Calle Palacio Viejo 206-B - Cercado - Arequipa
+51 958 138 789
reservas@anderratravel.com
Spanish
EnglishSillar Route
PRICE
$ 12.00
Daily departures
QUALIFICATION
According to the opinion of 204 people
TOUR TO THE SILLAR QUARRIES IN AREQUIPA: AÑASHUAYCO AND CULEBRILLAS
SUMMARY
Pick up time from hotels: Between 08:45am to 09:15am
Duration: 04 hours
Ending time: 01:00pm
End place: Moral Street with Santa Catalina
Number of participants:
- SHARED: 19 people
- PRIVATE: Upon request
THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES:
Pick up from your Hotel in the center of Arequipa
Tourist stops throughout the tour
Tourist transport for the entire tour
Professional Spanish and English guide throughout the tour
THIS PROGRAM DOESN´T INCLUDE:
- Entrance to the Añashuayco Quarries: S /. 10.00 (soles per person)
- Entrance to the Culebrillas Quarries: S /. 5.00 (soles per person)
WHAT PLACES WILL WE KNOW?
-
Quebrada de Añashuayco Cutters Quarry
The Añashuayco quebrada is our main point, in the place ashlars are still built
-
Megacarving on the quarry walls
A spectacular carving representative of the Church of the Company, where you can take incredible photos
-
Sillar elaboration
With the help of a stonemason we will split a block of Ignimbrite to make an ashlar
-
Quebrada de Culebrillas
We will walk through a small canyon with walls 20 to 30 meters high, before water passed through the place
-
Petroglyphs of Culebrillas
Figures of all kinds made many years ago, it is believed that by the Wari culture. You will be able to observe them closely and marvel at their history
DETAILED ITINERARY
08:00am to 08:30am – In this period of time we make the pick-ups from the hotels that are located in the center of Arequipa.
08:30am – We begin our journey towards the Sillar Route, which is a tourist route with a lot of history and living culture, where we visit quarries and areas where the ashlar originated.
The first point where we will stop will be the Añashuayco Quarry; which we will arrive in 45 minutes approx. It is currently in operation, the stonemasons carry out their work very early; in the place we will be able to appreciate an immense canyon with cliffs (ignimbrite walls) that are several meters high, formed by the extraction for the formation of the Ashlars. At this point we will tell you the history of ashlar, its elaboration and the use that has always been given to it. In this quarry you will be able to appreciate a Megacarving of the Church of the Society of Jesus made by the stonemasons themselves. We can also visit some of them so that they can explain us what their daily work is like and they can make us experiment by cutting one of their stone blocks ourselves.
Then we will move to the Quebrada de Culebrillas, which is 20 minutes away from Añashuayco. Arriving at this point we will do a walk of approximately 20 minutes inside the small canyon that was formed by the passage of water, which has walls of 15 to 20 meters, while we enter it the walls of the canyon are increasing in height. At the end of the walk we will be able to observe petroglyphs made by the Wari culture more than a thousand years ago. Before returning to the city we will observe the Apachetas that are stone formations placed one on top of the other that are a symbol of gratitude towards nature and also an attraction of good luck which cause a mystical sensation.
11:30am - We will start the return journey to the city of Arequipa.
12:30pm – We will arrive at the center of Arequipa and we will leave you near the Main Square.
WHAT TO BRING FOR THIS TOUR?
- Appropriate clothing for hikes
- Mosquito repellent
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Water
- Suitable sneakers for short walks
PRIVATE TOUR TO THE SILLAR ROUTE
If you are traveling alone, as a family, partner or friends and want a more personalized tour, we can offer you the private tour to the sillar route, it includes a transport and private guide, as well as the pick-up from your hotel and upon return we leave you at the door from your hotel. The times are more flexible so that they can enjoy the tour in their own way.
TOUR VIDEO
FAQS ABOUT THE SILLAR ROUTE
- What is the Sillar Route?
- What is Sillar?
- Is the ashlar volcanic lava?
- What is the origin of Sillar?
- Does sillar only exist in Arequipa?
- Does the sillar route tour visit all the sillar quarries?
- How many quarries are visited on the sillar route tour?
- Since when are the Sillar quarries visited?
- How far are the sillar quarries from the center of Arequipa?
- Who is a stonemason?
- Does the tour to the Sillar route include food?
- La Capitana: 2 blocks
- La Nueva Palomino: 7 blocks
- Sol de Mayo: 3 blocks
- Are there toilets on the Sillar route?
- Is it very hot on the Sillar Route?
- Is it very high on the Sillar Route?
- Is it advisable to go with children to the Sillar Route?
- Can I get to the Sillar Route on my own?
- Where do you pay for the entrance to the Ruta del Sillar
- Where can I get crafts made in Sillar?
The Sillar Route is a tourist route that takes place in the city of Arequipa. On this tourist route, quarries where these white blocks called Sillares are formed are visited. The tour has been taking place since 2014, the year in which the stonemasons, with the help of the NGO CIED, inaugurated the tour with the creation of a carving made on the walls of the quarry representing the Church of the Company of Jesus.
The sillar is a rectangular block carved on all sides with artisanal instruments such as crowbars, chisels, hammers, etc. The average dimensions of a sillar are 50cm x 30cm x 20cm. The ashlar is composed of an igneous material called Ignimbrite (which means Rain of Fire) or Volcanic Tuff, this material was produced millions of years ago as a result of volcanic eruptions, but initially the Ignimbrite was a viscous compound similar to foam, which over millions of years hardened into a rock with which they currently make the ashlars.
No, the ashlar is composed of volcanic tuff or Ignimbrite, which is another very different compound than volcanic lava. It must be taken into account that volcanic tuff, like many other compounds, is produced by the effect of volcanic eruptions, which are often confused with volcanic lava.
At this point we have to talk about 2 things: 1.- Where the term Sillar comes from and 2.- Where Sillar began to be used. However, you can ask our guide these questions on the tour.
The sillar is made of volcanic tuff, this tuff exists in many parts of Peru and the world, but only in Arequipa was it used to carve ashlars and build an entire city with them.
In Arequipa we have more than 15 sillar quarries, on the tour we only visit the most important ones: The centara de cortadores (also called the Añashuayco quarry) and the Culebrillas quarry (which we will see from the upper part).
We visit 2 of the most important ones. 15 quarries that are in operation. The ones we visited were: Cantera de Cortadores (Añashuayco) and Cantera de Culebrillas (we only saw the quarries at the top because the main attraction of this quarry is the petroglyphs and the walk through a small canyon before reaching the petroglyphs).
Since 2014, visits to this tour have been promoted, however the Sillar quarries have existed for a long time. We are talking about more than 100 years of exploitation of sillar but only in the Añashuayco area. Previously, Sillar was formed in other quarries that are already populated in the districts of Mariano Melgar and Miraflores.
The Añashuayco quarry is 30 minutes away. The Culebrillas quarry is 1 hour from the center of Arequipa.
It is the person who carves the stone (volcanic tuff) to form the ashlars. Today we can observe their work up close in the Sillar quarries. They are the still living culture of the area and probably the generation that we have in the quarries is one of the last. It is a job that has been inherited from generation to generation.
It does not include food. However, in the place you can find a small Kiosk where you can buy some snacks such as sandwiches, cookies, water, etc. At the end of the tour, on the way back to the center of Arequipa, we can drop you off near a restaurant. We went down Av. Ejercito, near this avenue there are the following restaurants:
In the main quarry, which is Añashuayco (which we will arrive at 1 hour after the tour has started), you can find toilets for men and women. Only in this place you can find toilets, because in Culebrillas, which we visited in the second part of the tour, there are no toilets.
Yes, because of the white color of the ashlars, the heat is felt strongly in the quarries. We recommend that you bring a hat, water, sunscreen and sunglasses. During the rainy season (January, February and part of March) the heat is greatly reduced.
No, the altitude is practically the same as in the center of Arequipa. It has a certain elevation but not too much.
Yes, children will have a lot of fun in the quarries, there are many sculptures where they can take fun photos.
Yes, but part of it, you can go by taxi, at least the first part which is the Añashuayco Quarries, because few taxi drivers know about Culebrillas. If you go by minibus, you can see the first part, Añashuayco, but no minibus goes to Culebrillas. You take a combi that takes you to a few blocks before the Añashuayco bridge, then you take a bus that takes you to Villa Canteras, you tell them to drop you off near the Añashuayco Quarries and you will have to walk about 2 kilometers.
The entrance fee is paid upon arrival at the Quarries at a control booth. However, to speed up the process, our guide collects the entrance fees on the transport before arriving so that he can complete the entry process quickly.
In the quarries there is a small kiosk where you can find many crafts made in Sillar: key chains, cigarette cases, glasses, sculptures, paperweights and even a replica of the Arequipa cathedral carved in Sillar.
GENERAL CONDITIONS:
- Prices not valid for long holidays: Holy Week, National Holidays, Christmas, New Years. For these dates add 25%.
- Prices include IGV, in case the client wants a ticket or invoice, it will be granted without adding any amount.
- The prices are expressed in soles, they are per person. If the client wishes to make the payment in dollars, the exchange rate in force on the day of purchase will be applied.
- To confirm a reservation, the payment of 100% of the service is requested before the tour, otherwise the service will be canceled.
- MINORS: Children under 03 years have a 100% discount on the price, sharing a seat and food with adults. Children from 03 to 08 years old have a 10% discount on all services. Children from 09 years old pay adult rate. Only 01 child under 03 years old is accepted with a 100% discount for every 04 adults.
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