The Valley of the Souls, Puno Region, Peru
The stone formations are astonishing, even for a native of Utah’s red rock territory. The monoliths have the proportions of architecture: towers, buttresses, and arches sculpted by wind and rain into shapes that suggest human and animal forms. The rock is rust-colored in the morning, amber in the afternoon, deep red at sunset.
In camp, wood smoke tickles your nose, mixing in the cool thin air with the scent of lavender, adobe, and altiplano grasses. Doves call and flutter under the colla trees. In the early morning, a chorus of bandurria ibis greets the sun from their niched nests in the cliff face.
Stretching beyond this sheltered canyon the altiplano is golden and immense, running away to volcanoes at the edge of vision. Within a reasonable drive, you can be surrounded by a Seussian forest of Puyas de Raymondi; their elongated forms suggest a hybrid of palms and agave. Farther afield, you’ll find the temple complex and ceramics workshops of Pukara.
Tinajani Canyon sits in the Puno region of Peru, roughly midway between Cusco, Lake Titicaca, and the Colca Canyon. The altitude (approximately thirteen thousand feet) requires acclimatization. It’s a second or third stop in a chain of high-plateau exploration away from the crowds. Most travelers will never even hear of Tinajani, which is part of its appeal.
The local name for the formations, Valley of the Souls, is not tourism-board hyperbole; it is the logical ancient name, for reasons that become clear as you hike among the ancient cliffs, sacred caves, and stone giants. If you’re lucky, one of the camp dogs (hello, Brownie) will accompany you as scout.
What You Will Find
The canyon itself is roughly three miles long, narrow in places and opening to broad amphitheaters in others. The formations have been shaped by fifteen million years of wind erosion on volcanic tuff. They are geologically related to the formations in the Desierto de Tatacoa in Colombia and the Valle de la Luna in Chile, but they feel less volcanic, more organic—full and fleshy, as though they could come alive under the right lunar conditions.
Vicuñas graze on the altiplano above the canyon rim. Viscachas (curious, long-tailed relatives of the chinchilla) sun themselves on warm rocks nearby. Andean geese, gulls, ibis, parakeets, and doves grace the skies and call among the scarce trees.
On your arrival day, you may just want to hike near the lodge, enjoying the canyon views or the night sky from your private hot tub.
Our favorite experience was a private lunch on a hillside, surrounded by hundreds of rare Puyas de Raymondi. These slender giants, known as Queen of the Andes, are slow-growing and graceful. They flower once, spreading thousands of seeds in a final act of beauty and generosity.
Pre-Inca Presence
The canyon and the altiplano around it were inhabited before the Inca. Rock art survives in sheltered sections of the canyon wall. These are geometric figures, animals, handprints attributed to pre-Inca cultures who also left graves and offerings in high caves. The Inca road system passed through this area, connecting Cusco to the altiplano towns and the distant highlands of the Titicaca region. When you walk here, you are tracing paths known for three millennia, in a landscape that has changed very little since then.
The Altitude
Thirteen thousand feet is noticeably high. You feel it. Acclimatization is essential. Ideally, you’d spend time in the Sacred Valley, Cusco, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, or Lake Titicaca pre- and post-Tinajani.
LANDED can include Tinajani in customized journeys after at least two nights those other regions. Yes, we can also recommend other methods to help you acclimatize, such as time-tested local teas.
“We found more than we expected in Tinajani. Yes, the hiking, views, and atmosphere are special. What will stay with us are glimpses of the generous life in the high Andes, the otherworldly beauty of the Puyas de Raymondi, and the connections to the land and its people.” – John Montgomery, Co-Founder of LANDED
PRICING NOTE
TINAJANI IS INCLUDED BY LANDED AS PART OF THE OVERLAND JOURNEY BETWEEN SEVERAL DESTINATION OPTIONS: COLCA CANYON, CUSCO, AND PUNO/LAKE TITICACA. THIS JOURNEY IS TYPICALLY 5-6 HOURS BY PRIVATE VEHICLE. FULL PERU PROGRAMS THROUGH LANDED RANGE FROM $5,500 TO $14,000+ PER PERSON. TINAJANI CAMP WORKS WELL AS A BUYOUT (6 TENT CABINS) OR AS A LOCATION FOR FAMILIES / FRIEND GROUPS OF 4 OR MORE.
Tinajani is one of our favorite short-term stops in Peru. Most guests stay two nights, although we’ve had some couples choose to stay as long as five nights to rest and recharge—an interlude between destinations such as the Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Valley, and Cusco.
If you’re thinking about a visit to Tinajani, why not discuss this option with the team that knows it first-hand? LANDED has crafted tailor-made journeys through Peru for more than two decades. We’re your guide to the very best of Central America, South America, and the Antarctic.
Request a private consultation with a LANDED travel designer to plan your journey in Peru.
