Chavin

Chavin is an ancient culture from BC on the more green, wet side of the Andes. It's a nice daytrip from Huaraz. Precisely you can tick off two WHS when doing this daytrip. The pass that needs to be crossed with the beautiful landscape around laguna Querococha is part of PN Huascarán.  
 
Even though on this October day it was raining on the Chavin side of the mountains it was a pleasant day trip. For 15 /S you get a ride in Huaraz with Olguita Tours to Chavin de Huantar. It goes every full hour starting at 5 a.m.. It takes about 2,5 hours when all goes fine. The archeological site is at the very south of town. Currently they build a new bridge here it seems and crossing over the food bridge via the construction site caused some muddy feet.  
 
We decided against a guide as we thought there would be more info panels. Especially at the beginning they're quite rare though. Close to the ceremonial plaza there were the first texts even in English however with limited info. Walking up a bit we reached the galleries. In the Lacron gallery there is a nice, carved statue that is original. The other galleries or underground tunnels are more impressive as they're so old. Finally one cabeza clava can be seen on a wall before walking to the exit. It's a stone face with human and feline elements and should display a shaman that turns into a jaguar …

Chavin is a small but fascinating archaeological site in the Andes of central Peru. The Chavin culture is the first major culture of Peru that developed arts and iconography. This iconography thereafter had a big influence way outside the borders of this civilization. As the site is not very vast but well marked, I believe most visits to Chavin are quite similar. Mine was almost exactly what Els and Juha described. I will thus only add some details.

The main difference between my visit and the two exhaustive previous reviews are that I did not use public transportation nor a private driver but a tour company. Chavin is best visited from Huaraz, which is also the main gateway to Huascaran national park WHS. If you only choose day hikes in Huascaran (and not multi-day treks), you better go with tour companies as they are quite cheap, give you a lot of freedom and more reliable than public transport. I thus bargained a package of tours with an operator and included Chavin in it for a good price.

We left in the morning and made a stop en route at Laguna Querococha. It is located in a very beautiful mountain setting and was my first sight of Huascaran. I chose Chavin as my first activity in this region because it lies at a lower altitude and is less strenuous than most hikes. I think it is a good strategy to facilitate acclimatization and avoid altitude sickness. Our guide also …

Site visited April 2018. After some more touristy sites in Peru, visiting Chavín was a pure pleasure: no crowds, souvenir sellers, touts and high entrance fees – just greenery, fresh mountain air, few tourists and, of course, a great site with nice museum.

Chavín de Huántar is located at the foothills of Cordillera Blanca mountain range at an elevation of 3200 metres. There are buses from Huaraz that take about three hours. I had a bit of travel fatigue so I decided to take a private transport. I negotiated a fairly good price with hotel staff. It took about two hours from Huaraz with a 4x4 vehicle which was a good choice because the road was in a quite bad condition at times. The highest point of the mountain road, the tunnel of Kahuish, is at 4500 metres. On the way to Chavín we made some short stops. One of the obvious stops is Lake Querococha which is a part of Huascaran National Park WHS.

When I entered the site it started to drizzle but it didn’t spoil my great mood. I paid a modest 15 soles entrance ticket and had a view around me. At first I wondered where are the temples and all but after a while I realised that I was at the backside of the site. The first overall feeling of the site is s bit shabby. There were some negligent roofs and scaffoldings that protect the ancient structures. River flows just beside the …

Chavin de Huantar is a very interesting site depicting the eponym civilisation that flourished in this part of South America between 1500 and 500 BC.

The most incredible part was the series of tunnels dug under the site with their particular shape and ceiling offering magnificent perspectives and showing the creative and technical genius of the Chavin culture.

It is worth to visit the museum of the Chavin culture, located close to the site and having large collections of sculpted elements.

I visited Chavin by public transport from Huaraz. It takes 3.5 hours via a mountain pass across the Cordillera Blanca. You will also pass through the Huascaran National Park (another WHS) en route. When the bus is approaching the village of Chavin, you have a great view of the archeological complex that is pasted to the mountain. Although it is mostly known for its underground galleries, the sight of the main temple in its natural setting was a pleasant surprise to me as I had never seen photos of the complex.

I hired a guide to show me around (5 EUR, only in Spanish). The main structure consists of a grand pyramidical temple with a rectangular square in front of it. It was at this square where the religious ceremonies were held that the pilgrims came to attend. It is laid out almost like a modern-day stadium, with rows of stairs on the sides to sit on and watch the spectacle.

The site has suffered from a landslide and an earthquake, so some of it is not in its original location. Large sculpted stones are scattered over the area. Replicas of the Raimondi stele and the Tello obelisk can be seen.

A few things have survived in situ however: the Lanzon, a finely sculptured monolith hidden in a gallery, and one of the cornerstones in the shape of an anthropomorphic figure at the outside of the wall. The guide pointed out the large noseholes and wide open …

I am delighted to be the first to review this magnificent world heritage site!

To say that this place was a pleasant surprise was a massive understatement.

Chavin is still shrouded in mystery. Archeologists seem to have only a small idea of what the place was used for, so I will not comment on its origins.

At first glance, it appears that there is little to see here, but a little exploration of the site soon reveals a beautiful 'courtyard' and water 'tank'. These are only the start though. Much of the site is underground, and soon you find yourself in bizarre chambers and galleries.

The entry fees are only about $4, and it is worth every penny.

A real pleasure to visit, that should not be missed by any archeology fan!