Choquequirao Trek 9 Days

We’ll being our first day with picking you up from your hotel, early in the morning. We’ll head out from Cusco to Cachora, a small town where we’ll start our Choquequirao trek. On the way to Cachora we will visit Limatambo where we’ll have the opportunity to visit the Inca ruins of Tarawasi as well as seeing Saywite, a large stone carved as a model by the Incas. On our first day of the Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu, we don’t have breakfast as part of our program, so you if you missed breakfast you can have a short breakfast in Cachora or buy enough snacks to get you through until lunch. Cachora will also be the last stop where you can buy your water, snacks, and other supplies you weren’t able to bring beforehand.

From Cachara we will hike to Chikisca wich should take about 6 to 7 hours. We’ll have lunch along the way in Capuliyoc or Cocamasana. Capuliyoc is a great a view point at 2800 meters where we’ll be able to see the surrounding area. From here we’ll continue on to Chikisca where we’ll stay in our camp. Chikisca is a small community where you’ll be able to see papaya, orange, chirimoya. We’ll be in camp at around 5:00 to 6:00pm for tea and have our dinner 7:00pm. Afterwards you’ll have a little time to rest and we’ll stay there overnight and rest to get ready for the rest of the Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu.

On our second day of our trek to Choquequirao we’ll be woken up by the cook and his helpers with a hot cup of coca tea. We’ll have breakfast at around 5:00am and a half hour afterwards we’ll start our Choquequirao trek and descend to the Rosalina Bridge (Puente Rosalina) which will take about an hour. From here we’ll cross the Apurimac River and continue towards Rosa Baja which is an additional 2 hours away. Here we’ll have a short break. Here there will also be a small store, one of the few along the Choquequirao route where you can buy your water and other supplies.

From here we’ll continue our Choquequirao trek for another 2 hours up to Marampata. From here we’ll walk on to Choquequirao. In Choquequirao we will tour the main areas and sacred sites as well as the Plaza Principal where most visitors take their classic pictures of Choquequirao. We will set up camp close to the ruins and stay in this magical area for the night.

From Choquequirao you’ll have your last chance to buy your supplies like water and snacks for the next two days. You’ll be woken up with a cup of hot coca tea again before breakfast and heading out for your trek. You will be walking uphill for about 2 hours and afterwards an additional 3 hours going downhill until we arrive at Pinchaunuyoc. Here we’ll visit the Pinchaunuyoc ruins and have time to relax since we’ll set up our tents close to the ruins for our campsite for the night.

Today we’ll get up early again, have breakfast and continue our Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu from Pinchaunuyoc. We’ll leave the ruins and hike downhill for about 3 hours before reaching the Rio Blanco (White River).

We’ll have lunch in the area and then start our Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu for another 4 hours up to Maizal. Maizal is a small village where we’ll set up camp and spend the night so we’ll be well rested for the next part of the Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu.

On our 5th day of our Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu, we’ll wake up early and have our breakfast with our group to get us ready for our trek. Today we’ll actually be able to see parts of an original Inca trail along the Choquequirao trek!

We’ll hike uphill for about 4 to 5 hours and then an additional 6 hours going downhill, so it will be a long day. We will also go through the Abra Minas Victoria, a pass between the mountains before ending up in Yanama. Yanama is a small town where we’ll setup our camp, have dinner and stay overnight.

After breakfast we’ll continue our Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu from Yanama to Totora. Totora is also a small community where we’ll be able to see local people living in a very rural area as their farm animals roam the country side along the Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu route.

So you’ll also catch glimpses of cows, pigs and chickens along the way! We’ll hike uphill for 4 to 5 hours to Abra Yanama, haivn lunch along the way. Abra Yanama is at an altitude of 4,600 meters. We’ll descend for an additional 3 hours to Totora where we’ll set up camp and have dinner before calling it a night.

After an early wakeup call with a hot cup of coca tea and breakfast, we’ll head out on our Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu. Today we’ll trek for a combined 6 hours approximately before arriving in the small community and our campsite of Playa.

Along the way, which is a little hilly, we’ll be able to see orchids as well as coffee plantations, palm trees and avocado trees. We’ll try the local passion fruit and watch a waterfall before ending up in Playa where we’ll have dinner and stay overnight so we have enough sleep to keep going on the Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu.

Today we’ll hike almos the last part of the Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu for a combined 8 hours from Playa to Aguas Calientes. We’ll also have a chance to check out the ruins of Llactapata where we’ll end up after about 3 ½ hours. During our visit we’ll also have a short snack.

From here we’ll go downhill for about 2 hours to the Valley Aobamba and after an additional ½ hour we’ll be in Hidroelectrica. We’ll have a much deserved lunch in Hidroelectrica. Between Hidroelectrica and Aguas Calientes we’ll walk about 3 hours along the train tracks along a pretty flat terrain.

At this point, if you would like a train from Hidroelectica to Aguas Calientes, you can choose to do so although you will need to buy the tickets there. Once in Aguas Calientes you’ll have the rest of the time to relax and even visit the Aguas Calientes hot springs which are also optional. We’ll stay overnight in a hotel where you’ll likely be very happy to have a hot shower after several days of trekking! Tomorrow will be the last part of the Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu.

Today we’ll start with an early breakfast at the hotel. From here we’ll start our climb to Machu Picchu which should take about an hour and a half as you zig zag up the mountain. Don’t forget to bring your passport (and your ISIC card if you asked for a student discount) which must match with your entrance ticket. You’ll be able to take a guided tour for about 2 hours which will give you enough time afterwards to roam around Machu Picchu to soak up the magical atmosphere.

You also have the option of climbing Huayna Picchu Mountain which will give you a great view over the city of Machu Picchu. It should take about 45 minutes to climb, but remember there are two entrance times which the Machu Picchu officials enforce very strictly. Also remember that Huayna Picchu only has a limited number of entrances daily (400 people per day) and they seel out quickly. You will need to book your tickets well in advance!

After you’ve explored Machu Picchu to your heart’s content, you will take a bus down to Aguas Calientes where you can have lunch and grab your train to Ollantaytambo. From Ollantaytambo we will pick you up to bring you back to Cusco where you will end your journey in the Plaza de Armas.

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