Awana Kancha

This is such a hidden gem right outside of Cusco. The woman who gave us the tour was fluent in English and did so well in explaining all the different animals they had on the land. Another really amazing experience was seeing how they make thread from alpaca or llamas and how they use natural plants or minerals to dye the fibers. I highly recommend this experience to all tourists! Plus you get to feed and pet the animals!

There is so much more to this place than I expected! The llamas and alpacas are friendly and easy to get close to. The guanacos and vicuña have a good amount of space to be wild but you can still see them on the hillside. There is a display of natural dyes for alpaca wool and traditional weavings from several rural communities. Shoutout to Rosita who was a fantastic guide and answered all my questions.

This is a perfect stop for something different than archeological sites. You get to take a very informative tour to see the llamas and alpacas that they raise in their farm. Plus they demonstrate the traditional spinning, dying, and making of hand crafted goods out of the alpaca wool. There is an artisan shop with REAL handmade goods (not the machine made synthetic stuff that is shoved into the faces of tourist at every corner and claimed to be "hand made"). Expect to pay more for the real thing, but they have the info of who made it in which community, and they provide a certificate of authenticity for the high-end products. Even if you don't buy something, you'll leave feeling more informed and you do get to feed and pet the animals.

Loved the experience we had here, getting to feed so many different beautiful animals and seeing the coloring, weaving, and crafting processes with our own eyes!

I love this place a LOT❣❣❣
I was there 13 years ago for the 1st time and I still ❤ this place.

You can see there various kinds of llamas, alpacas and vicuñas. You can feed them with alfalfa that a local Guide will provide you. The less shy animals can be caressed. So that, you could enjoy some llama/alpaca therapy. It is a wonderful experience 😊

The farm has got through some improvements (although, it was not necessary as it was always awesome). Therefore, there is a new coffee shop offering delicious coffee (dairy alternatives are available) and some snacks. In the beginning of the farm, there is a new gateway with a gallery and lavatories. And soon, there will be a restaurant.

After having coffee, you will continue through workshop where people from local Andean villages will demonstrate you how an alpaca/llama wool is dyed using herbs and plants and then woven.

Finally, you will be able to buy some of the local products in a shop placed in the end of the farm offering the finest products that cannot be found anywhere else.

Cute roadstop to stop and play with llamas and alpacas, which may be necessary after driving up and down the winding roads of the Andes. You. Can feed and take pictures of the animals, though some are on a hill and are not accessible to foot traffic, so an optical zoom lens would be helpful.

What an amazing place to take children while in the Sacred Valley. You get up close and personal with the animals and learn the differences between them all. You are able to feed them (barley) and they always seem to be hungry! After, you see many of the quechua woman making different colors of alpaca wool, weaving, and much more. The end is an amazing shop full of authentic alpaca merchandise (better than the markets but more expensive).

Awanakancha: Alpaca, Art & Andes
You can’t travel to Peru without taking time to see animals native to the Andes. And, unless you plan on heading deep into the countryside, the very best (and easiest place) to see them is at Awanakancha, a small camelid farm dedicated to the animals and intricate textiles produced from their wool. Find out why you should take some time to visit!
What to see
On arrival at the farm, you will have the opportunity to meet the resident animals; alpaca, llama and Vicuña. Separated by species and sex in large pens, the friendly animals are keen to meet visitors in the hope of receiving a tasty grassy snack. After getting to know the animals, you can take some time to visit some of the small onsite exhibits, where you can understand how the animals wool is refined and naturally dyed, before finally being expertly woven into fabrics, tapestry’s, clothing or a variety of other products. Women from native communities offer live examples of traditional (and intricate) weaving techniques, using basic tools and wooden looms. Of-course as you would expect there is also an onsite shop selling the products that have been made at the farm. However, unlike most other markets and shops in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, the items up for sale are unique, very different from the standard things you find elsewhere and often very beautiful. If you are not tempted to buy anything, do take some time to wonder around the shop, as some of the items for sale are quite impressive. Look out for the large hand woven telas (weavings) that cost upwards of US$ 7,000 ea, and are crafted by one artist taking 6-7 months to complete.
There are no onsite guides to show you around, as most people arrive at the farm as part of a pre-arranged guided tour of the Sacred Valley. However, do take some time to talk with the workers and animal keepers at the farm, as their insight is just as good if not more rewarding than listening to a guide.
Where is it?

Awanakancha is located about two-thirds of the way to the Sacred Valley on the Cusco to Pisac road. From Cusco it takes about 30-40 minutes to get there, and from Pisac about 20 minutes. The compound of the farm is surrounded by a long brown adobe (mud) wall, which although would seem very obvious at the outset, can easily be missed if you are not familiar with the area. If you are on a bus, ask to be dropped off at Km. 23 on the Cusco – Pisac road. The official address is Km. 23 Pista Cusco- Pisac. (theonlyperuguide.)

Great place to see all 4 types of camelids and very friendly staff. I got to feed a vicuña

Very educational and fun. Good to see alpacas, feed and pet them. Also live demos of weaving , dying fur etc was informative.

It is a very nice place to learn the difference between lama, alpaca, and vicuña (although a very touristic one). I really enjoyed it

Really fantastic gem. You can pet and feed the alpacas and llamas. You can also learn to distinguish genuine from synthetic alpaca products

This was an interesting experience to visit a llama farm. Learning about the raising and processing of the llamas wool was fascinating. Its away wonderful to learn about other cultures.

There are Alpacas, Lamas and Vikunas. You can feed and pet them. Worth going there from Cusco (about 30 min.)

You can enter here with donation. There r little museums, shops and a farm of alpaca. Also can see how they weave. And, there was a lovely three years old little boy wearing traditional clothing was so cute. Used my camera and try take pics

This is a very interesting place allowing you to learn about traditional textile making. Meeting the animals is great, too. The animal area is super clean and being able to feed them was super nice. People care about this place and are very friendly hosts. Yes, the store at the end of a tour is expensive but there is no pressure to buy anything. Just make sure to leave a tip to your museum guide, they will greatly appreciate it!

You can see a lot of indigenous people making all kinds of cool stuff. You can also play with llamas and alpacas 😍 I was in love

A great stop for families and tourists. Very kid-friendly and super cute animals! My family spent 5 hours here— enjoy a nice cup of coffee at the cafe while the kids run around feeding the llamas and alpacas.

Really great information and displays on the tour and very expensive stuff to buy

Beautiful.. with lots of shops. I also recommend the Ceviche Seafood Kitchen.