deer, vicuñas and Pumas. You will stay overnight in tents. The trekking equipment will be carried by mules. On our final day we arrive at the archeological site of Chiprak.
The Rupac and Chiprac ruins are belonging to the pre-inca culture of the Altavillos. The Atavillos populated the Andean region of Lima and had two communities, Yauyos and Atavillos. The Atavillos were a rebel group against the Incas. The ceramic and sculptural tombof Huascoy in Canta region is a manifestation of the Atavillos’ contact with the culture of Recuay Huaylas Callejon in Huaraz taking into account the similarities in the quality, shape and color of the ceramics.
The Atavillos have been a well developed ethnical group. During the years of the conquest a village called Pampas San Salvador was founded because of the richness in minerals in this area. Francisco Pizarro, founder of the town, called himself the Marquez of the Atavillos.
The buildings constructed by the Atavillos are square outside but on their inside the walls are closing in conically towards the roof, leaving a small opening in the top that was covered with huge stone-plates. In the entire walls one can find a huge number of small chambers. In the upper ones food was stored in the lower ones the dead where buried within the families house. There are cellars and elaborated fireplaces with chimneys. Many of the buildings are still entirely intact, having survived a hundreds of years and many earthquakes.
Nature Expeditions is engaged in an ongoing effort to explore and establish new and creative trekking routes throughout the country that combine breathtaking landscapes, unexplored archeological sites, thermal baths, bird watching and nature observation as well as encounters with local people and their culture into an unforgettable holiday adventure.
Trekking in the upper valley of the Chancay River in an altitude of 3000 to 4000 meters (= 9800 – 13.100 ft) is a great alternative for people that have only little time. You can visit the Thermal Bath of Collpa and the ruins of Chiprac or Rupac in only a two days trip. But we recommend a a full week to ten days in order to fully explore the amazing beauty of the area.
The valley of the river Chancay is located north of Lima and can be reached in only about two hours by car crossing the city of Lima and along the Pan-American Highway (red line in map). From the city of Huaral on we will be driving up the valley on a dirt-road: four-wheel-drive trucks are required from here on. After another two hours you will reach the town of Acos, where we will accommodate us in a rustic local hostel.
The full day trekking from Acos to Yaros leads you through a great diversity of Andean habitats and therefore is a great route for birding. 
Starting from Acos a visit of the Thermal Bath of Collpa is a must for our stressed city-dwellers mind and body. It is the perfect start for a few days of high-altitude trekking and of course an even better end of our trekking adventure.
About 90 minutes up the steep serpentines by four wheel drive you will find the ghost-town of Pampas (nobody lives there anymore), being the starting point for you five hours trekking tour to the ruins of Rupac. The Rupac and Chiprac archeological sites belong to the pre-inca culture of the Atavillas. 
Chiprac is a huge city of the Atavillos culture, overseeing the valley from an altitude of 3740 m (12.270 ft). Hundreds of buildings are grouped together in different sectors separated by plazas. From the town of La Florida we will continue half an hour more climbing up the mountain in our four-wheel-drive car. The trekking takes 3-4 hours. 
This 4-5 days trekking tour starts at Pampas and leads you first to the archeological site of Rupak. You then continue to climb to the Puna area at around 4500 meters of altitude where you have a good chance to observe Andean condors, deer, vicuñas and Pumas. You will stay overnight in tents. The trekking equipment will be carried by mules. On our final day we arrive at the archeological site of Chiprak. 
The Rupac and Chiprac ruins are belonging to the pre-inca culture of the Altavillos. The Atavillos populated the Andean region of Lima and had two communities, Yauyos and Atavillos. The Atavillos were a rebel group against the Incas. The ceramic and sculptural tomb of Huascoy in Canta region is a manifestation of the Atavillos’ contact with the culture of Recuay Huaylas Callejon in Huaraz taking into account the similarities in the quality, shape and color of the ceramics.