The lesser known Choquequirao, also known as ‘The Sister of Machu Picchu’, it’s an ancient site with ancestral vestiges of the Incas and their culture, with similar structure but larger than Machu Picchu.
This ‘Cradle of Gold’ (its meaning in Quechua) is surrounded by different types of vegetation with incredible mountain scenery which makes this place magnificent.
The lost citadel of Choquequirao was the last Incan refuge and a ceremony place. This fortress is made of buildings and terraces, because of its hidden location could have been used as a strategic point for different purposes at the time.
The archaeological site is situated on the saddle of the Vilcabamba mountain range in Santa Teresa. It is perched overlooking the Apurimac river canyon at an altitude of 2 634 meters above sea level.
Choquequirao Trek 5 Days – Choquequirao Trail Peru is a good alternative to the esteemed Inca Trail. The only way to arrive it’s by foot for about a 4 or 5 days tour, which is why it has been visited only by a few tourists and it’s one of the best treks in South America.
If you are looking for some adventure we highly recommend this trek, you will love it!
Do take a moment to check our review on Tripadvisor.
Cusco Airport Transfer
Depends on your flight’s arrival time
We will pick you up around 5:00 am from your hotel and transfer you (private transport) to the Andean town of Cachora (2850m / 9348ft). This is the entrance for our route to Choquequirao.
The journey will last for about 4 hours. Once we arrive, we will be having breakfast (we recommend coca tea) and have the chance to buy the last essential things, while the crew take care of the horses for our trek.
We will start our hike from Cachora, you’ll have the opportunity to observe the majestic snow-covered Padreyoc peak, with high altitudes of 5482m / 17980ft.
This first day of hiking is for about 6 hours and we will be walking around 16 km, passing through the viewpoint of Capuliyoc from where you could see the condors and descending all the way towards the Apurímac Canyon. We will be able to enjoy the impressive and beautiful landscapes with warm weather while we pass through.
We will be having lunch in Cocamasana, then we will continue our journey to the village of Chiquisqa (1950m / 6398ft), and set up our camp here to rest for the night.
After having breakfast early in the morning, we will pick up our sleeping bags and start our hike to continue descending to the Apurímac River (1550m / 5028ft) through the deep canyon.
Here we will be having a short rest to be able to continue hiking to Choquequirao.
The first 2 or 3 hours are very steep, but once we get to Santa Rosa we will have a flat and climb path through the rest of the walk, the way is surrounded by different kinds of vegetation such as orchids.
We will ascend to Maranpata (2850m / 9348ft), we will have lunch here and rest in case you feel altitude sickness, to be able to continue our journey to Choquequirao (3033m / 9948ft).
For about the next 2 hours we will be walking to arrive at our campsite from where we will have a spectacular view of the canyon, and have the possibility to see the condors soaring in the mountains.
We will be camping here, very near to the archaeological complex of Choquequirao.
Today, our tour guide will give us a complete visit to the Choquequirao complex, explaining the importance of this magical Incan fortress.
We will walk through the upper parts (Hanan), and the lower ones (Urin), you will be able to see areas still covered in wild foliage, because only 40% of this lost citadel has been discovered.
The mountainside below shows several buildings recently discovered such as the waterfall temple, once a ceremony site.
After finishing our tour and having lunch, you will have the afternoon free to take a walk or rest for what’s left of the day.
As usual we will have an early breakfast before we begin our hiking. Today’s routes will be very different from the ones we’ve already walked before.
On our pass through we will be delighted by breathtaking views, overlooking the Apurímac canyon mostly surrounded by a great amount of flora and fauna.
After having our last breakfast together, we will be hiking out the Apurímac Canyon, being able to feel the river below us and the Vilcabamba Mountain Range ahead of us.
On our way we will be visiting Pacobamba and Huanipaca communities (3150m / 10332ft). From Huanipaca, we will have the pleasure to watch ‘Acsarayoc’ glacier chain (located in Vilcabamba region) from a privileged view.
Our journey finally ends here, where our private transport will be waiting to take us back to Cusco.
Depart Cusco – Our transfer representative will help you and accompany you to the airport where we will say goodbye.