Choquequirao Trek To Machu Picchu - 9 Days

We’ll have an early breakfast on Day 2 of our Choquequirao Trek before setting off in the cool morning air. First, we’ll descend for one hour Approx. to Playa Rosalina, where we will cross the Apurimac River. Next is a steep climb of about three hours. It's quite tough going, for sure, but you’ll be constantly rewarded with the spectacular views from the trail, as well as the wide variety of flora and fauna you’ll find on this side of the valley. We will continue along the trail past beautiful bromeliads, orchids, and bamboo stalks, and hopefully see some colorful bird species such as quetzals, toucans, and a variety of hummingbirds.

Eventually, we’ll arrive at the community of Santa Rosa where we will stop for a rest in the shade. Pushing on, we’ll continue to climb for another 3 hours until we get to Marampata, where we’ll have lunch and a rest. After a final two hours of easy trekking, we’ll arrive at the Choquequirao campsite, at 3,103 m (10,178 ft). Tired but exhilarated, we’ll eat and settle down for the night. If the weather is clear, the sunset from the campsite is truly stunning, and we may even see some condors as they soar through the valley below.

Hiking Time: 8- 9 hours..
Hiking Distance: 14 km / 8.7 miles.
Highest Point: 3,150 m / 10,397 ft.
Lowest Point: 1,600 m / 5,250 ft.

All our tough trekking will be rewarded on Day 3 when we wake up early to explore the  Choquequirao Archaeological Complex. Your guide will take you around the site, showing you all the most important sections and explaining the history of Choquequirao. You’ll learn about the Inca Empire, its traditions and culture, as well as the close relationship between Choquequirao and Machu Picchu. 

Choquequirao has not been explored or studied as comprehensively as Machu Picchu, despite having been discovered earlier than its more famous counterpart. The first non-Inca visitor to Choquequirao was the explorer Juan Arias Díaz in 1710, two centuries before Hiram Bingham’s rediscovery of Machu Picchu. But the site lay abandoned and forgotten until recent years when archaeologists and tourists began to pay more attention to Choquequirao. Still, even with more attention turned toward it, only about 30-40% of the archaeological site has been explored, and many secrets remain to be discovered. 

We currently know that Choquequirao is divided into 12 sectors, with Inca agricultural terraces common throughout the complex. Most of the buildings, meanwhile, appear to have been built for ceremonial purposes, as residences of the priests, or for food storage. The fact that we don’t know more about Choquequirao only adds to the wonder of the tour, as your imagination tries to piece together a picture of what life was like at this vast and isolated site atop a truncated hilltop.

You’ll have plenty of time to explore Choquequirao, both with your guide and then on your own. Afterward, we’ll return to the campsite for the evening.

Hiking Time: 3-4 hours.
Hiking Distance: 8 km / 5 miles.
Highest Point: 3,150 m / 10,397 ft.
Lowest Point: 3,150 m / 10,397 ft.

Day 4 of our Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu begins with a hearty breakfast, after which we will begin the ascent from our campsite up to the Choquequirao pass, at 3,250 m (10,660 ft). As we are hiking, we’ll enter the cloud forest, where polylepis trees, epiphytes, and bromeliads grow. On the other side of the pass, we’ll descend towards the Yuracmayo River, (Rio Blanco) passing some Inca agricultural terraces that once supplied Choquequirao. 

We will continue on to Pinchaunuyuc where our incredible chef will prepare an extraordinary lunch on this remote trail.

After a few hours of trekking, we’ll reach the river, which we will cross. Heading on, we’ll start trekking uphill again until we reach Maizal, from where we’ll have magnificent views of the Yuracmayo and Yanama gorges as they merge, the river below rushing towards the Apurimac Canyon. We’ll set up camp at this natural viewpoint, looking out to the west. Your cook will prepare a tasty dinner while you enjoy the sunset from this stunning location.

Hiking Time: 9 hours
Hiking Distance: 18 km / 11. 2 miles
Highest Point: 3,250 m / 10,660 ft.
Lowest Point: 1750m / 5,741 ft.

After breakfast, the Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu begins on a steeply-climbing trail up towards Mina Victoria, an old silver and copper mine used by the Incas and later the Spanish colonials. From here we’ll hike along a hill called Qoriwayrachina, an Inca site that was discovered relatively recently, and which few people have visited. Probably connected to the nearby mines, the hills around Qoriwayrachina are covered with stones from more than 200 structures built at this Inca outpost.

After exploring this site, we’ll head up over the San Juan pass at about 4,100 m (13,451 ft), the highest point so far reached on our Choquequirao trek. Near here we’ll have a well-deserved lunch, after which we’ll begin our descent to the village of Yanama, with views of Mount Pumasillo towering above us and our campsite below. We’ll spend the night at Yanama.

Hiking Time: 8 hours
Hiking Distance: 12 km / 7.4 miles.
Highest Point: 4,100 m / 13,451 ft.
Lowest Point: 3,450 m / 11,318 ft.

Today will be a solid day of trekking as we make our way out of the Yanama Valley, passing through fields where farmers grow their potato crops and tend their livestock. Here you can see the daily Andean life as it has been for centuries. We then have a challenging trek up to the Yanama Pass, which sits at around 4,500 m (14,763 ft). As we cross over the pass, we’ll have sublime views of the Salkantay and Humantay mountains, especially if it’s a clear day. From here we’ll take a winding trail down to the Totora Valley below, where we’ll camp near a traditional rural village.

Hiking Time: 8 hours
Hiking Distance: 12 km / 7.4 miles.
Highest Point: 4,500m / 14,763 ft.
Lowest Point: 3,330 m / 10,826 ft.

After the high-altitude trekking of the previous day, Day 7 will feel like a fairly breezy trek as we hike along the pathway of the Salkamayo River. As we descend, we’ll pass through an area of increasingly lush vegetation, where we’ll find a paradise of crystalline waterfalls, plentiful passion fruit, and coffee plantations. We will have lunch in Colpapampa which is a stop-off point along The Salkantay trek, and Vilcabamba Trek, where all these trails meet up.

In the afternoon we’ll reach our campsite at the village of La Playa, where you’ll have plenty of free time to relax and take a swim in the river as we set up the camp and prepare another excellent dinner on your Choquequirao to Machu Picchu trek.  

Hiking Time: 7 hours
Hiking Distance: 20 km / 12.4 miles
Highest Point: 3,300m / 10,826 ft.
Lowest Point: 2,060 m / 6,759 ft.

Today will be our final day of the Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu, taking us within easy reach of Machu Picchu. After breakfast, we will cross the river and start climbing up through coffee and fruit plantations until we reach El Mirador, a wonderful spot at 2,860 m (9,381 ft) with exceptional views of  Machu Picchu.

We’ll then continue on towards the Inca site of Llaqtapata, which was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1912, but only extensively explored and mapped in 2003. Llaqtapata’s location along the Inca Trail suggests that it was once an important rest stop and roadside shrine on the journey to Machu Picchu. After exploring the site, we’ll have lunch and enjoy the views of Machu Picchu and Salkantay. Continuing on, we’ll trek downhill for about two hours until we reach the Hidroelectrica (Hydroelectric Station), a well-known landmark along various routes to Machu Picchu. From here we’ll board the train for a short ride to Aguas Calientes, the vibrant town that sits below Machu Picchu. Once we arrive in Aguas Calientes, we’ll take you to your hotel where you can have a well-deserved rest and a hot shower. And then you’ll probably want a reasonably early night because tomorrow we wake up early for the tour of our final destination: Machu Picchu!

Hiking Time: 9 hours.
Hiking Distance: 18 km / 11.19 miles.
Highest Point: 2,800 m / 9,186 ft.
Lowest Point: 2,000 m / 6,561 ft.

To best appreciated Machu Picchu, we’ll wake up early in the morning so we can get to the citadel in good time. You’ll have time for breakfast first, and then your guide will pick you up from the hotel at around 5:40 a.m. We’ll then walk to the bus departure point for the short but zigzagging ascent up the road to Machu Picchu.

We’ll then pass through the entrance gates into the Machu Picchu archaeological site. Here you’ll begin your guided walking tour with an experienced and highly knowledgeable guide. Our tour of Machu Picchu will last about two hours and will take you to all the most famous and the most spectacular parts of the extensive archaeological complex. These include the House of the Guardian, the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, the Sacred Plaza and other key locations. And as we walk around, we’ll have spectacular views of the agricultural terraces of Machu Picchu and across to the surrounding mountains and plunging gorges.

Once we’ve finished our tour of Machu Picchu, we’ll take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes where you can relax and have lunch (not included) before we board the train back to Poroy / Ollantaytambo and then Cusco. Upon arrival at the station, we’ll be waiting to take you back to your hotel in Cusco, where you’ll finish your incredible Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu.