Archaeological Complex of Toro Muerto

"El Toro" is definitely worth a visit, even if you dislike rock art or carvings. The scenery in the area is quite something and even though it's hot you are rewarded with some unique rock art that is worth finding. There was a family with kids nearby and the children were super excited each time they found a new boulder with art on it. I have to admit that was the same with me. You get two choices for the hike. There is a small circle trip just adjacent to the entrance hut and it will take you maximum of thirty minutes to get around. The custodian made it clear that's for "kids" and the real thing is further up the hill. He said you start seeing some rock art in 20 minutes which is indeed the case. The walk up is a little frustrating as there isn't anything to see for a while and you get the feeling he's lying or inaccurate about the rock art coming up but once you start spotting it there is no end in sight.

Before getting into the rock carvings, this site is a bit way off the beaten track. There is no tourist bus that stops on the way and there is no real town closer enough to stay so your best bet without having your own car is to arrange transportation from Arequipa which is ~2h away mainly because town traffic is slow.

Once you get to see the …

Coming from Nazca to Arequipa by car it is worth turning left and visiting some of the most interesting rock drawings I have ever seen. The site is called Toro Muerto (Dead Bull), but this name could be changed to almost any other animal - nothing can survive in this desert except perhaps a camel - but there are no camels in the New World. The petroglyphs are close to the village of Corire and the fertile valley of the Camana River, but in this part of Peru only a few rivers are suitable for life. It is enough to drive a kilometer or two to the side and you can meet there at most sand and rocks.

There is a kind of information center in Corire where you have to buy tickets and get a guide to the petroglyphs. However, we passed this place and got to Toro Muerto without paying anything. The road is quite well marked, there is even a parking lot and a shelter with a suggested path. It is good to more or less stick to this path, because it was led next to the most spectacular petroglyphs. The greatest joy, however, is to bounce off it and look for drawings on your own. And there are hundreds of them, some very large, others noticeable only after climbing the rock. The place is delightful, although I was surprised by the dating of these drawings - they were created between 500 and 1000 AD, at …

Site visited in November, 2013. Finally it has been added to tentative places. One of the best petroglyph site I have ever seen, can be compared only with Tamgaly in Kazakchstan. 

The best place to start exploration of the site is a small town of Corire, some 3 hours by bus from Arequipa (doable as a day trip if you stay in Arequipa). While in Corire you have 2 options to reach the site. One is walk - around 3 km from Corire center (mind that the last part of the road is barren lanscape with no shadow - in hot days it may be difficult. Other option is to take a taxi from central Corire. The taxi will take you there, wait for you and take you back to Corire, prices are negotiable.

On a way from Corire towards Toro Muerto there is a small visitor's centre and ticket booth. If closed someone will come to you while you are visiting the place. As far as I remember official entrance fee was around 5 peruvian soles per person.

Toro Muerto petroglyphs are located in the upper part of La Candelaria village in vast valley. As of 2013 the area was completely unmarked, no paths, no signs, you just go and see on your own. Thousand of stones, rock, the majority of them were with some kind of carvings - typical scenes as in other places - hunting scenes, animals, people, different symbols. But what really matters …