Qeswachaka Inca Bridge (Day Trip) – Q’eswachaka Rope Bridge Tour

Qeswachaka Inca Bridge is a hand woven grass bridge and one of the new attractions in Cusco. The name Qeswachaka derives from the native language, Quechua in which Q’eswa means braid” and chaka signifies “bridge”. This is one of the perfect examples of Incan civilisation and is the last remaining rope bridge.

During the Inca civilization, they built a road network to connect all parts of their massive empire. This is called Qhapaq Ñan (the original Inca trail). In places where building roads was not practical, they built suspension bridges. 

The bridge is located in the province of Canas in the south of Cusco city at 3699 metres above sea level (12,139 ft). The bridge is 92 meters long and 1.20 meters wide. 

It has an elevation of 15 meters and it swings over Apurimac River. It is. The entire bridge of Qeswachaka is made of grass straw.

Around 700 men and women from four different communities gather every year to reconstruct this bridge. They are Huinchiri, Chaupibanda, Choccayhua and Ccollana Quehue communities. It is more like a festival and event that involves Andean folkloric music and traditional dances to mark the successful completion of construction of the bridge.

It is a four days event.

The first day men from the region gather and go around the region looking for straw, once they have gathered enough they bring it back to the site where the women gather and weave them to form a rope. Once they have made enough, men then join these ropes and braid them

On the Second Day, the men disarm the structure of the existing bridge meanwhile women continue weaving the new bunch of straws.

The third day, the new bridge is assembled and is joined to the walls of both ends. The community then crosses along to ensure that it is strong enough and would sustain for another year.

Fourth Day marks the completion of assembling the bridge and the locals gather to celebrate this. They dance to Andean Folkloric Music.

Visitors are charged nominal fees as an access fee and these funds go to their community and they use it for reconstruction of the Q’eswachaka Inca Bridge every year. You can do this Q’eswachaka Rope Bridge Tour while you acclimatize in Cusco before your trip to Machu Picchu.