The Aguas Turquesas or the Millpu pools are a group of twenty natural pools located in the Huancaraylla district in the Ayacucho region. They have an incredible turquoise colour!!
I didn’t know about them on my trip to South America in 2017, having only discovered them on Instagram last year. I was really keen to fit them into my trip this time around!
Basing myself in Ayacucho for a few days, the closest city and easiest place to reach them from, I managed to fit a visit in and am so happy I did! Here’s how I visited them and information I hope is useful for anyone planning a visit…
Tour vs do it yourself
The most popular way of visiting the Aguas Turquesas is with a tour.
There are tons of tour operators to choose from around and down the side streets of Ayacucho’s main plaza. I wouldn’t put too much thought into which tour operator you go with. They all offer the same and often pool their resources and customers. In my tour van we had all booked with different agencies!
Tours leave at 8am daily, returning at around 7pm and usually cost around S/.80-100 (£20 approx). The price includes transport and a guide who on the drive will talk to you about the history of surrounding area. The drive takes around 4 hours one way.
The S/.5 entrance fee (£1 approx) to the pools isn’t included and needs to be paid on arrival. Lunch is also not included so you can take your own or eat the fresh local trout for S/.10 (£2.50 approx). The trout’s really good!!
Although I’m not usually a fan of tours, this is one of the times when I’d recommend doing one. Everything was so much easier and I didn’t feel the tour aspect marred my experience of the Aguas Turquesas.
Going independently
It is possible to get to the Aguas Turquesas without a tour if you want to. You’ll need to take a colectivo from Terminal Terrestre Sur at about 5 or 6am to Circamarca, the closest village to the pools. It’ll cost around S/.20 (£5 approx) one way.
From Circamarca, you’ll need to walk to the pools or hitch a lift. For the return journey, you’ll want to be getting a colectivo back before or around 2pm.
The advantage to doing it yourself is you’ll most likely arrive to the pools before the tours do, perhaps around 10/11am if you got a 6am colectivo and the drive took 4hrs. You’ll have the place to yourselves!
That said, I went with a tour and didn’t feel the pools were crazy busy with people. Plus, it was much more convenient.
The Tour
I was picked up from my tour agency’s office just after 8am. After about an hour of driving we had an half an hour stop for breakfast if we so wanted.
Back on the road, we had another 3hrs to go which, due to a closed road, was meant to get even longer! Thankfully when we got to the roadworks we only had to wait five minutes and they let us through! I was so glad we didn’t have to do a detour! 4 hours is long enough!
We arrived to the pools at 12pm. From the entrance it’s about a half an hour walk to the main viewpoint. The pools are at an altitude of 3600m so you may get more breathless than usual climbing the steps. The path is walkable in good trainers, although I was happy in my walking boots as my trainers have a nonexistent grip!
The views from the mirador are beautiful! They’re amazing and the water is so turquoise! We had 1.5hrs to explore the pools before we needed to regroup.
From the viewpoint there are two options: you can go down to the pools or follow the path 10/15 minutes more to the Mollepata waterfalls. I had time to do both!
I went down to the pools first. I love them!!! So so stunning! The water is freezing; I had cramp by the end!
Note: You’re allowed to paddle for photos but swimming isn’t allowed!
I then headed up to the main path and along to the Mollepata waterfall. It’s like one waterfall which has split into smaller ones and pools – also very beautiful!
I then joined the rest of the group at the entrance where we had trout for lunch. It was delicious! By 3pm it was time to start the drive back to Ayacucho, arriving just before 7pm. We stopped once really briefly to try some local cheese.
When to visit
The best time to visit the Millpu pools is in Peru’s dry season, May-December. I went in May and still found the weather hard to predict and changeable. In one day we had rain, cloud and sunshine!
What to take
- Flip flops or sandals to walk around the pools
- A towel
- Suncream and sunglasses
- Water
- Waterproof (you never know when it might rain)
- Food if you’re not buying lunch
How to get to Ayacucho
Ayacucho is the closest city to the Aguas Turquesas. The two main places to get to Ayacucho from are Lima and Cusco.
From Lima, it’s a 45min/1hr flight or a 10hr bus ride. You’re looking at around £50 for the flight and S/.50 (£12 approx) for the bus depending on company and seat type.
From Cusco, it’s a 14 hour bus ride with Movil, Palomino or Expresa los Chankas. You’re looking at paying from S/.70 (£15 approx) for the ride.
I did the journey vice versa, from Ayacucho to Cusco, and paid S/.90 (£20 approx) for a full cama seat on a Movil night bus. I originally looked online and could only see the departures for Movil bus. Check the bus stations and tourist information centre for up to date times.
Final thoughts
Ever since I’d discovered the Millpu pools on Instagram, I’d really wanted to visit them. Since they’re in Southern Peru I didn’t think I’d be able to visit them anytime soon, as on this trip I was headed to Northern Peru and going south seemed like a bit too much of a detour.
Turns out plans change and I’m heading back to Southern Peru to meet my mum in Cusco. With Cusco on the cards, I could then neatly slot a visit to Ayacucho and the Aguas Turquesas into my plans – thanks Mum!
I’m so happy I went! I loved the Aguas Turquesas and they were so worth the visit!
Whilst still touristy, the pools are a more popular destination for Peruvians rather than backpackers. I don’t think the word’s got out to those backpacking Peru as I was the only non-Peruvian on my tour.
A family even asked for a photo with me (which hasn’t yet happened in South America!). I managed to get off the typical backpacker and touristy route and saw something really beautiful!
If you’re going to Cusco from Lima or vice versa, do really consider breaking up the journey with a stop for the pools! Plus Ayacucho is nice – it reminded me very much of Cusco!
Next stop is Cusco (back to the main tourist route) to see my mum and for Machu Picchu round two!! I never thought I’d be back so soon since my last visit!
P.S. I also had some amazing frozen yoghurt in Ayacucho! The number of toppings that were included as standard was crazy good!
