Last long weekend, we took the opportunity to leave the city and live a new adventure. This time we headed to the First FestiAndes of tourism and adventure sports held in the province of Bolognesi in Ancash; just 6 hours by bus from Lima. Everything took place precisely in the town of Chiquian, known as the "Little Mirror of the Sky" due to the beautiful reflection of its local lagoons, which welcomed us with great hospitality, allowing us to thoroughly explore this new Adventure Destination.
In Chiquian, you can practice adventure sports such as:
Trekking (Huayhuash), Mountain Biking, Trail Running, Climbing.
Photo: Chiquian-Travel Peru
Upon arriving in Chiquian, we were welcomed with a toast of corn chicha. Together with the local authorities and organizers of FestiAndes, the event began at the municipal stadium "Carlos Bracale."
Traditional dances like Diablitos de Chiquian and Canis were performed, along with the hoisting of the national flag and an exhibition of local products such as apples, papayas, cherimoyas, lucumas, pineapples, strong avocados, and other supplies and accessories.
During the days of FestiAndes 2015, activities such as the chasquis marathon, mountain biking, rock climbing, and burrocross were carried out. This tourism and sports event was organized by the Provincial Municipality of Bolognesi and attracted many national and foreign tourists who enjoyed the various activities held in the town.
After the opening ceremony, the agricultural fair and traditional dances, we were able to take a city tour to nearby places where we found perfect routes for trekking and mountain biking. Chiquian has an ideal geography with winding roads, elevations, trails, and landscapes that will amaze you throughout the trip.
Among the main attractions of Chiquian are the places where the best Andean cheeses are made, and the Usgor Waterfall, whose legend tells hundreds of stories of couples who have drunk from its waters and ended up getting married. That same night, the torch was lit to officially inaugurate the First FestAndes.
The second day of the festival began with the chasquis marathon: La Chaskitón. So, from 7:30 in the morning, the runners gathered at the starting point, made their preparations and warm-ups, and half an hour later they set off. The race route was Chiquian - Carcas - Chiquian covering approximately 30 km.
Bicycles took the stage at 11 am, with the circuit to cover being Chiquian - Timpoc - Pampam - Chiquian, around 60 km in total. Cyclists arrived prepared with their bikes and necessary equipment for the competition. The route was not easy, with the distance, ascents, descents, rugged terrain, and altitude making this competition a tough challenge to complete. Thus ended the second day of FestiAndes.
The next day, starting at 8 in the morning, the highly anticipated Burro Cross took place, a very fun and unusual race. The starting point was Usgor, where the waterfall of the same name is located, and the finish line was at the municipal stadium of Chiquian. Surprisingly, there were many participants in this race, but most of them were children and teenagers with their little donkeys.
Chiquian is known as the "Little Mirror of the Sky," a gateway to visit the Natural Reserve of the Huayhuash Mountain Range. Visitors had the opportunity to appreciate the Huayhuash Range, one of the most spectacular in the Peruvian Andes. Its most important snow-capped peak, Yerupajá (6,634 m), is the second highest mountain in Peru and the highest point of the vast Amazon basin. It is considered by the international tourism community as one of the top ten "trekking" circuits in the world.
Blog Author
DeAventura Team
