Apachita, Mountain summit in Carabaya Province, Peru.

Apachita is a mountain summit in Carabaya Province in the Peruvian Andes rising to 5,168 meters above sea level. It stands between the peaks of Ariquma and Wiluyuq Urqu, shaping the geography of this high-altitude region.

The name apachita comes from Quechua and Aymara, meaning a resting place, and such cairns were built along the Inca road on difficult slopes. Over time they became boundary markers, and travellers left stones with coca leaves, tobacco or fermented drinks for Pachamama and the apus. Some authors instead link them to dividing and measuring territory, or to stone carried for watchposts.

The word apachita comes from Quechua and Aymara and means "place of rest". Travellers still leave coca leaves, tobacco, fermented drinks or flowers on the cairn and say the word while placing them; removing stones is considered sacrilege. The concrete plaque in front reads APACHETA (Altar Sagrado de Piedra).

Visitors need specialized high-altitude equipment and time to acclimatize due to the extreme conditions at this elevation. Good preparation and physical fitness are important for handling the strain of thin air.

The summit's name comes from the Quechua and Aymara word apachita, meaning "place of rest". The cairn of piled stones shown in the photograph is an apacheta, an offering to Pachamama and the mountain deities, the apus, left by travellers on hard stretches of the Inca road. Removing its stones is considered sacrilege.