Complejo Arqueologico Wari
Complejo Arqueologico Wari
4.3
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.3
207 reviews
Excellent
91
Very good
86
Average
27
Poor
1
Terrible
2
Luz Marina L
7 contributions
May 2022
Compared to the archeological sites in Cuzco, this is still a rather unknown archeological site but a lanmark that worth the trip to Ayacucho. We had a great guide who walk us through the museum and part of the site. It will give a lot to talk about the generations to come.
Written May 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travellover1978
Messina, Italy202 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
The Wari site is huge and interesting, it was great to learn about the first peruvian empire. We chose to see the site with a tour guide who spoke just spanish, but being italian it was not a problem to understand everything. The week before our arrival a new excavation of a royal tomb was opened to visitors, so we were very lucky to see it. There's also a good small museum with many artifacts discovered in the area.
Written March 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Viviana
Austin, TX12 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
My daughter (9 yrs old) enjoyed and learned from the local guide. It was very interesting to learn from such an old civilization.
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mariedragon
Huaraz, Peru335 contributions
Oct 2019
I visited the Wari archaeological site in October with some friends. We decided to visit the site independently as it is very easy to get there from Ayacucho. We were glad we did not go there on a tour because the site is very extensive, so it is possible to spend quite a bit of time there. We did hire a guide on site, which was a good decision as he took us to the less visited parts of the complex; the guided visit lasted 2 hours and cost S/20 soles. Entry to the site was only S/3 soles.
The site is very pleasantly set amongst groves of prickly pear cacti, high on top of a hill, so you get great views of the surrounding mountainous countryside.
This site was the capital of the great Wari empire, which predates the Incas. The Waris actually are the ones who developed most of what many people wrongly attribute to the Incas, such as the fine stonework and trails connecting the empire.
The walls encircling the complex are very impressive, as is the ceremonial centre and even more so the incredible royal tombs, which were unfortunately pillaged.
There is a modest, small onsite museum, which displays a few ceramics, stonework and a mummy, but it is a good place to start the visit. Some more Wari ceramics can be found at the archaeology museum in Ayacucho, but a much more extensive collection of Wari artefacts can be found in museums in Lima, such as at the Larco museum and Archaeology and History museum.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the site was much bigger and interesting than initially thought, so I would totally recommend a visit here to those who are interested in Peruvian archaeology.
There are many archaeological digs still happening at the site, so it is likely that there will be even more to see in the future.
The site is very pleasantly set amongst groves of prickly pear cacti, high on top of a hill, so you get great views of the surrounding mountainous countryside.
This site was the capital of the great Wari empire, which predates the Incas. The Waris actually are the ones who developed most of what many people wrongly attribute to the Incas, such as the fine stonework and trails connecting the empire.
The walls encircling the complex are very impressive, as is the ceremonial centre and even more so the incredible royal tombs, which were unfortunately pillaged.
There is a modest, small onsite museum, which displays a few ceramics, stonework and a mummy, but it is a good place to start the visit. Some more Wari ceramics can be found at the archaeology museum in Ayacucho, but a much more extensive collection of Wari artefacts can be found in museums in Lima, such as at the Larco museum and Archaeology and History museum.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the site was much bigger and interesting than initially thought, so I would totally recommend a visit here to those who are interested in Peruvian archaeology.
There are many archaeological digs still happening at the site, so it is likely that there will be even more to see in the future.
Written November 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PANC J
Lima, Peru820 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
We are retired archaeologists and we went to Ayacucho specifically to visit Wari. It did not disappoint - but it's not for everybody. The little on-site museum is downright terrible, with very few artifacts and very little contextual information on what they do have. Signage around the site is also non-existent. There is nothing to tell you what you are looking at. A guide is probably advisable for most visitors, though you really have no idea if the guide will be informed or accurate. In fairness to all, there is relatively little published information about this capital of the massive Wari Empire. Definitely worth a visit if you have any interest in Peruvian prehistory and the great cities of the world.
Written February 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fuadaitaattou
Paris, France5 contributions
Mar 2017 • Solo
First of all I have to say that I'm passionated about old civilizations, in particular the pre incas ones.
But the major problem in tourism in Peru is that most everything out of Lima is in spanish.
But even without that, this site presents little interests. There's not much to see. The guide was speaking in a monotonous tone not trying to make me understand anything and it seemed to me that he didn't know much. I was fortunate enough for being with other peruvian tourists who would translate a bit of what he was saying. Many things seemed odd, like for instance a big plain square rock which was supposed to be used as an astronomy tool!!? When I asked how do we assume that he replied that they would poor water on it and look at the reflexion of the stars on the water. I really doubt that.
Also, don't count on visiting the museum, it's always closed (like lost museums outside of Lima).
But the major problem in tourism in Peru is that most everything out of Lima is in spanish.
But even without that, this site presents little interests. There's not much to see. The guide was speaking in a monotonous tone not trying to make me understand anything and it seemed to me that he didn't know much. I was fortunate enough for being with other peruvian tourists who would translate a bit of what he was saying. Many things seemed odd, like for instance a big plain square rock which was supposed to be used as an astronomy tool!!? When I asked how do we assume that he replied that they would poor water on it and look at the reflexion of the stars on the water. I really doubt that.
Also, don't count on visiting the museum, it's always closed (like lost museums outside of Lima).
Written March 29, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Suzanne T
Oaxaca, Mexico391 contributions
Sep 2019
I used to think there were nomadic tribes in Peru and then there was the Incas! but I came to learn that there were many very sophisticated cultures long before the Incas ... and the Wari are one of them. Visiting this capital site (dated in the 500 to 600's AD) demonstrates the sophisticated architecture, stone irrigation system and aqueducts, stepped agriculture, beautiful ceramics and textiles of the Wari. AND they've hardly begun to dig due to lack of money. There is so much more to see on the next visit!
Written September 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alex B
Tarma, Peru20 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
I've always found pre-Incan ruins to be more fascinating than Incan because of the sheer age of them and how they helped lead up to the Incan Empire. These Wari ruins are still being uncovered and marked for tourists but are still very interesting and immense.
I took a tour with E&N for 40 soles ($12) which included the transportation, guide (in Spanish), and a trip to Quinua and the Pampa de Ayacucho. It was from 8am-3pm and all the drives were relatively short.
I'd highly recommend for a short day trip while you're in Ayacucho!
I took a tour with E&N for 40 soles ($12) which included the transportation, guide (in Spanish), and a trip to Quinua and the Pampa de Ayacucho. It was from 8am-3pm and all the drives were relatively short.
I'd highly recommend for a short day trip while you're in Ayacucho!
Written May 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert Schmitz
Regensburg, Germany25 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
I went to this Complex with an ex girlfriend in 2012, we had so much fun taking pictures, learning history, eating tuna (cactus fruit) and by far, its a great place for adventourous couples.
Written September 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Berthaki
Arequipa, Peru278 contributions
Jul 2018 • Friends
This is a place that certainly you can't miss in a visit to Ayacucho. There are several travel agencies offering a tour to this place together with Pampa de Ayacucho, another historical place important in the context of the independence of America from Spain. We went with an organized tour by Urpillay tours. The visit was amazing not only because the place is huge and full of well preserved ruins but also because our guide, Yoliño, was an archaeologist. The several D-shape constructions, the high walls, the royal tombs, and the streets of the capital of Wari empire are simply awesome. Besides it's a good chance to learn more about those people that built the first empire in the Andean region crowning centuries of civilization.
Written August 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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