Above Chivay, on the high-altitude plateau that separates the Colca Valley from the plains around Arequipa, stand clusters of apachetas — mystic cairns built up over generations by Andean travellers and pilgrims. These are not formal monuments but living ritual sites, still used by local people travelling the old routes across the altiplano.
The walk up to the apachetas from Chivay takes you through dramatic high-altitude scenery — vicuñas grazing on the puna grassland, distant volcanoes, an immense sky. The altitude (approaching 5,000 metres) means the walk is strenuous if you are not yet acclimatised. Go slowly, drink water, and bring a windproof layer; even in clear weather the wind at this elevation cuts hard.