Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [151]
Staff at the shop opposite Museo Kampac (cnr Ugarte & Ayacucho; admission S5; 951-82-0085; 7am-6pm), two blocks west of the Plaza de Armas, will give you a Spanish-language guided tour of the museum’s small but significant collection of mostly pre-Inca ceramics, monoliths, and one mummy, and may show you a unique vase inscribed with the sacred cosmology of the Incas.
The Municipalidad (Town Hall; admission S2; 8am-12:45pm & 1:30-4pm Mon-Fri; 9am-1pm Sat & Sun), in the small square beside the church, is recognizable by its murals depicting Lampa’s history – past, present and future. Inside there’s a gorgeous courtyard, another replica of the Pietà, and a museum honoring noted Lampa-born painter Víctor Humareda (1920–1986).
Just out of town is a pretty colonial bridge, and about 4km west is Cueva de los Toros, a bull-shaped cave with prehistoric carvings of llamas and other animals. The cave is on the right-hand side of the road heading west. Its entrance is part of a large, distinctive rock formation. En route you’ll see several chullpas (funerary towers), not unlike the ones at Sillustani (Click here) and Cutimbo (Click here).
SLEEPING & EATING
Lampa isn’t all that geared up for overnight stays. There are a few basic accommodations, including cozy, quirky, recommended Casa Romero (952-65-1511, 952-71-9073; casaromerolampa@hotmail.com; Aguirre 327; s/d/tr with breakfast S40/60/80), where full board is available with advance booking. There are a couple of restaurants around the Plaza de Armas.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Combis for Lampa (S2, 30 minutes) leave when full from Jirón Huáscar in Juliaca. If you have time to kill after checking in at Juliaca airport, get a taxi to drop you off in Lampa (about S5); it will wait and bring you back as well for about S40.
Pucará
051 / pop 675 / elev 3860m
More than 60km northwest of Juliaca, the sleepy village of Pucará is famous for its celebrations of La Virgen del Carmen on July 16, and its earth-colored pottery – not least the ceramic toritos (bulls) often seen perched on the roofs of Andean houses for good luck. Several local workshops, such as Maki Pucará (951-79-0618), on the highway near bus stop, are open to the public and offer classes where you can make ceramics for yourself from around S30 per hour.
The Museo Lítico Pucará (Jirón Lima; 8:30am-5pm Tue-Sun), by the church, displays a surprisingly good selection of anthropomorphic monoliths from the town’s pre-Inca site, Kalasaya. The ruins themselves sit above the town, a short walk up Jirón Lima away from the main plaza. Just S6 gets you into both sites, though there’s nobody to check your ticket at the ruin.
If you get stuck, there are some simple accommodations near the bus stop.
Ayaviri
051 / pop 675 / elev 3928m
Almost 100km northwest of Juliaca is Ayaviri, the first sizable settlement on the road to Cuzco. It’s a bustling, chilly market town with a colonial church, and the hot springs of Pojpojquella (admission S1.50; 4am-7:45pm Fri-Wed), where you can bathe. Apart from that. there’s very little else to do, except eat local specialties: queso ayavireño (chewy, salty cheese that’s fabulous with bread) and kankacho, tender, greasy lamb on the bone. There are several simple hotels in town, the best of which is Hotel Lumonsa (56-3500; cnr Plaza de Armas & Grau; r per person with/without bathroom S35/10).
Abra la Raya
From Ayaviri, the route climbs for almost another 100km to this Andean mountain pass (4470m), the highest point on the trip to Cuzco. Buses often stop here to allow passengers to take advantage of the photogenic view of snowcapped mountains and the cluster of handicrafts sellers. The pass also marks the