Q’eswachaka Bridge

Q’eswachaka is the last Inca suspension bridge still in use: a bridge about 28 to 30 m long, made of braided grass ropes, that spans the Apurímac River in the district of Quehue, province of Canas, about 3 h 30 min from Cusco. Every year in June, the local communities take it down and weave it again over three days of collective work and rituals. That renewal has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2013.

What is the Q’eswachaka bridge?

The Q’eswachaka bridge is a plant-fiber bridge that keeps alive the technique the Incas used to cross the canyons of the Andes. Its name is linked to q’eswa, the braided grass rope, and chaka, “bridge.” It’s about 28 m long according to PromPerú, or about 30 m according to other publications from the same agency, and around 1.20 m wide. It hangs over a gorge of the Apurímac at an elevation of about 3,700 m.

What makes it exceptional isn’t just the bridge itself, but the fact that it’s still alive. The Incas built many bridges like this one along their road network, the Qhapaq Ñan, to cross rivers and ravines. Almost all of them have disappeared. Q’eswachaka survives because the communities never stopped renewing it, using the same technique for more than six centuries.

The last Inca bridge: a UNESCO-listed tradition

In 2013, UNESCO added the knowledge, skills and rituals related to the annual renewal of the bridge to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. What’s protected isn’t the object, which is rebuilt every year, but the know-how of the Quechua communities that maintain it: Huinchiri, Chaupibanda, Choccayhua and Ccollana Quehue, according to UNESCO; the Andina news agency also mentions Perccaro and Chiripampa.

In May 2025, community members found cuts near the bridge’s abutments. The authorities set up a technical working group with the Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco, the regional office of Peru’s Ministry of Culture, to protect it, and the bridge was renewed and reopened to visitors in June, as it is every year.

Where is the Q’eswachaka bridge?

The bridge is in the district of Quehue, province of Canas, in the southern part of the Cusco region. PromPerú places it about 180 km south of the city, a trip of about 3 h 30 min by road. The route leaves along the road to Puno, passes through Combapata and climbs to Yanaoca, the capital of Canas; from there it’s roughly an hour to the bridge.

How the Inca suspension bridge is renewed every year

The renewal is a communal work effort in the style of the Inca minka. According to UNESCO, it lasts three days and follows roughly these steps:

1. Before starting, a ceremony of offerings is made to Pachamama and the apus, the sacred mountains.
2. Families cut grass from the highlands, q’oya ichu, and braid it into thin cords.
3. Those cords are twisted into six thick ropes about 70 m long, under the direction of two master builders.
4. The men stretch the ropes across the river and tie them to the ancient stone bases on each bank.
5. Two master weavers work their way from each end toward the middle, weaving the handrails and the floor.
6. On the last day, the bridge is inaugurated with music, dances and the villagers crossing it.

The previous year’s bridge is taken down before the new one is strung up. Besides the grass, the work also uses stems of native plants and cowhide.

When is the Q’eswachaka renewal?

The renewal takes place in June, usually during the second week of the month, according to PromPerú. The communities set the exact dates each year, so confirm them with the Quehue municipal office or local sources as June approaches. It’s the best time to see it, with a folk festival and dance competitions, but also the busiest.

The rest of the year you can visit the bridge and, if it’s in good condition, cross it. As the months go by, the grass dries out and wears down, so ask on site whether crossing is allowed that day.

Important: the bridge is on community land. Follow the community members’ instructions: cross a few people at a time, without running or making it sway, and don’t take any grass as a souvenir.

How to get to Q’eswachaka from Cusco

Q’eswachaka is visited on a full-day trip from Cusco. There are two usual ways:

• Organized day trip: the most comfortable option, according to PromPerú. It usually leaves before dawn and combines the bridge with the Four Lakes route.
• On your own: a bus from Cusco to Combapata, along the road to Puno; from there, local transportation to Yanaoca, and from Yanaoca, a private vehicle for about 60 minutes to the bridge. It means leaving very early and negotiating the last stretch.

If you want to stay overnight in the area to see the renewal, keep in mind that services are very basic and that in June nighttime temperatures drop below 0 °C. Details on the cold by season are in our guide to Cusco weather.

The Four Lakes and other places nearby

The road to Q’eswachaka runs along the Four Lakes route: Pomacanchi, Acopía, Asnaqocha and Pampamarca, in the provinces of Acomayo and Canas, at an elevation of about 3,500 m. They’re high Andean lakes surrounded by villages and farmland, and stopping at their viewpoints is part of the day.

The same part of southern Cusco has other little-visited sites. The Waqrapukara sanctuary, in Acomayo, is a separate high-mountain trip. And if you’re taking the road to Puno, the Temple of Wiracocha at Raqchi and the church of Andahuaylillas are on the way.

Q’eswachaka vs. the Inca Bridge at Machu Picchu

Many travelers search for the “Inca bridge” and come across two different places. This table sums up the differences:

Detail	Q’eswachaka bridge	Inca Bridge at Machu Picchu
What it is	A suspension bridge of grass ropes over the Apurímac River	A passage of stone and logs on the face of a cliff
Where	Quehue, province of Canas, about 3 h 30 min from Cusco	Inside the Machu Picchu Sanctuary
Can you cross it?	Yes, when it’s in good condition and the communities allow it	No: you view it from a lookout
How to visit	Full-day trip from Cusco	With a ticket for Route 1-D of the Panoramic circuit
What makes it special	It’s rebuilt every June using Inca techniques	It was a secondary, defensive access route to the Inca city

If you’re interested in the one at Machu Picchu, you’ll find all the details in our guide to the Inca Bridge at Machu Picchu.

Tips for visiting Q’eswachaka

• Dress in layers and bring a hat and sunscreen: at 3,700 m the sun burns and the wind chills.
• Cash in soles for any community fee and purchases along the way; don’t count on paying by card.
• Shoes with good soles: the path from the road down to the bridge can be steep.
• If you suffer from vertigo, view the bridge from the bank; you don’t have to cross it.
• Don’t do it on the day you arrive in Cusco: it’s many hours of travel at high altitude. Read our guide to altitude sickness in Cusco.

Tip: if you’re traveling in June and want to see the renewal, plan the rest of your trip around those dates. It coincides with Inti Raymi and high season, so book your lodging and your trains to Machu Picchu early.

Summary: is Q’eswachaka worth visiting?

It’s worth it if you’re more interested in the living traditions of the Andes than in archaeological sites, and even more so if you can go during the June renewal. It’s a long day on the road, so it makes sense on trips of five days or more. Fit it in with our 3-, 5- and 7-day Cusco itineraries, work out the costs with our Cusco trip budget and discover other plans in things to do in Cusco.