107 km / 66 miles from Cusco (2 hours by car) to the town of Pomacanchi then drive 3 km / 1 mile farther to Lake Pomacanchi (10 minutes by car). It is situated in the Upper Vilcanota River. Lake Pomacanchi is the first on the circuit. Its maximum depth is 140 meters / 459 feet. Around the lake, you will find grassy plains, some medicinal plant species (totora, mirimi, etc.) and fish (trouts, silver fish, huitas, ccarachis, chiñis, and carps). The next lake, named Acopia, is small and is located close to the village of the same name.
The flora and fauna are nearly identical to those of Pomacanchi. The third one is Asnaqocha, Quechua for bad smelling lake, and possesses little vegetation and animal life. It is the highest on the circuit (3750 masl / 12.303 fasl). The last lake of the route is Lake Pampamarca, home to a large variety of wildlife like flamingos and ducks due to the amount of totora reeds around its shores. Sport fishing is especially popular there. |
