Choquequirao Trek 5 Days

This fascinating trek to Choquequirao starts at 4:30 am, our private guide will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco to ride on our private van for about five hours to reach the trailhead called Capuliyoc (2900m/9,512ft). Upon arrival at the beginning of the trail, we will meet up our muleteers and horses, pack all of our equipment for the packhorses and get ready for the trek, you will only carry a small daypack with you for the essentials you will need on the trail.

We will start our expedition to Choquequirao, enjoying the spectacular views of the snow-capped mountains of the Vilcabamba Mountain range, the great Apurimac Canyon, and the stunning snow-capped mountains like Padreyoc (5,571m/18,274ft). The trail is downhill for three hours until Chikisca (1,900 m / 6,213 ft) a nice place for lunch. On some sections, the trail is dusty and slippery, but with good trekking boots and trekking poles, it won’t be a big deal.

After lunch, we continue for other 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach the first campsite called La Playa Rosalina located at 1,500m/4,920ft. Once at the campsite, you will have time to settle into your tent, which will be already set up, in the evening, we will have tea time, subsequently dinner. All meals included except for breakfast.

• Hiking distance: 8 km/ 4.9 miles.
• Hiking time: 6 hours
• Meals: Lunch, snacks, afternoon tea time, and dinner.
• Maximum altitude: 2,900m/ 9,512ft.
• Minimum altitude: 1,500m/ 4,920ft.
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Temperature: Hot

We will wake you up early in the morning with hot coca tea to get you ready for the day. A great breakfast will make us ready for the tough day. After a delicious breakfast, we’ll start our hike by switchback trail for 5 hours until the little village called Maranpata, this section of the trail is all uphill, once in Maranpata, we’ll take a deserved break for lunch. Along the path from the opposite hill, we will have great views of the Apurimac canyon, some condors may be spotted nearby, and plenty of beautiful wildflowers and colorful birds. This climb is one of the most challenging parts of the Choquequirao Trek.

Once already in Marampata, we will enjoy our lunch, and from this place, we will have the first sights of Choquequirao Inca ruins in a further direction. After lunch, we will continue hiking for two more hours to our second campsite called Choquequirao located at 2,950m/ 9,676 ft. This section of the trail will treat us with stunning vistas of the deeper part of the Apurimac canyon. If you still have some energy left, that afternoon, you might take a 45-minute walk from the campsite to the ruins of Choquequirao to enjoy the beautiful sunset. In the evening we’ll have tea time, followed by dinner.

• Hiking Distance: 14 km / 8.7 miles.
• Hiking Time: 8 – 9 hours
• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, snacks, afternoon tea time, and dinner.
• Highest point: 2,950m/ 9,676 ft
• Lowest point: 1,500m / 4,920 ft
• Physical rating: Challenging
• Temperature: Hot

The long-awaited day has arrived, we will explore the ancient citadel of Choquequirao with our Cusco Local Friend guide to learn about this incredible place. A deserved nutritious breakfast will prepare us for an absolute exploration of the magnificent archeological site, there is so much to see here. We’ll explore the religious sector, administrative sector, Usno (religious platform), the granaries, llama-decorated terraces, and other buildings located close by to the religious center.

Choquequirao is larger than Machu Picchu, only less than 40% has been uncovered while the rest of the ruins still rest below the thick forest. This Inca citadel is very spread out because the Incas had to research which parts of the mountain were suitable for terraces, dwellings, shrines, channels. They were astonishingly great civil engineers. Choquequirao means “Cradle of Gold” in Quechua, the Inca language, although this might not be its original name. It is an Incan Citadel built in the late 15th, it is another “Lost City of the Incas” rediscovered officially late in the 20th century. It is located high on a ridge spur almost 3,100 meters above the raging glacier-fed Apurimac River and is surrounded by the towering Padreyoc snow-capped peak and other peaks from the Vilcabamba mountain range. Excavations and restorations of the site began in the 1990s, and it is estimated that only less than 40% of the site has been restored to date. Every day archeologists make new discoveries.

After our thorough exploration of this impressive site, we will head back to our same campsite to enjoy our lunch, where we’ll eat our lunch. Our next exploration in the afternoon will be the lower sector of Choquequirao, where the agricultural terraces, water fountains are located and other temples. We’ll then come back to our campsite. In the evening we’ll enjoy our tea time and dinner. All meals included.

• Highest point: 3,100 m/ 10,168 ft
• Lowest point: 2,950 m/ 9,676 ft
• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, snacks, afternoon tea time, dinner.

After early breakfast, we will get our rucksacks ready and prepare ourselves for our journey back to the trailhead. From our campsite, we will hike for two hours back to Maranpata. After this little village, the trail is steep downhill until La Playa Rosalina, of course, you will require your trekking poles to protect your knees. Halfway down, you will have a break to enjoy some fruit farmed in this area. After 5 hours of hiking, we will reach La Playa Rosalina, the lowest point on the trail.

As of this place, the trail becomes uphill again, we will still hike for 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to the next lunch site. Today, we will camp at a place called Cocamasana, which is 2 more hours from the Chickiska lunch site, Cocamasana offers you great views around, from here you will enjoy some of the best views of the Apurimac canyon, glacier peaks of the Vilcabamba Mountain Range, and a stunning sunset. All meals included.

• Hiking time: 9 hours
• Hiking distance: 17 km / 10.5 miles.
• Highest point: 2,950 m / 9,676 ft
• Lowest point: 1,500m / 4,920 ft
• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, snacks, afternoon tea time, dinner.
• Temperature: From cool morning to hotter midday and afternoon, cool evening.

We will wake up very early in the morning to leave the last campsite, that way not to be hit by the sun heat, after a couple of hours walking uphill, we will arrive at the viewpoint of Capuliyoc from where we will have the last views of the majestic Choquequirao and the great canyon of Apurimac, at this place, we will finish our adventure to Choquequirao trek 5 days, where we will say goodbye to our muleteers and horses. Eventually, we will drive back to Cusco, getting to the hotel after 5:00 pm.

• Hiking Time: 3 hours
• Hiking Distance, 5 km / 3.1 miles.
• Maximum altitude: 2,900m/ 9,512ft.
• Lowest point: 2,250m / 7,382 ft
• Meals: Breakfast and lunch
• Temperature: Cool