After visiting the Qeswachaka rope bridge and Raqchi we stayed a night in the town of Sicuani, For our lodging we chose the Wilkamayu Hotel which was very nice with clean and comfortable rooms and a good breakfast, the location was also good and they had secured parking which was also a plus. Sicuani itself is really just a typical town with not much in the way of attractions, but if you do find yourself here, there are fairly decent thermal baths to the south and a very good pizza place called Bam-Vino on the main plaza.
After spending the night in Sicuani we had decided that we would take a drive to lake Sibinacocha, the lake itself is at almost 16,000 feet and is listed as the 22nd highest lake in the world. Other than the altitude of the lake and the scenery, there is not much else to see there, there are no ruins or quaint villages to explore, just thin air and beautiful scenery.
Lake Sibinacocha
We started out early in the morning heading North from Sicuani to a small town just a few kilometers away where we made the turn east and started our climb over the first set of mountains. The road took us briefly through a wooded area before changing to just short grasses and shrubs, which due to the almost continuous climb in altitude was what the majority of the vegetation was like.
After crossing the first mountain we descended slightly and then the road followed a river valley for a good hour before climbing again onto some high rolling hills and small valleys that we continued to wind our way through until reaching lake Sibinacocha.
On the drive we passed by many alpaca ranches and saw some large herds out grazing, we also saw several pairs of Andean Geese on the drive and the highlight of the animal sightings was the 2 separate herds of wild Vicunas that we saw grazing in the high valleys.
Alpacas grazing
Andean Goose
A herd of wild Vicunas
Upon reaching the lake we took a few pictures and were lucky enough to get a few nice ones before an approaching storm obscured the mountains from our view, and due to the approaching storm we decided not to spend too much time there and after enjoying our lunch, we started our return back down the mountain.
Lake Sibinacocha and Asungate Mountain
As we made our way back down the mountain we came across a young man walking and offered him a lift, which he accepted. We learned that he lived in the area and was going to his parents house to help out with some work they were doing. We also learned that Lake Sibinacocha as well and many of the rivers we were passing contained trout, so next time we make a trip that way I plan to take my fishing equipment and see if I can catch a few fish.
Alpaca Suri
Vicuna grazing
After returning to Sicuani we spent one more night there and then made our way back to Huarocondo on day three which concluded our adventure. I hope that you have enjoyed this series of blogs as well as the photos. We hope to do more exploring in the not too distant future, and when we do you can be sure I will share our trip with you all. Until then watch for more informative blogs coming soon.
A Gringos life in Cusco 
Hi Lyle, I am flying to Peru in January to volunteer in The Sacred Valley with Reach Out Volunteers. We will be building greenhouses in the Andes with local families to enable them to grow food throughout winter. I loved reading about Cusco and the surrounding areas on your blog. What a great idea, a b&b in Peru. Good on you.
If you have time while you are here, drop by and say hi.
I absolutely will. Thank you!