Catarpe is located 6 kilometers north of San Pedro de Atacama, located on a river terrace well defended by ravines, it is the only green valley in the Cordillera de la Sal, noted for its small church. In it are the remains of an ancient administrative center of the Inca culture. Nearby is the Chapel of San Isidro, built in 1913 by the Italian settler Lucas Cenzano and still cared for by his descendants.
The Pucará de Quitor is a pre-Inca construction dating from the 12th century. It is made of stones that climb a hill as a fortress with a perimeter defensive wall, it is currently considered a national monument of the Republic of Chile. Its location is at a bend in the ravine through which the waters of the San Pedro river or Rio Grande flow and on a steep incline, are the ruins of Pukara de Quitor. The houses and their small adjoining silo, the defensive enclosures that can be seen on the periphery and attached to the same defensive wall, the enclosures that store grains and the watchtowers, cover 160 in number and a surface area of 2.9 ha. A good part of the slope described has a height of 80m from its base contiguous to the cultivated fields to its culminating point.
Itinerary
Departure from San Pedro de Atacama, towards 6 km to the south where we will find our bicycles.
Crossings of more than 6 rivers through the Cordillera de la Sal.
Hike to the summit of Pucara de Quitor.
Return to the bicycle base.
Transfer to the Hotel.
Includes
Does not include