Welcome to Choquequirao
Remote, spectacular, and still not entirely cleared, the ruins of Choquequirao are often described as a mini–Machu Picchu. This breathtaking site at the junction of three rivers currently requires a challenging four-day hike required to get there and back, though you will be happy if you budget more time for it.
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Choquequirao activities
5-Day Choquequirao Inca Ruins Trek
Day 1: You will leave the Inca capital of Cusco at 4 a.m. an have a 5-hour drive northwest across the Anta Plateau to the town of Chachora, the starting point of the hike. Enjoy great views of the glacial mountains of Salkantay, Humantay, Pitusiray, Chicon, and Veronica from the windows of your private vehicle, as well as fabulous views of villages, valleys, and frost-topped mountains. Day 2: This is the most difficult of the five days. After an early breakfast, climb a steep path. After about five hours of trekking you reach Raqaypata, next to the Chunchullomayo River, where you stop for a late lunch and a greatly merited break. The afternoon trek is not as steep as the morning, and along the way we see an array of orchids, wild flowers, and birds. After hiking two hours more, you reach the archaeological site of Choquequirao in time to appreciate the sunset and maybe see condors flying by. We set up camp just outside the ruins in the cloud forest.Day 3: Today is devoted to investigating the marvellous ruins of Choquequirao, considered the other Machu Picchu where the last Inca Tupac Amaru was raised among Inca preistesses. The guide will tell you all about its history and the value of this site, and then you will have free time to explore the many areas of the complex. Late in the afternoon, start the return hike and camp the night at Raqaypata.Day 4: After breakfast, continue the return hike with a steep plunge toward the Apurimac River where you stop for lunch. In the afternoon, ascend for four hours to the final campsite at Coca Masana.Day 5: On the last day of hiking, you will observe the canyon that forms the Apurimac River. You will then take a new path that traverses the throat of the canyon with an extraordinary vista of Wayna Qalli towards the canyon, thought of as the most impressive in South America. Reach Cachora with a return bus to Cusco.
Choquequirao to Machu Picchu 9-Day Small-Group Trek plus Entry
The world Choquequirao means the “Cradle of the Gold” in southern Quechua. Its structure and architecture is similar to Machu Picchu and it's been called the “Sister of Machu Picchu” It is considered one of the last resistance bastions and refugees of the Incas, who abandoned Cusco in 1535. You will hike through the most picturesque places in the Andes and have horses for your convenience. You will use high quality camping equipment to enjoy two Inca highlights, Machu Picchu and Choquequirao, making this truly memorable. See itinerary below for details.
8-Day Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu
Pre-departure briefing: Make your own way to Milhouse Hostel in the city center to attend your mandatory pre-departure briefing at 6:30pm one day prior to your trek.Day 1: Depart Cuzco - Hike from Cachora village to Chiquisca (L-D)Get picked up at your hostel early in the morning and drive to Cachora village. Upon arrival, we will be met by our mule drivers and start hiking along the edge of the Apurímac Canyon. Lunch will be served at Capuliyoc followed by a 2-hour winding descent to Chiquisca ending at our campsite near the Apurimac River.Day 2: Hike from Chiquisca to Choquequirao archaeological site (B-L-D)Have an early breakfast and then start a 1.5-hour downhill hike to Playa Rosalinda followed by an uphill hike leading to Santa Rosa to have lunch. The hike will continue ascending to Marampata village. After a challenging 3-hour trek you'll reach your campsite overlooking the Choquequirao ruins.Day 3: Hike from Choquequirao to Maizal camp (B-L-D)See Choquequirao in the early morning and explore this 'lost Inca city'. Afterwards, you'll hike to Pinchaunuyoc archaeological site. From Pinchiyoc Unu, reach the campsite, Maizal. Day 4: Hike from Maizal camp to Yanama camp (B-L-D)After an early breakfast, you'll ascend toward Paso Victoria. The pass is a good place for a break. After crossing the pass, you'll descend to the village of Yanama for lunch and free time to relax in the afternoon. Day 5: Hike to the Totora community via High Pass (B-L-D)Start hiking to a high pass at and then cross over Yanama pass at with beautiful views of snow-capped Andean peaks. You'll descend to the Totora community to camp.Day 6: Hike to Sayahuaco & Transfer to Santa Teresa town (B-L-D)Continue the descent to the Totora River and stop at Sayahuaco for lunch. After lunch, take a transfer to Santa Teresa town (for the night. Here you can relax in the hot springs before dinner if time allows (own expense).Day 7: Hike from Santa Teresa town to Aguas Calientes (B-L-D)Today, take an easy hike over rolling hills along the Vilcanota River towards the Hydroelectric station for lunch. Another 3-hour hike will bring us to Aguas Calientes. Enjoy dinner.Day 8: Explore Machu Picchu - Return to Cuzco (B)Catch one of the first buses (at 05:30 am) to Machu Picchu. A walking tour of approx. 2-hours is given by your guide and after this you can explore the site by yourself. You'll your guide in Aguas Calientes, which can be reached by bus or on foot, to receive your train tickets for the return trip. Have lunch, take the train to Ollantaytambo and then the bus to Cusco arriving back around 10:30pm. Drop-off at the Plaza San Francisco.
CHOQUEQUIRAO 4 DAYS
Day 01We leave early in the morning heading northwest out of Cusco (3350m / 10991f) in the direction of Cachora (2850m / 9350f). Cachora is surrounded by mountains, one of them the snow-covered Padreyoc (5571m / 18228f). Here we meet the porters and the mules who will be carrying all the camping equipment during the expedition. We will begin the walk passing through a variety of ecosystems, accompanied by the mystical Padreyoc mountain as we go through the Capuliyoc pass (2800m / 9186f). From Capuliyoc we will have a spectacular view of the Apurímac canyon and part of the archeological complex of Choquequirao. Here we will take a short break and look back at the path we came on, appearing much like a stream winding along the edge of the mountain. The path then takes us to our camping place, Chiquisca (1930m / 6332f).Day 02After enjoying a good breakfast, we will descend for about one hour to La Playa Rosalina (1550m / 5085f). Here we begin a climb, in a very warm climate, to the town of Marampata (2850m / 9350f), from where we will have a beautiful view over the archeological complex of Choquequirao. The sunset in Choquequirao is enigmatic, often accompanied by condors, highly symbolic in the Andean religions, which descend from the highest mountains of Vilcabamba, down to the archeological complex of Choquequirao (3033m / 9951f). We camp here, very close to the archaeological complex.Day 03We will see the sunrise over Choquequirao, accompanied by a professional guide to tell us about the history and the recent excavations at this site. At the moment, only about 30% of the ruins are restored, so Choquequirao still holds many ancestral secrets. The restauration project should, over the next 10 years or so, bring the “Cradle of Gold” to the attention of the world and allow us a deeper understanding of the specific function of Choquequirao, which for now remains a mystery.After visiting the site we will leave by a different route which allows us impressive views along the Apurimac canyon and an abundance of flora and fauna. We will descend 1500 meters (4921f) going from Choquequirao to Playa San Ignacio, then ascend to our camp at a paradisiacal place known as Carmen Huerto (2000m / 6562f)Day 04The Carmen Orchard is next to the Tambo bamba property and was ruled by landowners in the years of the colonization. These days Tambobamba (2500m / 8202f) offers great natural wealth in agriculture and cattle ranching, hereby preserving the tradition and knowledge of our Andean ancestors. Continuing our route, we will visit communities like Pacobamba and Huanipaca (3150m / 10335f). From Huanipaca we will have the most impressive view of the ´Sacsarayoc´ glacier chain located in the region of Vilcabamba, ´The last refuge of the Incas´. Next we return to the city of Cusco.
Choquequirao 4 Days
Day 01 Cusco - Cachora - Chiquisca, we leave early in the morning heading northwest out of Cusco (3350m / 10991f) in the direction of Cachora (2850m / 9350f). Cachora is surrounded by mountains, one of them the snow-covered Padreyoc (5571m / 18228f). Here we meet the porters and the mules who will be carrying all the camping equipment during the expedition. We will begin the walk passing through a variety of ecosystems, accompanied by the mystical Padreyoc mountain as we go through the Capuliyoc pass (2800m / 9186f). From Capuliyoc we will have a spectacular view of the Apurímac canyon and part of the archaeological complex of Choquequirao. Here we will take a short break and look back at the path we came on, appearing much like a stream winding along the edge of the mountain. The path then takes us to our camping place, Chiquisca (1930m / 6332f).Day 02 Chiquisca - Choquequirao, after the breakfast, we will descend for about one hour to La Playa Rosalina (1550m / 5085f). Here we begin a climb, in a very warm climate, to Marampata (2850m / 9350f), from where we will have a beautiful view over the archaeological complex of Choquequirao. The sunset in Choquequirao is enigmatic, often accompanied by condors, highly symbolic in the Andean religions, which descend from the highest mountains of Vilcabamba, down to the archaeological complex of Choquequirao (3033m / 9951f). We camp here, very close to the archaeological site.Day 03 Choquequirao - El Carmen, we will see the sunrise over Choquequirao, accompanied by a professional guide to tell us about the history and the recent excavations at this site. At the moment, only about 30% of the ruins are restored, so Choquequirao still holds many ancestral secrets. The restauration project should, over the next 10 years or so, bring the “Cradle of Gold” to the attention of the world and allow us a deeper understanding of the specific function of Choquequirao, which for now remains a mystery.After visiting the site we will leave by a different route which allows us impressive views along the Apurimac canyon. We will descend 1500 meters (4921f) going from Choquequirao to Playa San Ignacio, then ascend to our camp at a paradisiacal place known as Carmen Huerto (2000m / 6562f)Day 04 El Carmen - Huanipaca - Cusco, the Carmen Orchard is next to the Tambobamba property and was ruled by landowners in the years of the colonization. These days Tambobamba (2500m) offers great natural wealth in agriculture and cattle ranching, hereby preserving the tradition and knowledge of our Andean ancestors. Continuing our route, we will visit communities like Pacobamba and Huanipaca (3150m / 10335f). From Huanipaca we will have the most impressive view of the ´Sacsarayoc´ glacier chain located in the region of Vilcabamba, ´The last refuge of the Incas. Next we return to the city of Cusco.
Choquequirao Ruins 4-Day All-Inclusive Guided Camping Trek
Day 1: Cusco – Cachora – Chik’Iscca – Capuliyoc (B) (L) (D)You will be picked up from your hotel in Cusco and transferred to the trail head in the village of Cachora, 4 hours away from Cusco. You will start the hike down to Apurimac Valley and enjoy great views of snow-capped peaks in the distance. You'll get the first views of Choquequirao after a few hours of walking. You can also encounter a variety of flora and fauna as you make your way down into the valley. You'll camp at Santa Rosa (2,200 meters/7,215 feet) and the total hike for the day will be 6 miles. Snacks,drinking water and meals are included.Day 2: Capuliyoc – Marampata– Choquek'iraw (B) (L) (D)You will walk for a total of 7.5 miles on this day, reaching the highest elevation at 3,400 meters (11,154.86 feet). You will hike 4 hours uphill through the opposite side of Apurimac Valley to reach Marampata. You can rest here and admire the views of the valley. You will continue the hike to reach the campsite located just outside of the Inca site of Choquequirao. You will enjoy lunch and get to viait the ruins and enjoy the sunset from the religious area of Choquekiraw. You can even spot condors soaring over the valley. In the evening, you can see Inka starts and the Milky way together with your guide. Day 3: Choquek'iraw - Marampata - La Playa (B) (L) (D) In the morning you will visit the Inca Site of Choquekiraw, including the famous Llama Area. Enjoy a guided tour of the place and learn about its similarities to Machu Picchu. You will have lunch and get to explore the amazing flora and fauna of the area near Marampata and walk for 4 hours to reach the campsite called La Playa. You will spend the night here.Day 4: La Playa– Capuliyoc – Cusco (B) (L)You will leave La Playa early in the morning and get the last views of the canyon and maybe spot some condors. You will walk for a total of 6 miles on this day, getting to Capuliyoc on a 4-hour trek with great views. Then, you will arrive to Cachora where you will take a bus back to Cusco and get to your hotel.