Unusual plants in the Andean High Peaks

Titankayuq (pronounced in english as Titankayookh), is a natural reserve located in the peruvian Andean mountains. This area is reached by traveling to the city of Ayacucho (1 hour by plane), driving 3 hours to the rural area and finally walking upwards for about an hour or getting a horse ride to that point.

The area of Titankayuq lies above 3,800 meters and offers a very pleasant experience for meeting peruvian rural communities, visiting archeological sites, as well as getting in touch with nature and calmness. Either by trekking, riding horses or just resting, the landscape offers excellent views and it is worthwhile to camp close to a river located in the base of the valley, as the weather is not as cold. Locals offer food and lodging services, so visitors can get all the basics on hand before planning an adventurous trip.

This natural reserve's name means "the place of Titankas" in the quechuan language in honor of the impressive amount of these beautiful plants that only live in the mountains' peaks. Where almost neither plant nor medium sized animal lives, the titankas grow and generate "forests", and have a long and unusual reproductive cycle (they flower by the age of 100 years). A Titanka is also called Puya de Raimondii in honor of the famous italian scientist that actively studied them. These impressive plants are however in danger in certain areas, since they are cut for wood without a conservation program on behind.

Despite its tourism potential, there is still work to do in order to put it in the sight for more visitors. Currently, the local government expects to improve the road access to the main district, and local NGO's offer training to locals in order to gather their interest in becoming tourist guides and offer better services. This place is however fairly easy to access and highly recommended to visitors that go initially to the Ayacucho region and want to spend a full day close to the Andes' spirit.